Three Color Focaccia

The famous duo of Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid traveled for two decades throughout the world doing culinary research and travel photography. In their quest, they found that nearly every culture and cuisine had a form of flatbread, whether leavened or unleavened and usually included ingredients indigenous to that particular country and cuisine.

Three Color Focaccia has the colors of the Italian flag,red sun-dried tomatoes, green sage and green flat-leaf parsley incorporated throughout the tender potato dough. This recipe is from their book "Flatbreads and Other Flavors" and is their version of a focaccia recipe from Carol Field's book, The Italian Baker. Three Color Focaccia is my entry into Bread Baking Day #7 hosted by chiliundciabatta.

Baking the breads in cast-iron pans gives them a nice crisp crust.I have a collection of different sized cast-iron skillets;the one on the lower left of the photo below is over 50 years old and was my mother's. The cast-iron pans are of assorted sizes, so I adjusted the baking times to compensate for the difference.



1 1/2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons dry yeast
4-5 cups hard unbleached white flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cups chopped cooked peeled potatoes(about 4 medium)
1/2 cup potato water
1/2 cup packed flat-leafed parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup packed fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped (if you use dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, soak them in warm water for 30 minutes, drain, and pat dry before using)
olive oil for brushing
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt


Place the warm water in a large bread bowl and add the yeast and 2 cups flour. Stir to blend, then stir 100 times, about 1 minute, inn the same direction to develop the gluten. Let this sponge stand, covered, for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Heat oil in a medium skillet, and fry the onions over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until translucent, about five minutes. Set aside.

Puree the potatoes in a blender with the potato cooking water. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the onion, parsley, sage, oil and salt.

Add 1/2 cup flour to the sponge and stir well. Then add the potato mixture and stir thoroughly. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir well. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead for 10-12 minutes, dusting both your hands and the kneading surface generously with the remaining 1-2 cups flour at intervals as you work, until the dough is no longer sticky, but soft and tender to the touch. Clean the bread bowl, oil lightly, and transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 2 to 3 hours until at least doubled in volume.

Gently punch down the dough, and cut it in half. Set one half aside, covered with plastic wrap. Cut the remaining dough in half. Form each piece into a ball. Generously oil two 8-9 cast-iron skillets or pie plates. Place a ball of dough in each skillet. Press down on the center of each ball of dough and gently press it out towards the edges of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Just before the first batch of focaccia has finished rising, shape the remaining dough into two loaves. (You may refrigerate remaining dough, well sealed in plastic wrap, for up to 2 days. Uncover and bring to room temperature before shaping and baking.)

When the first batch has risen, brush the tops gently but generously with olive oil. Press your fingers firmly into the dough to create deep dimples all over. Lightly sprinkle each one with 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Bake in the center of the oven for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 375 degrees F and bake another 10 minutes, or until lightly golden. turn the breads out onto a rack and let stand for at least 10 minutes to firm before slicing. If baking the remaining breads, turn the temperature back up to 400 F. Repeat first batch procedure.

Makes 4 round breads about 8 inches across and 2 inches thick.

From "Flatbreads and Flavors, A Baker's Atlas" by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid .

Chocolate Valentines Cupcakes

I have been on a cupcake roll for the last month and found a chocolate raspberry cupcake recipe which is decorated with chocolate fondant topped with red and pink fondant hearts. I thought this a perfect entry into Zorra's Heart for Your Valentine event. She posts each one as they come in and the last day for submission is February 15. The round-up can be seen here As my Valentine loves chocolate and raspberries, these chocolate raspberry cupcakes with fondant hearts were a perfect choice for Zorra's edible heart event.

Fondant is a confection I have never worked with, but prepared fondant is easily obtainable from many grocery stores or craft stores who sell Wilton products. The chocolate
fondant is hard to find so I bought brown edible paste to color it with. My friend in exercise class who bakes beautiful wedding cakes told me that you can order the chocolate fondant online and some tastes just like Tootsie Rolls. Most fondant doesn't have a real taste , but extracts can be kneaded into it to add additional flavor.

Adding raspberries and almond meal to the batter gives these Chocolate Valentines Cupcakes a rich and unique flavor. Below is a slideshow of some of the step by step instructions for making the cupcakes.

Double Chocolate Raspberry Cake

2 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup self-rising flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/3 cup almond meal
3 1/2 ounces frozen raspberries

Decorations

3 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 lbs chocolate prepared fondant
1/3 cup raspberry jam, warmed and strained
1/2 cup powdered sugar
5 ounces red prepared fondant
5 ounces white prepared fondant
pink food coloring

For Cakes
Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a large cupcake tin with 6 large paper baking cups or one standard 12 cupcake tin with paper baking cups.
Combine chocolate and the water in a small saucepan;stir over low heat until melted and smooth.
Beat butter, sugar and eggs in a small bowl with an electric mixer until just combined. Stir in the sifted flour, cocoa and almond meal; then warm chocolate mixture. Fold in raspberries. Divide among baking cups smoothing surface.
Bake large cakes about 55 minutes, small cakes about 45 minutes. Turn cakes onto wire rack to cool.

