Search Results for '("C'

[Mike Nolan]

Hmm, I was hoping the link would work, did you try it?

No, the WSJ article focused on professional artisan bakers, not home bakers. It did note that some bakers, like Chad Robertson of Tartine, have started milling their own wheat or cutting deals with local millers. It'll be interesting to see if he writes another volume of the Tartine cookbook series that talks about it.

Those of us with home grain mills have long faced the difficulty of obtaining affordable whole grain for milling. I used to be able to get a 25 pound bag of Wheat Montana hard red wheat for about $14, but both local sources no longer carry it. Most recently I paid about $17 plus shipping to order a 26 pound bucket of it from walmart.com. (Walmart has just started offering free shipping on a lot of items, I guess they're trying to compete with Amazon Prime.)

You could look for a grocery store that has a Wheat Montana in-store grinding station, but a nearby store recently discontinued theirs. Not enough people buying it, I suspect.

The article does say that freshly milled flour should be used in 1-2 weeks, and I'm sure any flour you can buy in bags in a store will be a lot older than that. Peter Reinhart noted in one of his books that freshly milled flour should be used right away, within 24 hours, or allowed to age for 2 weeks.

The article touches on but doesn't really explain how sourdough has a lower glycemic index.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by Mike Nolan.

[Mike Nolan]

I've searched many many times, as I do/did remember a few key words and phrases in the original document, but it's just gone. I even tried the wayback machine.

The on-the-stove recipe I found most recently looks like a good one, it comes from Buffalo, which is where the best sponge candy in the country is made (or so I'm told) and it has an ingredient in the recipe that I know professional confectioners use in sponge candy--gelatin. (The recipe I lost did not have gelatin in it.)

But sponge candy is not a 'summertime' item, so it'll probably have to wait until cooler weather to return. Maybe after my chocolate class?

[Mike Nolan]

I can deal with the cost of veal, but it's so hard to find any! Our local grocery stores tend to carry at most ground veal. The one store that reliably had (frozen) veal cutlets burned down earlier this week--a fire that started in the compressor room.

I recommend Carol Fields' book, "The Italian Baker". Her method for making grissini (thin bread sticks) is both fast and fun to do, and they're every bit as good as the ones I had in Turin.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by Mike Nolan.

[Mike Nolan]

My wife says I should have written a section on what happens when I take her, her best friend, our daughter-in-law and another couple out to dinner.

My wife is allergic to garlic
Her best friend is allergic to olives and olive oil (and carries an epi pen)
Our daugher-in-law has a wheat allergy
The other couple have a wheat allergy, and are also dairy free.

That's enough to drive any waiter crazy!

The last time I had them all over for dinner, I had to make several items multiple ways, including two kinds of Hollandaise sauce, two kinds of pasta (one gluten-free), two kinds of bread (one gluten-free), etc. My wife made 3 different desserts.

[buttercup]

So sorry for your wife's allergy and the difficult times to find a place to dine that doesn't include garlic. Personally, I don't know what I would do if I had that allergy (well, I guess I would have to stop eating it) I love garlic and use it all the time. So far I've not had any issues with it but my husband doesn't tolerate it as well and usually pushes it to the side or puts it on my plate. Thank you for posting your story, very informative.

[Mike Nolan]

I used to have a microwave sponge candy recipe, too. (called seafoam at some candy stores) one that I had worked on the timings a lot, but the sheet of paper I had written it on was inside a cookbook that vanished several years ago, and I haven't been able to reproduce the recipe or get the timing down right, maybe both.

I've got several pages of alternate recipes to try (done on the range rather than in a microwave oven), but making sponge candy hasn't been high on my list of things to do the last few years.

I'm hoping to take a course on chocolate-making later this year, being better trained on how to temper chocolate and enrobe candies might revive this quest.

[mitzimuffins]

I got a small(for a brick oven) portable oven made by Alfa Pizza called the 5 Minuti. It is still quit substantial, weighing in at around 200 lbs but it is on wheels so it can be moved around with some effort. It is big enough for my small family. We made 4 pizzas in no time over the weekend. It heats up to around 800 degrees F and has a cooking surface large enough to do a couple of small pizzas or a couple of loaves of bread. I'm looking forward to baking some bread in the future but have to spend some time learning how to properly build and stoke the fire for a longer cook time.
I have a lot to learn.

[RiversideLen]

The back of my yard floods very easily in recent years so I have gone from in ground planting to containers. I'm only doing tomatoes and parsley, some basil maybe. I bought some self watering containers from Gardeners Supply and have been using them for several years. It works pretty good. The keys are (a) do smaller type tomatoes - I wouldn't do beefsteaks in them, (b) make sure it is always watered, especially when the plants get big and the weather is hot, (c) give it plenty of fertilizer. Right now I have them set up and they are just waiting for the plants. I have the plants and am hardening them off right now. I plan to plant in the next several days. I'll try to post pics as I get things going.

[mitzimuffins]

I am the new proud owner of a wood burning oven. I need all the help I can get. I couldn't help myself and made pizza one of the first nights it was up and running. I did well for a first attempt( I used Jim Leahey's no knead pizza dough recipe). I am interested in anyone else's experiences using an oven like this. I hope to expand it beyond pizza. I have some great books to follow but would welcome anyone out there that has some experience using this type of oven.This has been on my bucket list and feel really lucky,blessed to have this oven.

