Blog posts

I made some boiled dumplings (jiaozi) the other day to expand my repertoire and just to try something new. They are rustic, comforting and a really nice alternative to buns, noodles and rice. Read here for more information and how to make them from scratch. Baozi and siumai are my favorite Chinese snacks and these are a new addition to those. I like their simplicity compared to steamed dumplings and pot sticker, drop the into boiling water and when they float they're done.

carol field's puglese from the Italian baker, baked in a pot :)

I came across a recipe for "Pugliese Bread" years ago and used to bake 600 gram loaves due to the size of my kitchen oven. A few years ago I bought a bread oven that is able to handle larger loaves, and has holes on top which make it possible to use a pressure sprayer to produce steam and then be closed off. I recently started to bake 2+ kilo loaves and my friends love the results. I bake them for 85 minutes. This results in a very dark crust that crackles for 5 minutes after being taken out of the oven, and a very tender crumb.

. This is a shot of the wild rice and onion rolls I made for yesterday.

Mmm... that *time* of the year again when all the pumpkin recipes start poppin' up everywhere. I live in the lovely equatorial tropics, which means our pumpkins are of the green-and-white variety and we get them all year round (just without the carving). I believe that this recipe works for American pumpkins as well.

My friend Leo died earlier this year.  He was pretty sick towards the end.

Leo loved Choreg, a sort of Armenian holiday bread his mother used to make.

To try to cheer him up a bit I found a recipe on the web and made up a loaf for him, the first time I'd ever made Choreg.  

The recipe I used was this one: http://www.food.com/recipe/armenian-easter-bread-198715

The first two for our S.F. friends visiting with us earlier this week, and the third for our TG dinner with cousins nearby.  Happy Thanksgiving.  alan

A pair of Greenstein/Snyder Jewish Rye loaves 

A pair of Raisin-Pecan WW Levain Batards, plus one little baguette just because...

A pair of SJSD Batards 

I've never had a pumpkin pie in my entire life because pumpkins and/or squashes are just meant to be savory here. I can't imagine pumpkin as sweet before, then it became a trend to put it in desserts because of the flavor and health benefits; still haven't tasted a sweet with pumpkin. So, pumpkin is generally accepted now to be used in sweet and savory alike but the idea of pumpkin pie with spices (some even call for black pepper and coriander) is still perplexing because the use of spices with sweets is not much accepted, it sure tastes alien here!

Instead of discarding some when I feed my rye starter, I have been experimenting with cakes and baking. I found this recipe on the internet but used a cup  of leftover sprouted grain whole wheat flour instead of cake flour. Before it went into the oven, I thought there was not nearly enough batter to make a decent sized cake. But it must have quadrupled in volume and came right up to the rim by the time it finished baking. It is moist and surprisingly light. I think I have just discovered my favourite chocolate cake.

E poi, ci sono occasioni in cui ti chiudi nella tua cucina per riflettere.....

E soltanto nel silenzio di quel piccolo spazio intriso di profumi, ricordi, tanti ricordi, nella tua mente i pensieri tornano indietro nel tempo, al 2012 per l'esattezza, quando fu il caso che mi consentì di assaggiare un Pane integrale di grande valenza, un vero Pane d'Autore, eseguito da uno straordinario Professionista....