Porter House

Sourdough Waffles

I have been loving my sourdough starter. I have made multiple loaves of country bread. I really hate pouring off the excess every day though. I was very excited when I saw this recipe for sourdough waffles on Serious Eats. I was thrilled to discover that it requires exactly how much starter I pour off every day. Very convenient.

I made the waffles for breakfast yesterday. I did find out that I might need to double it for my growing family, at least if I am serving anything else with them.

The starter is actually just used to flavor the dough, the baking powder provides the lift. I have never really liked yeasted waffles. They are supposed to be superior to chemically leavened, but I grew up with chemically leavened. I prefer the taste. The yeast flavor can be overpowering. I was quite pleased with the flavor of these though. It enhanced the flavor without taking over. They were also the crispest waffles I have made, which is very important to me. I like mine cooked quite dark and crispy.

I highly recommend real maple syrup of course. I always disliked pancake syrup growing up. I just used butter. Until I discovered maple syrup, that is. I love the mineral-ly, non-cloying, sweet taste of real maple syrup.

Marjolaine

I was very excited recently to finally buy a copy of David Lebovitz's book Ready for Dessert. As I was flipping through it the first time one recipe jumped out at me. I have never heard of marjolainebefore, but his description of it made me want it. 

I had to start out by making the crème fraiche. It is easy enough it just requires about a day and a half of wait time.  I just mixed a tablespoon and a half of buttermilk into a cup and a half of cream. Then I let it sit in a covered glass jar for about 24 hours until it thickened. Then I refrigerated it overnight.

The solid layers of this rectangular cake are made of a nutty meringue. I toasted almonds andhazlenuts, ground them with sugar and cornstarch, then folded them into whipped egg whites. It is baked in a half sheet pan until golden.

Then I made a ganache using half of my crème fraiche and bittersweet chocolate. I let it cool a bit while I sliced the meringue into 4 rectangular pieces. I spread some of the ganache on the bottom layer. 

On top of the next layer of the cake went vanilla cream. The vanilla cream consisted of more crème fraiche whipped with sugar, cream, and vanilla.  On top of the next layer went praline cream. I made the praline by caramelizing sugar and then stirring it toasted almonds. Once this mixture cooled completely, I ground it into powder in the food processor. Then I stirred it into a portion of the vanilla cream. This was layered on the third meringue, and then the fourth was placed on top.

The whole thing was refrigerated overnight while I thought and dreamed about it. After dinner tonight, I spread the remaining ganache over the cake. It was finally ready to be served!

 This cake might just be my very favorite dessert ever. Yes, I just said that and I mean it. The strong flavor of the ganache is tempered by the lovely white vanilla cream. The nuttiness is satisfying, and I love the mild tanginess from the sour cream. I get giddy every time I think about the bit of cake that is left in the fridge!

 

Sorry.... more country bread...

 

I just wanted to show you my prettiest boule yet!  I need to pick up another brotform, so that both boules have a place to rise.

I will add in a picture of the fantastic apple fritters I made from the latest issue of Cooks Country. Justin loved them and so did the rest of us. It is definitely a repeat.

Sweet and Spicy Cocktail Nuts

I was very excited to see these on the December recipes list for French Fridays with Dorie. I am a huge fan of spiced nuts and I was intrigued by the egg white coating. I keep several nuts on hand at all times: pecans, almonds, walnuts, and brazil nuts. I find that the ones you buy in the produce section in the black trays are much better than the bagged ones in the baking aisle.

The spice mix for the nuts includes sugar, salt, chili powder, cinnamon, and cayenne. I settled on pecans and almonds to try this time. I told myself (and my sister) that I was going to bring them to my niece and nephews party Saturday, but given my husband's reaction, I really don't know if they are going to last that long.

 

Justin was grabbing a handful off the pan to nibble before I could get them to a serving bowl. They are perfect! They are very crunchy, a little sweet, a little spicy, along with just enough salt. I love the fact that they are not bathed in butter like a lot of roasted nuts. I could see this being my house mix of nuts. I wouldn't change a thing.

You can find the recipe in the fabulous: Around my French Table by Dorie Greenspan.

