Puerquitos (Marranitos)

So, it was one year ago this month that mi amiga Leslie and I headed into the kitchen to start our She Made, Ella Hace journey together.  Over the past year we've made everything from Mole to Ponche Navideno, Sopa de Fideo to Atole.  We've made tamales and cocktails and some chorizo may have even been made from scratch or baked into a mouthwatering loaf of bread and we've even made paletas.  But the thing that we started with one year ago was one of my all-time favorite treats, Conchas.

In honor of our one-year "anniversary", Leslie suggested that we head into la cocina and bake up some more Pan Dulce.  You know, a nod to the thing that started it all.  Hey, who am I to argue with reasoning like that?  So I racked my brain trying to decide what I wanted to make this month.  And I was still struggling at the halfway mark.  I found an idea or two and then asked Leslie what she was making.  Well, she said Chorreadas.  I had no clue what those were, but when I heard queso and piloncillo, I knew I'd be smitten once I saw her post.  I told her I still wasn't sure what I wanted to make, so she suggested Puerquitos.

Roasted Poblano Salpicón w/ Smoked Salmon

The other day, I asked (my Mexican) husband (okay, he's my only husband) what 'salpicón' meant.

And he's like - I don't know.  

And I'm all - What!?

And then he says - Just because I'm Mexican doesn't mean I know what every word in Spanish means.  I haven't heard that word before.  Do you know what every word in the English language means?

So I say - Pssshhh.  Yes!  [...as I page through the dictionary in my head trying to think of a word I don't know.  Which is a contradiction in and of itself.]

Okay fine.  So just because he's Mexican...and just because he's spoken Spanish his whole life doesn't necessarily mean that he knows every thing there is to know about Mexico and the Spanish language.  But it also doesn't mean I will stop asking.  And ruffling his feathers a little when he doesn't know the answer.

So I looked it up.  In Mexico, Salpicón is basically a "salad" mixture of chopped or sliced meats, seafoods, and/or vegetables.  It is usually served as a filling for tacos or roasted poblanos or as a topping for tostadas.  Cool.  Easy enough.  Broad enough.  Vague enough.  It's a general term.  And it may stem from (or be related to) the French meaning of the word Salpicon - a mixture of one or more ingredients that have been minced or diced and held together with a sauce.

So, after I told the hubs what it meant, I preceded to make a Salpicón.  It's a (seemingly) crazy combination - hot-smoked salmon (LOVE!), roasted poblanos, and red onions.  A little oregano.  I brought it all together with a drizzle of olive oil.  And then I topped crispy tortilla chips with it.  It was amazing.  Smoky and salty and spicy and strong...hooo-wee!

Roasted Poblano Salpicón w/ Smoked Salmon

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cook Time: n/a

Keywords: condiment snack side fish chiles salmon Mexican

Ingredients (serves 2-4)

• 8 oz. (~3 medium) Poblano chiles
• 1 small red onion, cut into ¼" dice
• 4 oz. (hot-)smoked salmon*, skin removed & flaked
• ½ tsp. dried Mexican oregano
• good olive oil
• freshly squeezed lime juice
• freshly ground black pepper

to serve:

• tortilla chips or crackers

Instructions

Roast your poblanos over an open flame or under a broiler until blistered and blackened all over, 5-10 minutes. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic (or carefully slide into a large baggie and close. Allow to steam and cool for a bit and then rub off the skin and pull out the stem and seeds; rinse to remove any stray seeds or bits of skin, if needed. Chop into ¼" dice.

Rinse diced onion under cold water in a strainer. Shake dry.

Place everything in a bowl and toss gently to combine. You'll just need a few squeezes of a lime, a drizzle of olive oil, and pepper to taste.

If not using immediately, cover and refrigerate. If you are...enjoy as a garnish or scooped up and eaten with chips or crackers like you would salsa (that's how I like to eat it).

*note: by (hot-) smoked salmon, I mean the type of salmon...smoked in a smoker or using wood chips.  It doesn't need to be hot (temperature-wise) or hot (spice level).  Although, if you want to use a smoked salmon with flavor (maple, peppercorn, spicy, whatever), I'm sure that would be tasty.  Also feel free to try this with (cold-) smoked salmon (lox/gravlax), if you wish...I just love me some (hot-) smoked salmon, and it goes so perfectly here.

