Irish Soda Bread

My mom has a good friend from Ireland who is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. So charming! When I was much younger, I always liked answering the phone when she would call because of her accent... sort of clipped and lilting at the same time. She would say, "Hullo dear, is Mum home?"

Phone answering is less thrilling in general now. Kind of like driving, I guess. It was great at 15 and 16 (even being stuck in traffic, BEHIND THE WHEEL was great), but as time has worn on it's less exciting than it was once upon a time. The sparkle and shiny newness that once coated the activity of driving has worn off. By the way, I have a set of keys I've been looking for since the age of 15 when I lost them (so they've been lost, literally, almost half of my life). My mother said (a forever long time ago AND multiple times since) that she was sure we were getting closer to finding my keys. After a while I started thinking otherwise... that we were actually getting further from finding those stupid keys (which, in fact, are totally obsolete as we have not owned the car in a very long time). On occasion, Mom still likes to remind me about my keys (which she seems to find VERY funny) and it is usually brought up at inopportune moments. I think it's just for effect.

On the topic of phones though, my sister and I had a roommate in college who remarked that in my family we could "answer the phone like nobody's business" after we both observed my sister demonstrate her skill by vaulting out of her lofted bed to answer a prank call at 3 AM (it was for me!). Sadly, I haven't a clue what the actual purpose of said "skill" might be. Quick reaction time? Maybe it's somewhat Pavlovian for us- the reaction to a phone is a high speed run. Yes, although phones are not as exciting, I DO still have to answer if I hear it. If you are wondering, my cell phone is more often than not on "silent" and I don't normally carry it around at home.

Digression.

Anyway...

The very sweet (and very Irish) Mrs. C, who the recipe came from, is actually dying of cancer now, so say a prayer for her.

(She died March 9th)

She gave my mom this recipe for Irish Soda Bread which we have been making for years. Fairly simple, but very good. I know of other recipes that include caraway seeds (totally optional, but if you like them you can go ahead and add some). You can try to smooth the top of the dough, but it will be a little difficult as it's so sticky and you probably won't be able to get it smooth. It should settle into place a little while baking, but it'll still have a very "textured" top crust.

It's great warm or toasted with a bit of butter for breakfast with tea or coffee. Crunchy crust with a craggy top and cakey interior. I thought you should have this to be prepared for St. Patrick's Day... or breakfast.

Irish Soda Bread

2 c flour

1/4 t baking soda

1/2 stick butter (4 T), melted and cooled

1/2 c sugar

1 large egg

1 scant c buttermilk

1 c raisins (or currants if you have them)

Add egg to 1 c measuring cup. Beat slightly and add buttermilk to make (total) 1 c of liquid.

In large bowl whisk together flour and baking soda. Add sugar and whisk again. Stir in butter, egg, and buttermilk until well combined, but do not over mix. Fold in raisins.

Pour batter into greased 9x5 bread pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Cool about 10 minutes in the pan and then remove to rack to cool completely.

(I guess you could eat it hot too if you really wanted...)

Mmmmm...

The other day I needed something really nice to make for dessert.
I wanted something light-ish, but still really good... and it had to LOOK good too.

I usually write myself lists of possibilities depending on what pops into my head or what I might find while browsing- my books, from magazines, recipe cards, online archives of magazines, foodnetwork.com, or other blogs.

I found this beautiful tart (I really like to make tarts) at another blog called Tartlette. She's French, a former pastry chef, a food stylist and photographer. All of her photos are gorgeous.

Anyway, it looked really good, so I wanted to try it. The original recipe was for individual 3 inch tarts, but she gave a few tips for a larger tart. The one I made was in a 9 inch tart fluted tart pan with removable bottom (because that's the kind of tart I make folks). I adapted it a bit (things I didn't have: Meyer lemon, honey, etc.), and that is what's written on this blog. The original post is here if you care to check it out.

If you want to use lemon zest for garnish, I would recommend zesting the lemon onto a plate, with the zest well separated, and let it dry a while (1/2 hour) before sprinkling it onto the tarts. That way it won't be so sticky and you can control your sprinkling better.

FYI: pistachios are much cheaper at Trader Joe's (than the regular grocery store)! AND you can find them unsalted.

Raspberry Pistachio Frangipane Tarts With Lemon Chantilly
Serves 8

For the shortbread bottoms:
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 T corn starch
pinch of salt

For the pistachio frangipane:
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup (100g) ground pistachios
2 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream

For the lemon chantilly:
1 cup (250ml) heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
zest of one lemon

2 pints fresh raspberries

zest of one lemon for garnish (as desired)

Prepare the tart shells:
In a mixer, whip together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and mix until incorporated. Add the flours, corn starch and salt and mix briefly. Dump the whole mixture onto a lightly floured board and gather the dough into a smooth ball, separate in two. Flatten each piece of dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour. One may be saved for another tart (in fridge 5 days) or frozen (3 months) for later.

