The Pleasure of Blog Surfing

Ideas rain down on me as I surf the food (and other subjects) blogs...and there are thousands of them. It is easy to do because as I am viewing my own blog just above on the tool bar it says 'next blog' and if you hit that someone's blog shows up.  I have only had one nasty surprise, which I reported, and the ones in 'other' languages are interesting to view even though I have no idea what's written. The ones that I have gone back to time and again, taking and using their ideas, because that is why they out there for everyone to see and enjoy are: The English Kitchen, Oak Cottage (that might be part of English Kitchen) and Mennonite Girls Can Cook. I also like David Lebovitz as he writes from Paris.

Today I found a plethora of beautiful recipes and even though I have yet to try them, here they are:

PASTRY:
2 cups plain flour
2 TBS caster sugar
¼ tsp salt
½ cup cold butter, cut into bits
1 large egg yolk
2 to 3 TBS ice water

FILLING:
1 cup caster sugar
1 cup soft light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup plain flour
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
½ cup butter, melted
½ cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans or walnuts
1 ½ bars of good quality milk chocolate (100g each) cut into chunks
(I use Green and Black’s organic)

First of all make the pastry. Put the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and blitz to combine. Add the butter and the egg yolk and blitz again, pulsing only until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the motor running, add 2 TBS of the ice water and process only until the dough masses into a ball, adding the extra TBS only if needed. Remove the dough from the processor. Shape into a ball, kneading in any remaining flour if necessary. Shape into a disc, wrap in plastic and chill for about 30 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 150*C/300*F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out on a lightly floured surface, Line a deep, 10 inch, pie dish with it. Trim and crimp the edges. Set aside.

Mix the sugars and flour together in a medium sized bowl. Stir in the beaten eggs and then the melted butter, mixing well to combine. Fold in the nuts and the chocolate chunks. Spread the mixture into the prepared crust and bake in the heated oven until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean, approximately 60 to 70 minutes. Remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool when done. Serve warm with some ice cream, or let cool completely before serving. Either way it’s delicious!.Picture and recipe from Oak Cottage

Lemon Layered Loaf

If you love lemon you will definetly love this as you peel layer after layer off this delicious loaf. You will not be satisfied with one slice!

For the dough you will need:

• 3 3/4 cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs, room temperature

1. Mix 2 cups of the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Heat milk and butter in a pyrex cup in microwave until mixture is warm and the butter is melted. Add vanilla.
3. Pour milk mixture over the dry ingredients and mix until moistened.
4. Add eggs, one at a time and stir just until eggs are mixed in. If you forgot to take the eggs out of the fridge ahead of time, just place the eggs before cracking them, in warm water for a minute or so and they will be at room temperature.
5. Add the rest of the flour a bit at a time, kneading dough until well mixed. This takes only a few minutes, the dough will still be slightly sticky. If you find it too sticky just add a bit more flour, a tablespoon at a time until you can handle the dough easily.
6. Place dough in a large bowl, cover and let rise until double, approx 1 hour.

Meanwhile prepare the lemon sugar mixture:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• Grated zest from 3 lemons
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

1. Using a fork mix the sugar and lemon zest together in a small bowl.
2. Melt butter in a separate bowl.

• Once dough is risen roll out to a 12 x 20" piece. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with the lemon sugar mixture.
• Cut the dough crosswise into 5 strips. Layer the strips on top of each other carefully and cut into 6 squares.
• Place these squares sideways into a greased 5 1/2 by 9 1/2" bread pan. Or you could use 2 smaller loaf pans.
• Let rise until almost doubled, approx 25 minutes.
• Bake in 350º for 35 minutes until golden in color.
• You can peel off these layers of lemony yummy-ness and eat plain or mix a lemon glaze to drizzle on top.

Lemon glaze:

• 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/3 cup icing sugar
• Mix until smooth.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Bread Bowls

Have your chili and eat the bowl too. Bread bowls are a fun way to serve chili or soup.

I use Anneliese's fool proof french bread recipe, and form the dough to the outer side of oven proof Pyrex bowls. creating bread bowls.

Ingredients: yields 10-12 bread bowls

• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 cups hot tap water
• 4 1/2-5 cups flour
• 2 tbsp instant yeast

Method:

1. Mix together first 4 ingredients.
2. Stir yeast into 2 cups of flour and add to liquid mixture.
3. Continue to add enough flour until the dough holds together in the shape of a ball, and is not sticky if you handle it with floured hands.
4. Cover and let rise until double, about 1/2 hour.
5. While dough is rising spray the outer side of soup sized oven proof bowls (I use Pyrex) and lay upside down on baking sheets. I have a convection oven which allows me to bake 6 bowls at a time. I can fit 3 bowls on each baking sheet. The remaining dough is fine to rest.
6. Press balls into a flat disc and form it to the outer side of bowls, pressing some of the dough down onto the baking sheet which will form the rim of the bread bowl once baked.
7. Bake in 400º oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and peel bread bowls off Pyrex and place face up onto baking sheets. Immediately put bread bowls back in oven to brown the insides for another 6-8 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining bread.
8. To serve fill bowls with chili or soup.

From Mennonite Girls Can Cook

Now I ask, who can resist these delacasies and the pictures that prove how delicious they are?