adapted from Fiesta at Rick's

Powered by Recipage

I am sharing this post with:
IHCC theme: August Potluck w/ Rick

Peanut Cola Cake inspired by The Help

You know what I find funny?  Not funny ha-ha...funny ironic.  It's the fact that although I always like the book better than the movie, I tend to like the movie better if I've watched it before I've read the book.  I guess that comes from the fact that if I've read the book and developed the characters in my mind and had a good laugh or a good cry, I've already attached myself to the story the way I imagined it.  I find myself completely and totally irrational about the way a screenwriter or filmmaker changed something or cast the wrong (in my mind) actor/actress.  HOWEVER, if I watch the movie adaptation first and really enjoy it...laugh with it...cry with it...and then I go back and read the book for the first time, I'm able to look at it objectively and see where the screenwriter was coming from.  Maybe I won't fully agree with the adaptations or the casting choices, but for some odd reason, I'm able to go-with-it...to accept it.  I'll pretty always still like the book better, but I won't hate the movie in that case.  I'm a strange one, I suppose.  Or are there other people who feel the same?

So often times, if I haven't yet read a book and I see a movie based on a book coming to theaters, I'll wait to read the book until after I've gone to see the movie.  I know myself.  I'm saving myself from inevitable disappointment.  I can only think of one exception to the (my) rule (that the book is ALWAYS better than the movie), and that would be The Notebook.  I thought the movie blew the book away.  Maybe it's just Ryan Gosling.  Maybe it was the undeniable chemistry between Gosling and McAdams.  I don't know.  It just "is".

A Midsummer's Picnic w/ Schlossadler Int'l Wines

Once upon a time, I was in a Virtual Wine Club.  Every month we would pick a varietal and then go about our days...working in as many different bottles throughout the month as we could.  Some months it was 2 or 3 bottles.  Other months it was upwards of 10.  I even started keeping a little wine journal with photos of and/or labels from each bottle I tried.  We had lots fun chatting and sharing our finds.  Maybe what we at with the wine or made from it.  Certain vineyards we really loved; others not so much.

And then it (the club) just sort of petered out.  I don't know why, really.  Maybe we all got busy.  I think we meant to take a little rest and then reconnect.  But we never did.  Of course, all of these people are also food bloggers, so it's not like I don't see them around anymore.  Even join in other events with them from time to time.  But I do miss poppin' the cork and sitting down to some wine-fueled chats.

I'm pretty sure it wasn't that any of us stopped drinking (and thoroughly enjoying) wine, it was just one of those thangs.  I know it wasn't that I stopped drinking wine.  Maybe I don't pick up 10 bottles of the same varietal in one given month anymore, but...

So, that said, you can probably guess at how stoked I was to be fortunate enough to receive a wine sampling box from Schlossadler International Wines this week in conjunction with #SundaySupper.  Our mission for our weekly gathering this week is Cooking with Wine (...and maybe even putting it in the food).  Sorry, couldn't resist.  I still have Julia on the mind from all of the time I spent with her during the first half of the month.

So from the moment I found out which wines I'd be receiving, I started to make a menu.  It was clear to me that I wanted to be outside enjoying this absolutely gorgeous weather we've been having, so I knew a picnic was in order.  And I'm talking the kind of picnic I was born to have.  Loaves of crusty bread...a couple of different types of cheese...some fresh fruit...some thinly sliced meat...and a few (one would have sufficed, but hey) bottles of wine.   I could live on this kind of eating.

My first goal was to devise a menu.  I started with the bottle of Blaufränkisch, which is a fairly dry red wine with notes of spice, cherry, and blackberry.  Since we still have a lot of juicy red cherries gracing us with their presence, I knew I wanted to play them up by roasting them along with the wine and a hint of thyme and a smattering of vanilla bean flecks to make a savory preserve.

Next up was a bottle of wine...which at first glance fools you into thinking it's a rosé (because it's in a red bottle)...and my surprise favorite of the three bottles - Kerner Auslese.  Now normally, I don't gravitate towards sweet wines.  But this Kerner Auslese is crisp, somewhat fruity, and when you drink it, it almost tingles your tongue.  That sweetness I mentioned is very light and not at all cloying.    It reminded me of a Riesling, which makes sense since it is a cross of Riesling grapes and Trollinger grapes.  I knew right away that I wanted to remember this wine for my Thanksgiving table this year (it just fits).  I combined this with whole-grain mustard to make a glaze for a smoked ham that was baked and basted in a little bit of the wine, as well.  Sliced thinly?  I don't have the words - it rocked.

And then I turned to a little sweet ending.  Not the wine itself...that was a dry and very drinkable Sauvignon Blanc with very heady notes of pear.  It combined perfectly with some fat, juicy summer peaches to make some grown-up ice pops.  Ice pops whose peach flavor was in-your-face happiness.