Cowboy Gravy over Mashed Potatoes

Frequently, I am left with little energy and the need to make dinner. I usually always have a pound of home-ground chuck in the freezer. Last night was one of those nights... I began looking on the internet for something different to do with my ground beef this time.

On Chowhound I found several references to something one poster called 'cowboy gravy' on this thread. It sounded good to me. Simple home cooking that would fill up my hungry family. I took the rough guidelines and added a couple flavor enhancers. I made up some mashed potatoes using a recipe in How to Cook Everything. Mashed potatoes are so simple with a potato ricer! I just boiled them whole in their skins until a knife slipped in easily, and then riced them. The skins stayed in the press, and the flesh was silky smooth.

I must admit that cowboy gravy is not the most beautiful meal I have ever put together, but I will tell you that my kids were begging for more. Justin and I loved it, too. Plus, between the gravy, riced potatoes, and a bagged salad I was done in about 30 minutes!

Now a quick word about one ingredient I used; Marmite. I bought my little pot of Marmite at Central Market. I was hoping I would develop a taste for it on buttered toast like the Brits do. Truthfully I have been too scared to try. It is a dark brown, salty, yeast-based spread that contains  a good dose of B vitamins and a strong umami flavor. It smells meaty, though it is a vegetarian option.

I have been using it recently in gravies and stews. It lends a delicious meaty flavor. I usually only need less than a teaspoon. My sister recently told me about spaghetti with Marmite from Nigella Lawson. It tried it and I loved it! It is also very quick, delicious, and gives you a boost of B12 vitamins as well! 

 

Cowboy Gravy

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck

1 onion, diced

Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, to taste

a heaping 1/4 teaspoon Marmite, optional

about 1/4 cup flour

milk

s & p, to taste

Brown Ground beef in a  large saute pan. Add the onion and saute until softened. Season to taste with a healthy sprinkling of Tony's and salt & pepper. Stir in the Marmite. Add enough flour to equal the fat left in the pan. Stir and cook for a minute or two. Whisk in enough milk to create the consistency that you'd like. I used about 2 cups. Bring to a boil while whisking. Check for seasoning.

Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or toasted bread.

Pies

Apparently this is a good week for making pies. We had this coconut key lime beauty on the 7th. It is from the new issue of Everyday Food.

Then last night I tried out a recipe that I stumbled on through some posts at Chowhound. Apparently it is a very popular recipe. Grandma Ople's Apple Pie has a lot of comments on Allrecipes. I liked the fact that it was different, and that it didn't seem like it would be too sweet. I also do not have a problem with cinnamon-less apple pies, though you could add it. It uses all granny smith apples. It is unique in that you mix up the butter, flour, sugars, and a bit of water in a saucepan and pour it over the lattice work of the pie. 

My sister made it first and had a few issues with it. The top crust darkened too quickly, and the apples didn't soften enough. Her dish deep pie pan didn't seem big enough for 8 apples, and that made pouring on the caramel syrup tricky.  So, I used my non-pyrex pie pan, which is larger. I managed to get 8 medium apples in the crust. I made sure to cover the pie with foil about 5 minutes into the baking. I didn't want to cover it immediately because I thought the foil might stick to the caramel-ly top. I also cut the apple quarters into thirds, and made sure to cook the pie until the filling was really bubbling. Next time I will cut the apple slices into 1/4 inch slices. They were still a little too toothsome.

We loved this pie. The apples were still tart, but the syrup was sweet. I loved the contrast. I loved the texture of the top crust. It was a little chewy, while the bottom crust was crisp. I do wish the apples were a little softer, but otherwise it was perfect.

Now I do not believe in having one perfect version of some foods, and apple pie is one. I have 4-5 favorite apple pies and I do not have any problems with it. This is definitely one of them.

Tonight we are having a ridiculously large Mississippi Mud Pie. I'll let you know how it goes.

Marie-Hélène’s Apple Cake

This is the last recipe for French Fridays with Dorie for the month of October. I have actually made it twice in the last couple of weeks.  The first time I used my 9-inch springform pan because I do not have an 8-inch springform, though I do have a 9, 10, 0r 11-inch of course. I also used light rum because I did not have dark rum on hand.

I found the cake a bit sweet. I really appreciate acidity in fruit desserts and this did not have enough for me. I would prefer it with all granny smith apples, but I really wanted to use a mix as recommended. I thought perhaps my rum substitution might have affected the flavor a bit, so I decided to try it again.