Decorating the Cakes
Remove baking cups from cakes. On a surface dusted with sifted cocoa powder, knead chocolate fondant until smooth. Roll out to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Cut out rounds large enough to cover the tops of the cakes.
Brush top of cakes with jam; cover cakes with the rounds of chocolate fondant.
On a surface dusted with powdered sugar, knead white and red fondant separately until smooth. Use coloring to tint the white fondant pink.
Roll each colored fondant to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Using heart-shaped cutters of varying sizes depending upon size of the cupcakes, cut out hearts from fondants of each color. Decorate cakes with fondant hearts using a small drop of water to secure the hearts to each other.

From

Asparagus and Crab Soup

You have to walk carefully in the beginning of love; the running across fields into your lover's arms can only come later when you're sure they won't laugh if you trip. ~Jonathan Carroll, "Outside the Dog Museum"

If you do trip and fall flat on your face in front of your love, this Asparagus and Crab Soup will surely perk you up,no pun intended! Chris, from Mele Cotte, hostess of Kitchen of Love 2008 isn't asking for Valentine's desserts, but for savory dishes made with foods considered to be aphrodisiacs, foods that arouse or enhance sexual desire. The word aphrodisiac is derived from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. Many foods such as leeks, bananas and carrots, are touted as aphrodisiacs due to their phallic shape, whereas eggs, oysters and cavier are suggestive of the female reproductive system. None of these foods have any scientific validity, but if they spice up your life, go for it!




Asparagus, another phallic shaped food, has always been prized for its medicinal properties and is considered one of the world's healthiest foods. Simple to prepare and colorful, asparagus is now available year round, but it always reminds me of the coming of Spring. Although my favorite way to prepare asparagus is to toss it gently with salt, freshly ground pepper and olive oil, then grill it 2-3 minutes a side, I love the Asparagus and Crab Soup that I made for Chris' Kitchen of Love 2008. Reminiscent of Chinese egg drop soup where beaten eggs are stirred into the mixture, the addition of cooked crabmeat and asparagus adds lovely flavor and color to this quick and easy soup.

Asparagus and Crab Soup

4 cups (32 fl oz) chicken stock
1 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1/2 lb (250 g) asparagus spears, washed, trimmed of tough ends and cut on the diagonal into 1 -1/2 inch pieces.
1 egg, well beaten
1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with 2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 cup (8 oz) cooked crabmeat, picked over for shells

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine chicken stock and ginger and bring to a rolling boil. Add asparagus, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2-3 minutes until asparagus is crisp tender. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir 2 tablespoons of the hot stock into the beaten egg. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the hot stock, stirring constantly to form even threads of cooked egg.

Add cornstarch mixture, sherry, sesame oil and soy sauce. Cook, stirring until the soup thickens slightly, about 1 minute. Stir in the crabmeat and cook until heated through, 2-3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Ladle into warmed bowls and serve immediately. Serves 4.

Recipe from "Williams-Sonoma Soup"

Coconut Lemon Curd Cupcakes with Coconut Meringue

It seems I'm a little late figuring out that cupcakes are a lot easier to bake, decorate, eat and especially, photograph. My cake decorating skills are very limited, but I was inspired by a little cupcake book I found on the bargain rack at the bookstore. There were photographs for each cupcake recipe and a great section at the end of the book showing tools and decorating tips. With a little practice, most could be made without professional decorating skills. From a simple afternoon tea to a gala wedding, there are cupcakes for every occasion.

I wanted to practice piping meringue, so I chose to make the Coconut Lemon Curd Cupcake with Coconut Meringue. This recipe makes 6 Texas size or 12 standard cupcakes.



Coconut Lemon Curd Cupcakes with Coconut Meringue

Lemon Curd Cake

1 stick (4 oz)unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 1/4 cups self-rising flour

Lemon Curd

4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Coconut Meringue

4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 1/3 cups shredded coconut, chopped finely

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Make the lemon curd by combining ingredients in a small heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water, stirring constantly until mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat. Cover and refrigerate until cold.

For the cupcakes, beat softened butter, lemon peel, sugar and eggs in a small bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in milk and coconut, then flour. Divide mixture among 12 standard or 6 large muffin tin which have been lined with appropriate size paper baking cups.

Bake large cakes about 25 minutes, small cakes about 20 minutes. Turn cakes onto wire rack to cool. Increase oven temperture to 425 degrees F.

Cut a 3/4 inch deep hole in the center of each cake, fill with curd; discard cake top.