The great thing about this picnic menu is that is was all able to be made in advance.  The preserves are packed into a jar and refrigerated.  The ham?  That can be refrigerated, too.  And the ice pops - well, they're just hanging out in the freezer waiting for you to enjoy them.  When you're ready to pack up your picnic, simply add a loaf or two of crusty bread (I used a couple of bâtards), a couple types of cheese and seasonal fruit, and you're pretty much good to go.  Wrap your ice pops in wax paper and then put them in a baggie and then into a small cooler on ice.

Even better?  A very packable sandwich made from these ingredients.  Split a bâtard in half and spread a good layer of the Cherry-Blaufränkisch preserves on the bottom.  Add a small handful of baby kale over the preserves.  Add a layer of sliced brie and top off with a bunch of the Kerner Auslese & Mustard-glazed ham that has been thinly sliced.  It takes a lot to become one of my favorite sandwiches - and this has!  Plus, the whole meal pairs perfectly (seriously. per. fect. ly) with that bottle of Kerner Auslese.

Roasted Cherry & Blaufränkisch Preserves

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Keywords: roast condiment sauce snack vegan nut-free cherries wine alcohol

Ingredients (1½ cups)

• 4 c. pitted fresh sweet cherries, halved
• ½ c. Blaufränkisch
• few sprigs fresh thyme, crushed & rolled a bit between your fingers
• 2 Tbs. brown sugar
• pinch of salt
• ⅛ tsp. vanilla bean paste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450° F.

Toss cherries, Blaufränkisch, thyme, brown sugar, and salt together in a bowl to combine. Dump into a baking pan.

Slide into preheated oven and roast, stirring once or twice, until the cherries are starting to break down and the liquid has thickened, ~35 minutes. Remove thyme sprigs. Stir in vanilla bean paste.

Store in a jar with a lid in the refrigerator.

notes:

If you are unable to find Blaufränkisch, Pinot Noir would make a good substitute.

Smoked Ham w/ Kerner Auslese-Mustard Glaze

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Keywords: bake roast entree sandwich alcohol wine ham mustard

Ingredients (serves 8-10)

• 4 lb. cured, smoked boneless ham
• ¾ c. Kerner Auslese, divided
• 1 c. water
• ½ Tbs. unsalted butter
• 1 Tbs. finely chopped shallots
• 1 sprig thyme + ½ tsp. fresh thyme leaves
• 2 Tbs. whole grain mustard
• 1 tsp. honey
• freshly ground black pepper
• salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Combine ¼ cup of the wine with water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour into the bottom of a small baking dish with the ham in it. Bake ham until it reaches 110° F in center, ~1 hour & 15 minutes, basting with juices occasionally.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and thyme sprig; cook, stirring often, until shallots are very soft, ~2-3minutes. Remove pan from heat; stir in the remaining ½ cup wine. Return to stove. Increase heat to medium-high, bring to a simmer, and cook until reduced by half or a bit more. Remove the thyme sprig and transfer mixture to a mini-food processor (or blender). Add thyme leaves, mustard, honey, a few grinds of pepper, and a pinch of salt. Process until well blended (onions with vanish into sauce, but mustard grains and most of the thyme leaves will remain whole.

Remove pan from oven and increase heat to 350° F. Brush the sauce all over the outside of the ham. Return pan to oven and continue to bake until a golden brown, glazed crust forms, ~20-30 minutes (ham should register ~135° F inside).

Let ham rest for 10 minutes or so before slicing thinly. Or slice it thicker, it's up to you.

serving suggestion:

Pile onto crusty bread along with some Roasted Cherry & Blaufränkisch Preserves,a small handful of baby kale, and some sliced brie.

inspired by and adapted from Bon Appetit

Sauvignon-Peach-Vanilla Ice Pops

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes + freezing time

Keywords: blender snack dessert vegan nut-free soy-free alcohol wine vanilla beans peaches popsicles summer

Ingredients (12-14 (2.5 oz.) Ice Pops)

• 4 oz. dark brown sugar
• ½ c. water
• 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
• 3-4 medium (~23 oz.) soft, ripe peaches - pitted, but NOT peeled
• 7 fl.oz. Sauvignon Blanc

Instructions

Combine dark brown sugar and water in a small saucepan. Heat over low, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla bean paste. Let cool.

Add the cooled syrup and the peaches to the jar of a blender (or food processor) and puree quickly, leaving a bit of texture. Whisk in Sauvignon Blanc.

