Now that you a very brief overview of my life, lets talk food. I have been flipping through a lots of different Thanksgiving magazines. A recipe caught my eye, it was for a Crusty White Bread in the Food and Wine magazine. The picture was gorgeous and the bread was baked in a dutch oven.

The next morning when I was putting the pre-ferment together, I scanned the recipe and was shocked to realize that the original recipe made two “HUGE” loaves. The recipe called for approximately 15 cups of flour. This was about four normal size loaves and was not going to work for my small family. I made a quick decision and cut the pre-ferment in half. The next step called for letting it ferment for 10 to 14 hours. After 10 hours, I had lost interest in making bread, so I left it on the counter and went to bed. The next morning when I check the pre-ferment, it looked the same and smelled sweet. I was so excited!! On to step two, but at the same time remembering to halve the recipe. Eight and half cups of flour later, I had a perfect dough.

This is a very forgiving dough, because it only has a quarter of a teaspoon of yeast. When a dough is completely dependent on traditional yeast, it has a certain window of raising time and then the yeast dies. With this recipe, the fermentation processes helps the dough develop its own yeast base.  I have made this recipe twice. The first time I forgot the dough out on the counter, an extra four hours, during its finally rise. It was fine. The second time I punched it down after it first rise, put it in the refrigerator and left it overnight. The next day I took it out, shaped it and let it rise for 6 hours. Again, beautiful loaves. So, until I decided it’s time to experiment again with a different type of bread, this will be my go to recipe.

(The original recipe was in Food & Wine Magazine November 2010 issue. I have made many changes.)

Crusty White Bread

PRE-FERMENT
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water
1/8 teaspoon dry granulated yeast
1 1/4 flour

BREAD DOUGH
4 3/4 cups warm water
1/8 teaspoon dry granulated yeast 
8 to 8 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt dissolved in 1/4 cup of warm water
all purpose flour, for dusting
corn meal, for during baking

1. Prepare the Pre-ferment: In a medium bowl, mix the water with the yeast and stir until the yeast is dissolved. Stir in flour. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 10 to 24 hours.

2. Prepare the Bread dough: In your stand mixer, combine the warm water with the yeast and pre-ferment: mix until the pre-ferment is broken up and mostly dissolved. Add 8 cups of flour and mix until a smooth dough forms. Let the dough rest while you mix the salt and the 1/4 of warm water together.

3. Mix in the salt water and mix until most of the water is absorbed by the dough. Add the additional 1/2 cup of flour until you have a smooth, slightly tacky dough. You may need a bit more than a 1/2 cup of flour to reach the desired consistence. Cover the dough and let stand for 3 to 4 hours.

4. (At this point you can either continue with the recipe or you can punch down the dough and chill it until the next day.) Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and cut it in half. (Each half will weigh about 2 1/4 pounds.) Gently shape the dough into 2 rounds, folding the dough under itself as necessary.

5. Line 2 medium size bowls with kitchen towels and generously dust the towels with all-purpose flour. Transfer the loaves to the bowls, rounded sides down. Cover the loaves with clean towels and let rise for 4 to 5 hours. Alternatively, let the dough rise for 1 hour at room temperature, then refrigerate the loaves overnight. Let the dough come to room temperature before baking. (Again, this is very forgiving dough and if you rise it a bit longer than the suggested times, it is not going to complain.)

6. Put in your 2 large enameled cast-iron casseroles or cast-iron skillets with lids and preheat your oven to 490 degrees. Once the oven is to temperature, remove the cast-iron pans from the oven and dust bottoms with cornmeal. Turn the loaves, gently, into the cast-iron pans, rounded side up and score the tops with a sharp, thin knife. Reduce the heat down to 450 degrees. Cover the cast-iron pans and bake the bread for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat, again, to 400 degrees and bake 15 minutes longer. Remove the lids from the cast-iron pans. Continue baking until browned and the crust just begins to smell like toast, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the bread to a rack: let cool, if you can, before slicing. (When you first place the bread on the rack it with make snapping and crackling sounds, this will let you know that your bread is baked through. I love these sounds.

(I do not have two large enameled cast-iron casseroles or cast-iron skillets with lids, I do the above directions twice. I just wipe the cornmeal out of the hot pan, and put it back in the oven and pre-heat it to 490 degrees and do the process again.)

The most recent Gourmet (October 2009) lays on my coffee table with a radiant red cover graced with a wine red caramel apple. I pick it up and flip through the pictures which for a foodie, is “eye candy”. I’m still sitting here wondering if this will be my last issue or if I will be lucky enough to receive the November issue.

Confusion, questions & whys lay in a tattered path and we may never know the answers. Earlier today Gourmet’s, Editor in Chef Ruth Reichl, said she found out the news only this morning. Her response via the LA times Russ Parson was, “I can’t talk about it now, it’s too raw. I’ve got to pack up my office.”

It is a sad, sad day for most foodies. As a final tribute to a magazine that never forgot amidst all of the important issues about food politics, farm strategics, celebrity chefs, farmers, butchers, winemakers, waiters, mixologists and governmental control, that much of the true joy in life is based on simple, delicious food shared amongst family and friends, at the table, over dinner.

A recipe from the October 2009 issue.

Happy Birthday Julia!