Make Coconut Meringue

Beat egg whites in a small bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form; gradually add sugar, beating until sugar dissolves. Continue beating until stiff, but not dry peaks form. Fold in coconut.

Spoon meringue into a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch plain tube. Hold piping bag vertical to the cake, piping a spiral from the outside to the center of the cake. Place cake on baking sheet. Bake in oven 5 minutes or until meringue is browned lightly.



This is my entry into Click whose theme for February is "flour". Bee and Jai from jugalbandi are the creators of the this popular event.

Pain du Soleil

Eva from SweetSins is hosting BBD#6 created a few months ago by zorra whose first post for BBD can be found here. I am happy to include my Pain du Soleil into this event. Baking breads give me the most satisfaction of all my cooking experiences.

Sun-dried tomatoes give this sun-shaped bread a rosy hue while Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper add some pizzazz to make this a perfect accompaniment for soups and stews. Using the dough cycle of a bread machine to save time in kneading, the ingredients are combined in the machines pan and in a few hours, you have a nice, smooth dough to make the smiling sun.

Although shaping the dough looks difficult, a bowl placed in the center of the round facilitates cutting the sunrays into even sections. The bowl in then removed and each section is twisted three times to make the rays.




















Pain du Soleil
Makes one 1 1/2 pound 14 inch round flatbread with 16 sunrays

3 cups bread flour-I used King Arthur Artisan Bread Flour
2 1/2 teaspoon bread machine yeast
1 cup water
1/4 cup fruity olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup minced sun dried tomatoes

Combine all ingredients in the bread machine pan except for the minced sun-dried tomatoes. Process on the dough cycle adding the minced sun-dried tomatoes after the first knead. When finished, remove the dough to a lightly floured board and punch down. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Roll the dough into a 14 inch round and transfer to parchment paper liberally dusted with cornmeal. Place a bowl about 4 1/2 inches in diameter in the center of the dough. Then cut the dough from the bowl outward into four sections, then eight sections and finally into sixteeths. Remove the bowl. You now have sixteen sections radiating from the center of the sun. Dust the top with flour, then twist each sunray three times.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Slide the sun bread still on the parchment onto a baking sheet and let rise until puffy, about 20 minutes. Bake for 20 minutes, or until brown. Cool. Best served the day it's made.

Recipe from "Rustic European Breads From Your Bread Machine" by Linda West Eckhardt and Diana Collingwood Butts.

Lemon Meringue Pie-A Daring Bakers' Challenge

Lemon Meringue Pie and I go way back to my cooking experiences as a newly-wed eager to show my husband that I was a competent pastry and dessert cook. I spent my days poring over cookbooks, trying all kinds of puddings,pies and cakes. We were eating desserts nearly every night! I was growing in my culinary knowledge, but so was our weight. Desserts then became reserved for special occasions.

Having made many pies over the years, Lemon Meringue wasn't my first one in my early years of baking, but the most memorable one. I remember how easy the crust was to roll out, how easy the filling was to make; in retrospect, too easy! As I pulled this beautiful meringue-topped showpiece out of the oven, my hand hit a hot part of the oven rack and the pie went crashing to the floor. I was inconsolable! Lucky no one was there to see the calamity. The memory has faded now and since that disaster, I have made many pies, but have been very careful in removing them from the oven.

Jen of CanadianBaker chose a very good recipe for Lemon Meringue Pie as the January Daring Bakers' challenge. Every part of the recipe went well. I substituted Meyer lemon juice for the ordinary lemon juice and used caster or superfine sugar for the meringue.Meyer lemons are sweeter than ordinary lemons and work great for desserts and lemonade, but for acidic dishes, stick with regular lemons. If you can't locate caster sugar, whirl granulated sugar in a food processor for a few minutes. Let the dust settle for a minute before removing the sugar from the bowl of the food processor to measure. Other than those substitutions, the recipe remained unchanged. The pie crust recipe was one of the best I've made and the easiest. I couldn't possible give my pie away and even though there are just two of us at home now, we ate the whole thing in two days-even for breakfast!! If the crust got soggy, we didn't notice.



















Lemon Meringue Pie
Makes one 10-inch (25 cm) pie

For the Crust:
3/4 cup (180 mL) cold butter; cut into ½-inch (1.2 cm) pieces
2 cups (475 mL) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (60 mL) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) salt
1/3 cup (80 mL) ice water

For the Filling:
2 cups (475 mL) water
1 cup (240 mL) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (120 mL) cornstarch
5 egg yolks, beaten
1/4 cup (60 mL) butter
3/4 cup (180 mL) fresh Meyer lemon juice
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon zest
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract

For the Meringue:
5 egg whites, room temperature
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) cream of tartar
1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) vanilla extract
3/4 cup (180 mL) caster sugar

To Make the Crust:
Make sure all ingredients are as cold as possible. Using a food processor or pastry cutter and a large bowl, combine the butter, flour, sugar and salt.Process or cut in until the mixture resembles coarse meal and begins to clump together. Sprinkle with water, let rest 30 seconds and then either process very briefly or cut in with about 15 strokes of the pastry cutter, just until the dough begins to stick together and come away from the sides of the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and press together to form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 20 minutes.