This time I decided I would make it in my regular 8-inch cake pan and hope for the best. I lined it with parchment and sprayed it with Baker's Joy. I have never had anything stick when I have used it. I omitted the rum and just used the vanilla. Luckily, the cake turned out of the pan easily. I managed to invert it without any trouble.

I thought the height of the 8-inch cake definitely looked nicer with the way the apples embedded a little deeper. I was surprised to find that the taste was nearly exactly the same. I did not miss the rum. I found the cake soft and delicious, but I do think I would prefer it with all granny smith apples, and perhaps with a little lemon juice or maybe even cinnamon. Of course these changes would drastically change the cake.

I love all the exciting desserts in Around My French Table and intend on trying them all!

Lasagna with Meatballs

Night before last my son Ryan called my husband at work. My husband asked him what he was cooking for supper. He replied "If I could I would make lasagna." I realized that I hadn't made his favorite dish in a while. We all prefer Cook's Illustrated's Lasagna with Meatballs from The Best International Recipe.

My husband likes it because it is a fairly dry lasagna. It is not swimming in red sauce. The meatballs are so good and more fun than the usual meat sauce. I ground my own chuck for these meatballs and once again was blown away. The beef tastes so much beefier than preground meat. It makes ordinary ground beef taste insipid.

I ground the meat, and then formed the tiny meatballs out of beef, parsley, parmigiana reggiana, eggs, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. They are browned in the oven, which is so much easier than on the stove top.

You make the sauce by sauteing garlic in evoo and then adding a can of crushed tomatoes. You simmer it for about 15 minutes to reduce out the water. Then you stir in basil or parsley.

My least favorite part of making lasagna is cooking the pasta. Or actually preventing the pasta from sticking together after boiling it. I know there are a few easier ways to do it but I just follow the recipe. I lay it out on a clean towel after boiling and rinsing.

Then comes the fun part of layering everything: pasta, sauce, mozzarella, parm, pasta, etc. This lasagna only requires 25 minutes in the oven which is nice. We ended up with only one slice left and Justin took it to work with him. I have to remember to make this one more often.

 

Hachis Parmentier

 

I made a double recipe of this meat and potatoes dish a couple of weeks ago. My sister and her family, were coming to dinner, and I knew this would be liked by everyone.

This is France's version of Shepherd's Pie. I have to say I like this version the best! The filling is cube steak simmered to make its own broth. It is chopped and then combined with sausage. The filling is topped with mashed potatoes. I brought out my potato ricer, and my potatoes were silky smooth. You top it with Gruyere and pats of butter, and then bake until bubbly and browned.

There is absolutely nothing to not like in this dish. I find myself wanting it again right now. The doubled recipe left us with just enough for lunch the next day, which made us very happy.

You can, of course, find the recipe for this dish in Dorie Greenspan's book, Around My French Table.

Vietnamese Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup

I have a confession to make. I am scared of fish sauce. It's true. I have been wanting to try my hand at Thai food for years, but I was too afraid of fish sauce. It is included in everything it seems. Now I know it is a great source of umami, which I happen to love, but I just couldn't get over the idea of it.

Then comes this soup on French Fridays with Dorie. I probably would have never made it myself. I have always wanted to try pho though and figured this was a good intro into the cuisine.

For this soup you simmer aromatics (onion, garlic, ginger, cilantro, peppercorns, etc.) in a mixture of chicken broth, coconut milk, and fish sauce. You poach a chicken breast in the broth. Then you shred the chicken into the soup, and add the noodles, lime juice, and cilantro. It all sounded great to me except... well you know.

I got it all ladled out and got the kids to start eating.... while I secretly watched their reaction. They didn't bat an eye. They started slurping up the chicken and noodles and drinking the broth with gusto. They loved it.

This gave me enough courage to try my bowl. Of course, it was delicious. I loved the acidity from the lime juice. I meant to sprinkle on some of the optional chili oil, but I totally forgot. I must say that without it this soup was not spicy at all.

Perhaps next time I see a recipe that calls for fish sauce, I will actually make it instead of turning the page.

Do yourself a favor and purchase Around My French Table. It is fast becoming my favorite cookbook.