Pour mixture into your popsicle molds. Add sticks at appropriate time for your mold. Freeze until solid (usually 4-6 hours).

adapted from Reader's Digest

I received three bottles of wine from Schlossadler Int'l for the purpose of tasting, cooking with, and pairing. All thoughts stated in this post about the wine that I received are 100% my own.

Jicama, Cucumber, & Fruit Cups w/ Chile & Lime

I'm almost afraid to voice my content with the weather over the last few days.  I definitely don't want to jinx myself.  But upper 60's and lower 70's just make me happy.  And I don't care who knows it!  Yes, that was a Buddy the Elf reference.  Today the hubs and I even sat outside and had a little picnic.  It included a few bottles of wine.  More on that soon.

But I know it's still disgustingly hot in other parts of the country...and the world.  And even though I'm hoping against hope that we're not going to hit the 80's (or dog forbid, even higher) any more this year, Mother Nature doesn't often heed my requests.  So.  Hot weather food is still bound to make regular appearances around here for a while longer.

And what's better to eat in hot weather than juicy tropical fruit?  Perhaps crisp, cool vegetables.  Heck, let's just put 'em both together.  'kay?  And then let's squirt some tangy lime over both of them right before we sprinkle them with some fiery red chile powder...chipotle this time...and salt.  Now let's put it all in a cup together, throw on our shades, kick back in the lounge chair, and wish we were on the beach.

See?  I can do hot weather just as well as the next Autumn-lovin' girl bearing the hot summer sun...

Jicama, Cucumber, & Fruit Cups w/ Chile & Lime

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cook Time: n/a

Keywords: appetizer snack vegan cucumber mango pineapple jicama Mexican summer

Ingredients (serves 6-8)

• 1 jicama, peeled
• 1 large cucumber, peeled & seeded
• 1 small pineapple, peeled & cored
• 1-2 mangoes, peeled
• 1-2 limes, cut into wedges
• 2 Tbs. chile powder (any kind you like)
• 2 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt

Instructions

Cut the jicama, cucumber, pineapple, and mango into long strips with roughly the same thickness. Divide evenly and arrange them in cups standing up.

Stir chile powder and salt together. Squeeze lime wedges over fruit and veggies in cups and then sprinkle with as much of the chile-salt mixture as you like. Enjoy!

adapted from Fiesta at Rick's

Powered by Recipage

I am sharing this post with:
IHCC theme: Beach Bum

Poblano & Mushroom Baked Eggs

We eat a lot of eggs - breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner.  It matters not.  They're great because they're quick, protein-packed, delicious, and extremely versatile.  Although I admit that the two kinds we eat the most are over-easy or omelets.  To me, they're the two quickest ways to make them.  I'm sure that comes from years of working the breakfast and brunch shift.  I can remember times when I had six omelets going at any one time for the majority of a service.  Funny thing is, I liked it.  Starting people's days off right has always made me happy.

Poached, scrambled, and hard-boiled are the next three most common types of eggs I make.  Other cooking methods work their way in here and there, but for some reason, I almost never remember to make baked eggs.  I'm going to have to leave myself a post-it on the fridge that reads "Baked eggs.  Make some".  Seriously, I do stuff like that.  You'd think it'd be an easy thing to remember, but...

This version has the Mexican-inspired flavor of roasted poblano strips combined with mushrooms, onions, and Monterey Jack cheese.  I love runny yolks, and when you poke through the cheese and into the yolk, it run down and coats that vegetable medley like liquid sun.  A glorious way to start any day.

Poblano and Mushroom Baked Eggs

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 13-17 minutes

Keywords: bake breakfast vegetarian soy-free nut-free sugar-free eggs mushrooms chiles American Mexican

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter
• ¼ c. chopped onion
• ¼ c. charred poblano strips
• ½ c. sliced crimini mushrooms
• salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 4 large eggs
• ¼ c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Melt the butter in a small heavy skillet over medium-low heat and add the onion; saute 5 minutes. Add the poblano strips and mushrooms and cook until the liquid released from the veggies has evaporated, ~8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide mixture between 2 individual ovenproof casserole dishes or large ramekins. Crack 2 eggs into each one, over the veggie mixture. 

Set on a baking sheet and slide into preheated oven. Bake until the whites are almost set, 12-15 minutes (depending on how you like your yolks).