Allow the dough to warm slightly to room temperature if it is too hard to roll. On a lightly floured board (or countertop) roll the disk to a thickness of 1/8 inch (.3 cm). Cut a circle about 2 inches (5 cm) larger than the pie plate and transfer the pastry into the plate by folding it in half or by rolling it onto the rolling pin. Turn the pastry under, leaving an edge that hangs over the plate about 1/2 inch (1.2 cm). Flute decoratively. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the crust with foil and fill with metal pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden. Cool completely before filling.

To Make the Filling:
Bring the water to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan. Remove from the heat and let rest 5 minutes. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together. Add the mixture gradually to the hot water, whisking until completely incorporated. Return to the heat and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. The mixture will be very thick. Add about 1 cup (240 mL) of the hot mixture to the beaten egg yolks, whisking until smooth. Whisking vigorously, add the warmed yolks to the pot and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in butter until incorporated. Add the lemon juice, zest and vanilla, stirring until combined. Pour into the prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the surface, and cool to room temperature.

To Make the Meringue:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Using an electric mixer beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, salt and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, beating until it forms stiff, glossy peaks. Pile onto the cooled pie, bringing the meringue all the way over to the edge of the crust to seal it completely. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a rack. Serve within 6 hours to avoid a soggy crust.

Pie recipe courtesy of Wanda’s Pie in the Sky by Wanda Beaver, 2002
Tartlet recipe courtesy of Ripe for Dessert by David Lebovitz, 2003

Caramelized Pear Bread Pudding

Kristen of DineandDish has a great idea of helping newbie bloggers by matching them with veteran bloggers-those who have had their blogs a year or more. I came into blogging at the insistence of my sister Martha of crossingstitches who knew of my love for cooking and photography and was my main source of encouragement.

I am happy to introduce you to Ryles of that'smycake...anddog who in her short time as a blogger was nominated for "best food blog" in the Blogger Choice Awards 2007. I have drooled at her yummy cakes, cupcakes and comfort dishes, but my favorite entry is theonewiththedogs1stbirthday, a hilarious account of baking a "dog" cake for Riddick's first birthday. Riddick is her Schnauzer whom she loves dearly. I am excited about having Ryles as a blogger friend. I don't have many cake recipes, but here is a Caramelized Pear Bread Pudding from Eating Well Magazine, Oct-Nov,2006. If you will look at the photo from the Eating Well recipe, you will notice that my photo doesn't look the same. I followed the directions, but the "caramelized pears" were pale and not photogenic, so I flipped the bread pudding over, caramelized some additional pears separately and glazed the bread pudding with apple jelly. Voila! A disaster averted!














Caramelized Pear Bread Pudding

2 1/2 cups low-fat milk
4 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 cups cubed, day-old french bread
2 tablespoons golden raisins
1 teaspoon unsalted butter, softened, plus 2 teaspoons additional, divided
2 firm ripe pears, peeled, halved and cored
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Heat milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until steaming, about 4-6 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs until blended;gradually whisk in 1/4 cup sugar. Slowly whisk in the hot milk until blended. Add vanilla, lemon zest and nutmeg.

Add bread and golden raisins to the mixture; gently fold together. Press down lightly to submerge the mixture. Cover and set aside at room temperature. Butter the sides and bottom of a round or oval 2 quart baking dish with 1 teaspoon butter. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put a kettle on to boil.

For caramelized pears, cut each pear into half lengthwise into 4 pieces. Place in a bowl and toss with lemon juice. Heat a medium skillet over low heat until hot. Add remaining two tablespoons butter and swirl until foam subsides. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup sugar over the butter. Add the pears arranging them on their side in one layer. Increase heat to medium and without stirring, slowly caramelize the pears, letting them brown, about 10 minutes. Carefully turn pears over and brown and additional 4 minutes to let sauce turn golden. Remove from heat. Carefully transfer the pears one at a time to the prepared baking dish, arranging them decoratively. Using a heatproof spatula, scrape remaining sauce over the pears.

Set the baking dish in a shallow baking pan.Spoon the bread pudding mixture into the baking dish. Press down on the bread to submerge it. Place the pan in the oven and slowly pour the hot water into the shallow baking pan until the water reaches halfway up the sides of the baking dish.

Bake until brown on the top and set in the center-about 1 1/2 hours. Carefully remove the pan form the oven. Transfer the baking dish to a wire rack and let cool at least 45 minutes. To serve, run a knife around the edges of the pudding. Place a serving platter over it and invert. Serves 8.