Preheat the oven to 350 F and position a rack in the middle.
When the dough is nice and cold, roll it out on a lightly floured board or in between two sheets of plastic (it tears easily... just patch it up!). Carefully place the dough in the tart pan and fit it against the sides. Remove excess dough. Place tart shell in freezer 10 minutes. Remove shell from freezer, dock bottom and sides with a fork, and place on a baking sheet and bake for about 12 minutes. The tart shell should be set, but fairly pale. If bubbles appear in crust, prick them with a fork. Let cool completely.

Prepare the pistachio frangipane filling:
Preheat the oven to 350 F and position a rack in the middle.
Place the butter, sugar, ground pistachios, and the eggs in a large bowl and whisk until smooth (can also be done in a food processor). Add the cream but stir it in carefully by hand instead of whisking it (you do not want to emulsify it or it will rise while baking). Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Pour filling into tart shell, bake about 25 minutes, until set. A knife in the center should come out clean. Let cool completely, the tart will continue to set.

Prepare the Chantilly:
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or hand held) whip the heavy cream together with the sugar and lemon zest to medium stiff peaks.

Assemble the tarts:
Pipe or spoon chantilly on the tart and place raspberries all around.

Cardamom - Pistachio Cookies

I think cardamom is my favorite spice.

Lovely, lovely, lovely.

It has a very different flavor and scent, and because it's so pungent not much is necessary to impart its flavor (but, of course, that would depend on how strong you want it...).

I don't quite know how to describe cardamom because it's unlike anything else. Warm, spicy-sweet, and aromatic are words used in my food dictionary to describe it. Yep.

Cardamom is grown in tropical climates, is used in a variety of places for many different things- India (curries, sweets, chai), the Middle East (sweets, coffee), and Scandinavia (baked goods).

As for Scandinavia being thrown into the mix, it had something to do with the Vikings and spice trade a LONG time ago.

The magnificent flavor is in the seeds which are contained in white, black, or green pods. You can buy it ground, but as with any spice (nutmeg, cinnamon, etc.) the essential oils evaporate more quickly from spices that are already ground. The flavor definitely lasts longer in spices that are left fresh, whole and only ground as necessary.

Although we happen to be from none of the aforementioned cultures in my family, Mom has always put cardamom in white bread when she made it. She would get out the mortar and pestle and crush the seeds from one cardamom pod and add it with the dry ingredients. She said my grandfather (father's father) taught her to do this. His background parents were from Prague and Bavaria, so we're not really sure if he had always been taught to do this, or he learned it along the way somewhere.

I found this wonderful recipe somewhere, but I can't remember where I got it- SORRY! I'm pretty sure it was from a blog, and I know it was within the last several months (that's about it though). I've made a couple minor adaptations to the wording and techniques.

Buttery, crumbly cookies are a perfect place for the spicy sweetness of cardamom, and the pistachios add some great color and flavor. These cookies are perfect for tea...

Cardamom Pistachio Cookies
Makes about 5 dozen cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds, crushed using a mortar and pestle (or already ground cardamom)
1/4 cup sparkling decorative sugar (demerara)
1/4 cup chopped pistachio nuts

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and beat for one minute. Add the vanilla extract and egg yolks and beat an additional minute.

Sift together the flour and salt. Spoon the flour mixture into the butter mixture and add the cardamom. Beat on low speed, then increase to medium and mix until the batter is combined.

Roll the dough into a log about 2 inches in diameter, wrap in parchment paper or plastic wrap and chill for two hours before slicing into rounds (about 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick) and arranging evenly onto the cookie sheets. In a small bowl, combine the sparkling sugar and the pistachio nuts, then sprinkle some on each cookie.

Bake just until the edges of the cookies start to turn a pale golden color, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool a minute on the baking sheet, then remove carefully to a wire rack. If the cookies cool too long they will stick to the pan and crumble when you try to remove them. The cookies will firm up as they cool. When they are completely cool, store in an airtight container. They may be kept frozen up to two months

French Onion Soup

Soups are great in the fall and winter, and very often they don't take much time or attention. This particular recipe has both instances where it doesn't take much attention and where attention is very necessary... but it's really worth it!

French onion soup can be soooo good.

This one is from the people at Cook's Illustrated... it's not exactly what was copied from the video, but more of an approximation. Notes were taken, and some of the recipe was incomplete. Blanks had to be filled in, but the soup still turned out very well.