Divide the cheese among the two dishes and continue to bake until cheese is melted, ~2 minutes. Serve with some crusty bread, toast, or tortillas for dipping.

slightly adapted from Mexican Made Easy

Powered by Recipage

I am sharing this post with:
Breakfast Club: Mexican (& Mexican-inspired) hosted by ME

Julia Child's French Bread: Bâtards

Eleven days ago I set a goal for myself - to cook/make/bake one thing from each of the seven Julia Child cookbooks that I own in honor of #CookforJulia, the event put on by PBS to celebrate what would have been Julia's 100th birthday.  And I did it.  With these loaves of French bread, I have officially met my goal.  It feels good, too.  It's the little things, ya know?

I also think it's pretty fitting that my #CookwithJulia time both kicked-off with (#SundaySupper) and finished with (Bread Baking Babes & Buddies) a "planned" event that fell neatly into the whole scheme of things.  Fitting in that while based on French technique, Julia's recipes really are universal and embraced by all.  Over the past eleven days, I've run across people who grew up watching Julia...people who were introduced to her via a blog turned book turned popular film...and even people who were only just being introduced to her.  But every person, no matter where they were on their journey with Julia, seemed to feel the impact that she made on the culinary world.

For me, this time spent with Julia produced (one of my favorite fish dishes) Salmon en Papillote, (a dish cooked for her by a master chef and my personal mentor, Rick Bayless) Chile & Honey Glazed Pork Ribs, Ratatouille (the ever-popular favorite peasant dish made with only veggies but packing mad-flavor that even drove the kids to swoon), a Simple Cucumber Salad (fun, quick...and the perfect thing to do with that summer cuke bounty), (a hearty loaf perfect for cutting in fat slices, toasting, and topping with a fried egg with a runny yolk cascading over the edge) Country Bread, Sauce Béarnaise  (adorning filet mignon to make my "last supper" request meal), and now three loaves of crusty-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside French Bread in the form of Bâtards.

I'm baking this bread along with the Bread Baking Babes and Buddies.  We're all making Julia's French Bread, but of course everybody's will turn out differently since we're in different kitchens with various weather conditions spread out across the globe.  Julia gives one basic recipe for the French Bread, but it is pages long since she takes the time to diagram and explain each step...which should make baking this bread doable for bread bakers at any level.  As you can see in the photo below (a little snip from the book), you can make this one recipe into many forms.  That in and of itself (the deciding) is the hardest part of the recipe!  Initially I was going to make baguettes since I just bought myself a baguette pan.  I bought it because my oven is small and my baking stone is round - and those two things combined make it hard for me to bake baguettes.  The pan allows me to bake three at once in my oven by sliding the pan (that the bread rose in, I might add) right onto the stone.  I love it.  But upon reading through the recipe, I realized that true baguettes are actually 24-inches long and not many home ovens can capacitate them.  I've actually been making bâtards thinking they were baguettes.  So, I will continue to make bâtards in my "baguette" pan...and I'll like it.

Thank you for encouraging me to be fearless in the kitchen.  Thank you for reminding me never to apologize about a meal that I put my time, my heart, and my soul into cooking.  Thank you for following your heart...and your stomach.  Thank you for your humor.  Thank you for being you and inspiring me...and HAPPY 100, Julia Child!

Julia Child's French Bread: Bâtards

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 7 hours +

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Keywords: bake bread French

Ingredients (3 Bâtards)

• 2¼ tsp. active dry yeast (or 1 cake fresh yeast .6 oz.)
• ⅓ c. + 1¼ c. warm water, divided
• 3½ c. (~16 oz.) bread flour + more as needed
• 2¼ tsp. fine salt

Instructions

Combine yeast and ⅓ cup of water in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, stirring once to combine. Let sit until yeast has bloomed (will look creamy & frothy), ~5 minutes. Add flour, salt, and remaining water to bowl and turn on mixer on low speed. Mix until all of the flour is absorbed. Turn off mixer and let rest for 2-3 minutes.

Turn mixer up to medium speed and knead for 2-3 minutes. The dough should start to clean itself from the side of the bowl. If at this point, it seems incredibly sticky, sprinkle in a bit more flour, one tablespoon at a time until it does start to clean the bowl. Continue to knead on medium speed for another 5-10 minutes or until you can push the dough with a finger and it bounces back into place. Dough should be slightly sticky - enough that if you pinch it for a couple of seconds, it will stick to your fingers, but not so much that you can't give it a quick poke without taking your finger away covered in dough. Let dough rest for 3-4 minutes.

Give dough another quick knead, ~1 minute. Form dough into a ball and place into a clean bowl (picture 1) with room enough to grow 3-times its size (a little over 10½ cups capacity)*. Cover bowl with plastic and allow to rise at room temperature until it has tripled in size, this should take 3-5 hours.