August is a special month for those that love Julia Child: On the 7th, Julie & Julia, a movie that intertwines the lives of two women who, though separated by time and space, are both at loose ends…until they discover that with the right combination of passion, fearlessness and butter, anything is possible, opens. The role of Julia Child is played by Meryl Streep. Then, on the 15th, people all over the country will celebrate her birthday by cooking her recipes or dining at their favorite French restaurant.

She was (born Julia Carolyn McWilliams August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004) was an American chef, author and television personality, who introduced French cuisine and cooking techniques to the American mainstream, through her many cookbooks and television programs. Her most famous works are the 1961 cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking and the television series The French Chef, which premiered in 1963 and showcased her fabulous persona.

I had the privilege of meeting Julia Child in early 2000. I was employed at Sur La Table and one morning when I walked into work, I saw a memo that simply said, “Julia is coming!” I was so excited that I danced around the back of the store. I was finally going to meet Julia Child!

On the morning of the book signing the whole staff was at the store ready to greet her. The line of customers, waiting to meet her, snaked through the store and out the door as far as one could see. Everyone was eagerly awaiting her arrival. We all greeted her and then she sat down at a table surrounded by eager fans and she began to sign her books. She was gracious, kind and answered as many questions as she could. She was supposed to sign books for an hour and a half, but she did not stop until every single book was signed. The one thing that stays with me was how she made each person feel like she was there just for them.

Once she finished signing the last person’s book, she came into the back of the store where she chatted with us, posed for pictures and signed our books. Finally it came time for her to say good bye. It was sad to see her go, and it was even harder to hear of her passing, but I still have my signed copy of “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”. Each time I cook out my signed books, I still flip back and look at her signature and feel so blessed to have been in her presents for that small window of time.

One of my favorite recipe is from “The Way To Cook”
Master Recipe for Pate Brisee Fine
Makes two 9-inch tart shell
1 1/2 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
1/2 cup plain cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, quarter & diced
1/4 cup (2 ounces) chilled vegetable shortening
1/2 cup ice water, plus droplets more, if needed

Blending flour and butter. have all the ingredients measured our and ready to use. Put the flour, salt and diced butter in the container of the processor and pulse 5 or 6 times to break up the butter roughly. Add the shortening, turn on the machine and immediately pour in the 1/2 cup of ice water then pulse 2 or 3 times. Remove the cover and feel the sough. It should look like a bunch of small lumps and will just hold together in a mass when you press a handful together. (It is important not over mix: it should not mass on the blade of the machine.) If too dry, pulse in droplets more water. From now on work rapidly to keep the dough cold and manageable.

Final Blending. Turn the dough out onto your work surface; press it in to a rough mass. For the final blending, rapidly and roughly, with the heel of your hand , push egg-size clumps of dough out in front of you in a 6-inch smear.

Resting and Chilling. Form the dough into a cake – it should be fairly smooth and pliable. Srap in plastic, slide into a plastic bag and refrigerate. Freshly made dough should chill 2 hours at least, allowing the flour particles to absorb the liquid, as well as to firm the butter and relax the gluten.

The dough will keep 2 day in the refrigerator before the flour will start to turn grayish, but it can be frozen for several months.

Cheese and Bacon Quiche
For a 9-inch quiche, serving 6
Seasonings: salt, freshly ground pepper and nutmeg
The custard: 3 large eggs blended with enough milk or cream to make 1 1/2 cups

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Break up the pieces of bacona nd stew them in the bottom of the shell. Sprinkle on all but a spoonful of the cheese. Season the custoard and pour in to within 1/8 inch of the rim; sprinkle on the rest of the cheese. Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until puffed and browned.
A 9-inch prebaked shell
6 crisp strips of cooked bacon
1/2 cup coarsely grated Swiss cheese

With fresh fruit, this makes a lovely breakfast. I also enjoy serving this quiche with a salad for a light lunch or dinner.

Last Saturday I did. I got lemon verbena and made wonderful caramel, thyme, spicy arugula, and a bunch of different salad mixes. But I did one rather silly thing; I ended up with a bunch of cilantro. Like “what was I thinking” amount of cilantro.

I of course, did not realize this until I got home and unloaded all of my treasures. I used up everything I got in a dessert, salads and tea. But I still had all this cilantro and one bunch of Italian parsley sitting there. The boys and I were not really craving Mexican food and I just so dislike throwing out food.Dry it? Yuck, why bother?

I then remembered all the basil pesto I made a few weeks before and thought, “Why not make pesto?” I went to the kitchen and with a grind of this and a handful of that I ended up with the most amazing earthy, full bodied, make your tongue shiver with excitement cilantro pesto. Oh my! After my excitement waned a bit, I thought I must write this recipe down and share it with my readers.

Cilantro Pesto

3 ounces cilantro
2 ounces Italian parsley
A lean ½ cup of pecans, toasted
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
zest of 1 lime
2 cloves garlic, peeled
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup of olive oil

Place all of the ingredients except the oil in the food processor and puree until smooth. Pour the oil in and process again until you get a loose consistence. You may need more oil depending on how thick you like your pesto. Taste and add additional salt if needed. This freezes nicely.

Now on to the next step, “What do I do with it?” I was thinking the same thing. I made tacos and stirred it in to the meat. I made enchiladas and add it to the filling for the tortillas and to the red sauce. I added more oil to it and made dressing for my taco salad. I stirred it in to steamed green beans and top it with toasted pecans. Any way the list could go on. As you add it to your cooking, I would love to hear back some more suggestions for this fabulous pesto.