The photo below shows the soup before it was broiled (I know, it kind of looks like chili, but I can assure you it's not).

This recipe doesn't include a million ingredients or things that might be slightly obscure- simple can be really great.

A few things to remember:

Don't be afraid of the onions getting too dark! That's carmelization and FLAVOR!

The onions will reduce down a lot, you may be amazed, and the flavor is very concentrated.

We always have Harvey's around here, and although it's not a dry sherry, we still use it whenever we need a little sherry for recipes. It is, of course, very good for drinking too!

You are free to use as much cheese as you like, but you really don't need too much to add good flavor. I love Gruyere, it's one of the best cheeses of all time, but French Onion Soup is not all about the cheese. Cheese is not even in the title...

Henri's French Onion Soup

serves 6-8

4 lb. yellow onions

3 T butter

1 t salt

water

1/2 c dry sherry

4 c low sodium chicken stock

2 c beef broth

2 c water

1/2 t salt

2 sprigs fresh thyme (1 scant t dried)

1 bay leaf

Toasted slices of baguette

Shredded Gruyere cheese (with some shredded Parmesan or Romano tossed in too if you like)

Cut onions in half (top to bottom) and slice 1/4 inch thick. Spray Dutch oven with cooking spray or olive oil. Add onions and butter to Dutch oven with 1 t salt. Bake in oven at 400 degrees for 1 hour. Remove from oven, stir, and bake 1 1/2 hours with lid slightly cocked. An hour into the second baking time, stir onions and return pot to oven.

Place pot on stove and cook and stir on medium-high 15-20 minutes. This will give you better control, and you want to get the onions to a nice dark brown. Add 1/4 water to deglaze the pan- scraping up any browned bits on the bottom. Repeat this process of deglazing 3-4 times with 6-8 minutes of cooking time between. Finally, deglaze the pan with 1/2 c sherry and cook 5 minutes until the alcohol in the sherry evaporates.

Add chicken stock, beef broth, 2 c water, 1/2 t salt, bay leaf and thyme. Simmer on low heat 20 minutes.

Remove bay leaf and thyme stems (if fresh thyme was used). Ladle soup into oven proof bowls, top with slices of toasted baguette and a sprinkling of Gruyere. Place in oven and broil until cheese is melted and browned a bit.

Let cool slightly before digging in!

Potato - Leek Soup

Soups are always good, but today is actually a good day for this recipe as it's the beginning of Lent and it can easily be made vegetarian. Plus, it's really simple and really good.

With some crusty bread you've got an easy meal.

I guess it's a version of vichyssoise, but without being blended smooth (and it's best eaten hot).

The recipe comes from a book called The New Best Recipe and it's from the editors of Cook's Illustrated- a really neat little magazine with great recipes and tips. The cookbook is actually a GREAT all-around basic one to have (and it's more than 1000 pages in length total, so it's big too). So, if you don't have a basic cookbook, this one is highly recommended. It gives explanations for pretty much everything too. It can be pretty scientific and interesting- in fact, I can just sit down and read it. Sort of geeky, maybe, but that's ok.

Leeks are a great vegetable that not many Americans are familiar with. They can be pretty gritty/sandy and dirty between layers, so you want to make sure to wash them well! The photo above shows some extremely clean leeks....

After chopping them, place in a large bowl of water and agitate by hand to remove as much dirt as possible (a salad spinner also works for this job). Remove leeks to colander, dump out water, and repeat until you don't see any more dirt.

Rustic Potato-Leek Soup

serves 6-8

4-5 lbs leeks

6 T (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

1 T flour

5 1/4 c low sodium chicken broth (OR vegetable stock)

1 bay leaf

1 3/4 pounds red potatoes (about 5 medium) peeled and cut into 3/4 inch dice

Cut off roots and tough dark green portion of the leeks, leaving the white and about 3 inches of the light green portion of the leeks. Slice the leeks in half lengthwise (yes, the LONG way) and chop into 1 inch pieces. (You should have about 11 cups).

Heat butter in large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-low until foaming. Stir in the leeks, increase the heat to medium, cover, and cook stirring occasionally, until the leeks are tender but not mushy, 15-20 minutes; do not brown the leeks. Sprinkle with flour and stir to coat evenly. Cook until the flour dissolves, about 2 minutes.

Increase heat to high; whisking constantly, gradually add the broth. Add the bay leaf and potatoes, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until the potatoes are almost tender, 5-7 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let stand, covered, until the potatoes are tender and the flavors meld, 10- 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately (with extra fresh ground pepper as desired).

Oatmeal Bread

So, I don't know where this recipe came from.

I wrote it down when I was in high school (and I actually haven't made it in years). I don't know if I made adaptations or if it's totally someone else's recipe. If so, I apologize to whoever you are that you get no real credit here.