Once dough has fully risen, you will probably see some big bubbles on the surface and it should have a slight hump and be light and spongy when pressed (picture 2 & 3). Lift the dough out of the bowl using your fingers or a rubber spatula to loosen the dough from the edges and onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured palms, flatten dough gently, but firmly into a round, pinching any gas bubbles to deflate. Lift the bottom right hand edge of the circle up and flop it over to the far side. Repeat three times, folding all of the edges in the same fashion. Gently flip dough over and tuck edges of dough under while turning the dough in a circle until you have a large cushion.

Lift back into bowl and cover with plastic. Allow to rise again, although it won't quite triple this time (but it will come close), until dome shaped and light and puffy when poked (picture 4).

Once again, loosen the sides of the dough from the bowl and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently flatten it out a bit (picture 5) and then cut into 3 equal pieces (picture 6)*. Once each piece is cut, flip one side over onto the opposite side (on each piece) and let them rest 5 minutes before forming (picture 7).

While your dough is resting, prepare your rising surface. This can be a canvas or linen towel that has been well-floured, a board with cornmeal spread on the surface, or a baguette pan, if you wish.

Bring one piece of the rested dough to your lightly floured work surface and set the other two aside, covered with plastic.

Turn dough upside down and pat firmly, but gently into an 8- to 10-inch oval with your lightly floured palms (picture 8). Fold the dough in half lengthwise by bringing the far,long edge towards you to meet the other edge (picture 9). Extend your hands and seal the edges of the dough together with your thumbs (picture 10). Roll the dough a quarter turn so that the seam is on top (picture 11). Flatten dough once more into an oval using your palms. Using the side of one hand, press a "trench" down the length of the oval. Once again, pull the far edge over and to the near edge (picture 12). This time seal the edges together with the heel of one hand (picture 13) and then roll the dough a quarter of a turn so that the seam is on the bottom (picture 14). Next, roll the dough back and forth using the palms of your hands to lengthen the dough (picture 15). You should start in the middle, with one (or both, one on top of the other) palms and work your way out. Gradually work your hands towards the two ends while rolling forward and back fairly quickly. For bâtards, you should have a 16- to 18-inch rope (24-inches for a baguette) (picture 16). Deflate any gas bubbles by pinching them and try to keep circumference of dough as even as possible.

Set the shaped piece of dough onto your prepared surface for rising. If you're using floured canvas or linen, set it seam side up...if you're using a board with cornmeal or a pan, set it seam side down (picture 17). If using cloth, pinch a ridge ~3-inches high between each bâtard. Cover dough with plastic and allow to rise until almost tripled in volume, 1½-2½ hours (picture 18).

Preheat oven to 450° F during final 30 minutes of rising time.

If you've used cloth, you'll need to carefully roll the loaves over and onto a surface dusted with cornmeal. Slash the top of each piece of dough several times and moisten the surface of the dough by gently misting it with water from a spray bottle. Immediately slide into preheated oven and close the door. After 3 minutes, quickly open the oven door and spritz the dough with water again. Repeat this after another 3 minutes. And another 3 minutes. Then leave the door closed and continue baking for a total time of ~25 minutes. The crust should be golden and crisp and the bottom should make a hollow sound when thumped.

Cool the bread on a wire rack or set upright in a basket to allow air to circulate freely around each loaf. Allow to cool completely.

French bread is best eaten the same day that it was baked, but will last for a day or two longer if it wrapped airtight and refrigerated. You can also wrap very well and freeze (once completely cool). To thaw, unwrap a loaf and place on a baking sheet set in a cold oven; heat to 400° F and in 20 minutes, the outside will be hot and crisp and the inside will be thawed.

*notes:

A handy tip from Julia: measure 10½ cups water into your bowl (for rising) and mark (literally or mentally) where that "line" is. Dry out bowl and remember that spot so you can easily tell when your bread has risen to 3x its volume.

If at any point you want to delay the rising action of your dough, you can put it in the refrigerator to rise. I did my second rise in the refrigerator overnight (12 hours) because I started my dough fairly late. Cooling it down slows down the rising process. If it hasn't risen fully in the fridge, let it finish at room temperature when you're ready. If it has risen, go ahead and start right at that point. Check out Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume 2 for more information.