[mumpy]

just checking in to say hello.....i probabaly won't be contributing much, but will be reading lots!....just can't let go of a resource like hundreds of years (collectively) of baking experience and knowledge!

[Mike Nolan]

Fettucine Alfredo with chicken, mushrooms and artichokes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 pound sliced mushrooms

Alfredo Sauce:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup cream (at room temperature)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Ground pepper (to taste)

3/4 cup cooked chicken meat
3/4 cup diced cooked artichoke hearts, well drained
Instructions

A classic Alfredo sauce uses just Parmesano Reggiano, but I like to make this with a mixture of cheeses, such as Parmesan, Romano, Asiago and Provolone.

You can substitute half and half for the cream, but the sauce is more likely to curdle.

Sautee mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter plus 1 tablespoon oil.

Melt 1/2 cup of butter over low to medium heat, adding cream slowly as the butter melts. This sauce needs to be stirred frequently from this point on.

Stir in grated cheese and let it melt.

Add ground pepper.

Add in sauteed mushrooms (including the juice) and let cook for a minute.

Add in chopped artichoke hearts and let cook for a minute.

Add in chicken and let it cook until the chicken is warm.

Serve over fettucine noodles. (This quantity of sauce works well with a half recipe of my Egg Noodles pasta recipe.)

[Mike Nolan]

Microwave Peanut Brittle

Instructions

1 cup (5 1/2 ounces) raw Spanish peanuts
1 cup (7 1/4 ounces) sugar
1/2 cup (5 1/2 ounces) corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon baking soda

Put peanuts, salt, sugar and corn syrup in 8 quart glass measuring cup.

Microwave on high power for 2 minutes.

Stir, then microwave on high power for 2 minutes.

Stir, then microwave on high power for 1 minute to 1 minute and 15 seconds. Mixture should be starting to turn color.

Add butter, then microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes or until mixture starts to turn a light golden brown.

Add vanilla and baking soda, stir vigorously until it has foamed up fully, then pour onto a sheet of aluminum foil on a heatproof surface (we use a marble table.) Let cool for several minute then break into random sized pieces.

Note, the microwave cooking times may need to be adjusted to the power of your microwave. These are what work best for me, though I usually go by smell rather than by color.

For interesting variants, add 1/2 teaspoon of light molasses or 1 teaspoon of Lyle's Golden Syrup.

Also works well with almonds, pecans and cashews.

A self-proclaimed 'peanut brittle snob' we know thought this was some of the best peanut brittle he had ever tasted!

[Mike Nolan]

No-Garlic Marinara

Instructions

1 #10 can of diced tomatoes
2 medium onions
3 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon oil
1-2 Tablespoons sugar
2-3 Tablespoons dried basil
2-3 Tablespoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground marjoram
6 bay leaves
2 Tablespoons double-strength tomato paste (or 1 small can of tomato paste)

If the marinara will be used for pizza or spaghetti, use just one tablespoon of sugar, for lasagna use two tablespoons of sugar. For pizza sauce use 3 tablespoons of oregano and basil.

Heat butter and oil in saucepan, throw in diced onions (they don't need to be really finely chopped), let cook until onions are caramelized.

Put cooked onions (including the oil and butter) and remaining ingredients, except for the basil, in 12-16 quart stock pot, bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer for 2 hours, then add the basil and let it cook for a few minutes longer. (Basil gets bitter if cooked for a long time.)

Remove bay leaves, then use food processor, blender or stick blender to take sauce to a fairly smooth texture, though some small chunks of tomato are OK.

If you like really thick sauce, let it simmer another half hour to reduce and thicken.

Will freeze very well.

[Mike Nolan]

Pastry Cream

Yield: 1 batch
Source: Catherine McDonald

Ingredients

2 cups milk (scalded)
1 egg
1/4 cup flour
1 TB cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 TB butter
1 tsp vanilla or 1 TB cooking sherry
1/4 pint whipping cream (optional, we usually skip it)
Instructions

Scald milk in double boiler. (I often do it in the microwave.)

Mix dry ingredients (except salt) and pour milk over them.

Cook in double boiler while stirring, until VERY thick. (Takes a long time, should hold on a spoon.)

Cover, cook an additional 15 minutes.

Add butter, egg (temper the egg first) and salt and cook a little longer.

Strain through a medium sieve.

Chill, then add flavoring and (optionally)
fold in 1/4 pint whipped cream (whipped to stiff peaks.)

We usually add the vanilla once it has cooled to about 120 degrees.

This recipe doubles easily. My wife says she almost always doubled it because, well, not all the pastry cream made it into the cream puffs. 🙂

• This topic was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by Mike Nolan.

[Mike Nolan]

Spent Grain (or Bran) Muffins

Instructions

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 large egg
1 cup spent grain or bran
1/2 cup sugar or 1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup blueberries or raisins (optional)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional, best with raisins)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix ingredients until smooth but do not overmix. Put in greased muffin pan.

If using spent grain (which we get from a local microbrewery), put it in the food processor and chop it up a bit to make the muffins less noticeably fibrous.

Cinnamon and raisins go well together.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.

If using frozen blueberries, add 3-5 minutes to the baking time.

Makes 1 dozen muffins.