I tend to have a lot of recipes like that. I don't know where they came from, but they're on a piece of paper in my handwriting. It's not just with recpies though. The other day I found a scrap of paper in a pocket that had a phone number and "Monday"...

I don't know whose number it is as I don't recognize it, I don't know when this Monday might have been or what was going to happen on said Monday. I thought about calling the number out of curiosity, but decided not to. What would I say, anyway?

"Um, sorry. I found your number and I wanted to know who you were?" No.

But I digress... on to bread.

First of all, we need to make sure that the yeast you use is not out of date- AND you have to be careful that the liquid you add your yeast to is not too hot since that will kill your yeast.

After a while you should see some bubbly, foamy yeast activity... and you know

IT'S ALIVE!

After adding the hot oatmeal to the buttermilk it shouldn't take too long for it to cool down enough to add the yeast if the buttermilk is cold. This time around I didn't have enough buttermilk in the fridge (and I wasn't about to run out to the store)! So, I added enough 1% milk (which, I found, has the same fat content as buttermilk...) to the cup measure with my bit of buttermilk to make a little less than 1 c and then added a splash of white vinegar for acid.

(Before Rising)

(After rising)

Fresh bread is wonderful, and the smell of baking bread makes the house so homey.

This bread is excellent toasted- in fact, I think it's best that way! Toasty and crispy...

On a similar note, if you like oats, I recently tried a recipe for oatmeal pancakes I found on another blog I read sometimes called Orangette, which I loved (although I did add a pinch of cinnamon...).

Oatmeal Bread

makes 2 loaves (you can freeze one!)

1 pkg yeast

1/3 c tepid water

1 t sugar

1 1/2 c water

3/4 c oatmeal

1 c buttermilk

1/4 c honey

1 scant T salt

1 c whole wheat flour

4 c all purpose flour

Combine yeast, sugar, 1/3 c water and set aside. Boil 1 1/2 c water and add oatmeal. Cook about 5 minutes until thick. Add honey to oats and stir to combine. Place buttermilk in large bowl and add oat mixture and salt, mix well. When oatmeal mixture is lukewarm add yeast and mix thoroughly.

Add the cup of wheat flour and stir into oats and buttermilk. Add all purpose flour 1 c at a time and mix until thick, no longer sticky, and hard to stir (you may not end up using all the flour). Remove dough from bowl and knead on a floured surface about 5 minutes. Place in buttered bowl and let rise in a warm place, covered in plastic wrap, until doubled (at least an hour). Punch down dough and knead a little on floured surface. Divide dough in 1/2 and place in 2 buttered 9x5 loaf pans. Cover and let rise, covered in plastic wrap, until dough just reaches over the tops of the pans (30 minutes to an hour).

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove bread from pans and return to oven to bake 5 minutes more.

Knives and Sharpening

Here's a little information on knives...

Good quality knives can last a long time if cared for properly!

• After using your knives wash, dry, and put them away. You'll prevent damage to them as well as other people.
• Never wash knives in the dishwasher, as this can also hurt knives (the force of water can dull the knife, the chemicals in the detergent can stain the steel) - they should be washed by hand.
• Soaking knives in water can also damage knives by causing the blade to separate from the handle.
• Hard cutting boards (marble, glass) will cause knives to dull faster than those made of plastic (polyethylene) or wood.
• Keep knives sharp*! You'll prevent injuries with a sharper knife because you'll have decreased "drag" and the necessary force required to get the job done will be less. Sharp knives also decrease the amount of tears when chopping onions (the sharper your knife, the less you cry...). Onions have a compound in them that is released in the air more readily when crushed (which is what happens with a dull knife). I've heard that this compound is stronger in the root end of the onion, so cut it last. However, I read somewhere that if you find that you need to cut many onions you should burn a candle close by because the compound will be incinerated before it reaches you eyes. I've not yet tried this one, but I really should... I just never remember when I'm cutting onions.

*To sharpen knives use a stone or a steel. I had a video that stars Mr. Personality, Gordon Ramsay, but it's unable to be shared because whoever put the video on YouTube didn't want it shared so easily (here's the address if you want it).

So, here's another I can put on... not my favorite of all time, but it's something.

If you're not comfortable with sharpening knives either start slowly, or don't do it at all. Although it's definitely a useful skill to have! The only way I've ever sharpened is with a steel, so this works for me if I ever need a better edge. I should probably pull out the stone and practice it...

Knives should be professionally sharpened on occasion as steel and stones straighten the bits of blade that are a bit out of whack, but don't really give a totally new edge you would need. Serrated knives should be professionally sharpened!