I decided to turn this French bread into Bâtards since I just purchased a pan that would allow me to let 3 loaves rise and bake all at the same time. I love the pan and I know I'll use it often. It's called a baguette pan, but since a true baguette is actually 24-inches long and my pan is not, I suppose I'll be making a lot of bâtards (16- to 18-inches long) instead. I'm okay with that.

adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume 2

Powered by Recipage

p.s... this bread lasted exactly 30 minutes in our house.  As soon as I said "go", bread was broken and bellies were filled.  And requests to make 3 more loaves immediately were issued.

Sauce Béarnaise w/ Filet & Asaparagus - MY FAVORITE MEAL {#CookforJulia}

 If you know me, you might be surprised to know that if I had to make the choice of "my last meal", it wouldn't be Mexican food or something gloriously garlicky.  It wouldn't be a bowl of Tortilla Soup or a loaf of freshly baked bread with a wedge of cheese.  Although those would all fall into my "second choices" category.  I would actually choose a Filet Mignon (cooked anywhere from rare to medium) smothered in Béarnaise Sauce.  Preferably with a side of hand-cut fries also smothered in Béarnaise.  Okay, the pictures have asparagus in them...and not fries.  What can I say?  I was feeling virtuous.  But truly, that would be my last meal request.  With a bottle of wine to wash it down.

Perhaps it's due to the fact that I don't eat that meal very often.  Okay, hardly ever.  The other things that I'm known for loving are things that I eat on a regular basis.  So the "special" factor probably plays in.  Yes, that has to be it.

But..."WHY?  What's the reasoning behind your choice?" ...you ask?

Mainly because it's so freakin' delicious.

The reason I would choose that meal isn't because of one particularly fond memory.  Though, I do remember it fondly.  It's just because it's so darn good.  The first time I made Béarnaise (and Hollandaise and it's other derivatives) was during my apprenticeship.  I was stationed on grill for a period of nine months (give or take).  And I had to make a couple batches a night to go with one of the steaks.  The first batch was always fun.  I looked forward to watching those yolks "take in" all of that softened butter.  It's amazing how much butter yolks can hold.  I'm sure I broke it a few times in the beginning, but once I got the hang of it, it was old hat.  The time it got hard was when that particular steak sold really well during service and I had to make another batch while still putting up orders.  But can I just tell you what a great work-out a whisk can be!

At the end of the nights when I was working with a buddy on sauté who was just as much a lover of the sauce as I, I'd put a little portion of Béarnaise in a 1/16th pan and set it between us while we started to break down.  Or earlier if it was particularly slow.  There was almost always little end bits of Prime Rib hanging around.  We made sure of it.  So into the Béarnaise they'd go.  And fries?  Oh yeah, those were always around, no doubt.  So those would get swiped through the sauce, as well.  Little did I realize just how fortunate I was back then.  Béarnaise wouldn't always be around for dipping at my leisure (okay, it would if I made it...but...).  And mostly, I wouldn't always be as active (and young) as I was then.  I mean, if I shoveled it in now like I did then, I'd be bedridden.

But basically, when I switched stations from grill to whatever came next, Béarnaise became a thing of the past.  Sure, I'd make it now and again, but never as frequently as I did during those 9 months.  But when I want a real treat, I will make a Filet and whip up a batch.  And each and every bite is like heaven.

In this, my next to last #CookforJulia post, I decided it was high-time to indulge.  I still make Hollandaise a little more often than I do Béarnaise (for Eggs Benedict), and when I discovered Julia's method for making it the blender, I was hooked.  Sure, now's the time I could probably use that whisk-work-out most, but the ease of making it in the blender completely and totally eliminates the need to break a sweat.  I decided to make the Béarnaise this way as well...and I'm scared to admit that sheer willpower will now be the only thing keeping me from making it more often.  I want it to stay "special", ya know?  Julia doesn't call for straining the reduction, but I like to do so to remove the shallots and peppercorns.  Plus, I like to finish mine with a smattering of fresh tarragon and chervil folded into the sauce (yes, that's the way I learned).  But Julia's blender-method will most likely be my method of choice 'til the end of time.

Watch for my final #CookforJulia post on Wednesday the 15th...this will mark what would have been Julia's 100th birthday.  I'm so happy that I took the time to cook from all of my Julia books over these last nine or ten days.  She truly was a remarkable woman...a remarkable force.

Sauce Béarnaise

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Keywords: condiment entree side butter herbs eggs French

Ingredients (~1 cup)

for the reduction:

• ¼ c. Tarragon vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
• ¼ c. dry white wine (or vermouth)
• 1 heaping Tbs. minced shallots
• ½ tsp. dried tarragon
• pinch salt
• 6 black peppercorns, crushed with side of your knife

to finish the sauce:

• 3 egg yolks
• 4-6 oz. (1-1½ sticks) unsalted butter
• salt
• palmful chopped fresh tarragon and chervil

Instructions

make the reduction:

Combine all of the ingredients for the reduction in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil until liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Watch it carefully once it starts to boil - the liquid can evaporate quickly.

Strain into the jar of a blender.

make the Béarnaise:

Put the butter in a small pan and heat until melted and bubbling.

Add the egg yolks to the blender with the reduction, then cover and blend at high speed for 30 seconds.

Remove the lid of the blender (or the center piece in the lid) and start pouring in the hot butter in "droptlets" while the blender is still on high speed. Continue pouring slowly, giving the yolks time to absorb the butter. Once the sauce starts to thicken, you can start to pour a little quicker. You should now have a thick, rich sauce.

Throw in the freshly chopped tarragon and chervil. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, if necessary.

Enjoy over steak, french fries, veggies, broiled fish or chicken, or egg dishes. Try not to drink it from a spoon (much easier said than done).

notes:

If your reduction gets away from you and goes dry, simply add some more of the vinegar and wine (in equal parts) and let it reduce again (assuming it hasn't burnt - if so, start over).

This is my absolute favorite sauce in the world - especially when served over Filet Mignon. Or used to dip french fries in. Although I'd been making it for years by hand, once I discovered Julia Child's method for making it (and Hollandaise) in the blender, I never looked back. It's super simple and works every time.

inspired by and adapted from The French Chef Cookbook

Powered by Recipage

I am sharing this post with:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares

This week for #SundaySupper, we're talking about gearing up for Back to School with Katie Workman, author of The Mom 100 Cookbook.  It is the third time the #SS group has teamed up with Katie to share recipes from that cookbook.  I just missed the first by days when I joined up, but once I read back through everybody's posts, I knew I wanted to join in the two still to come.  So I checked the book out from the library.  And then I bought it the same day because I knew I didn't want to let it go.  You might remember my Lasagna with Turkey Meat Sauce post - that was what I shared last time we hung out with Katie.  I also shared my review of the cookbook last week.

Back to school can mean anything from nourishing breakfasts to packed lunches to simple weeknight meals.  And OF COURSE it can mean treats.  I've mentioned before that I'm a goes-waaaaay-back Peanut Butter Cup lover.  So, any excuse for chocolate and peanut butter to find their way together and subsequently into my mouth...I'm taking it.  Fortunately (or not...since that means less for me), the whole fam is the same way.

So, whether you cut these into little one-bite squares and tuck them into your kids lunch box as a happy ending to lunch or cut a big square to set alongside a tall, cold glass of milk as an after-school snack - these will be a well received treat. IF you're a family that believes chocolate + peanut butter = perfection.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 7 minutes

Keywords: snack dessert vegetarian chocolate peanut butter bars

Ingredients (25-36 squares)

• 6 Tbs. (3 oz. / ¾ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ¼ c. firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1¼ c. powdered sugar
• ¾ c. creamy peanut butter
• ¼ c. graham cracker crumbs
• 12 oz. (2 c.) milk chocolate chips (or semisweet or a mix)

Instructions

Lightly butter or spray a 9-inch square baking pan. I like to also line it with a long strip of parchment or wax paper (makes it easy to lift from pan all in one square, if you wish). Grease the paper, too.

Combine brown and powdered sugars, peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs, and 5 tablespoons of the butter in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer until it is all combined well, but remains a bit crumbly. This should take about 1 minute. Press the mixture evenly into your prepared pan in a thin layer, ~¼" thick.

I like to stick the pan in the fridge or freezer while I'm melting the chocolate. If the peanut butter mixture is firm, I find it easier to spread on the melted chocolate. So, either set aside or stick in fridge or freezer and continue one.

So, combine chocolate and remaining tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan over very low heat and melt, stirring often until smooth, ~7 minutes. Let chocolate mixture cool very briefly and then, using a rubber spatula, carefully spread the hot chocolate over the peanut butter layer.

Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the chocolate has firmed up, ~1 hour. Cut into squares (5x5 or 6x6).

notes:

It's easiest to cut into squares after just 1 hour. I waited longer and the chocolate really cracked on me - not that this took anything away from the awesomeness-that-is-a-peanut-butter-square - just a heads up.

These are very rich and sinful (and delicious), so a small square tucked lovingly into a lunchbox would make the perfect end of lunch bite for kiddos as they head back to school. Or indulge in a larger square with a tall glass of cold milk at home.

ever-so-slightly adapted from The Mom 100 Cookbook