Mike Nolan

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  • in reply to: Interesting Article on Garlic #6747
    Mike Nolan
    Keymaster

      Some varieties of garlic are much stronger than others, and how you cook it also makes a difference. And then there's black garlic, which has been fermented.

      (Just because I can't use garlic in my home cooking that doesn't mean I'm totally disinterested in it.)

      in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of February 26, 2017? #6736
      Mike Nolan
      Keymaster

        I tend to agree that 1-2 days of retarded fermentation is great for pizza dough. After 3 days, it starts to taste and act more like a sourdough.

        in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of February 26, 2017? #6715
        Mike Nolan
        Keymaster

          Well, I tried the snickerdoodles recipe my wife brought home, and they didn't come out anything like the sample she brought home, which was very flat and crisp.

          I think I put in too much flour (it was specified by cups rather than by weight.)

          A second problem was the baking temperature, 400. The sugar/cinnamon on the outside tasted and smelled burnt to me, so I lowered the temperature to 350 and increased the baking time.

          I also started tinkering with the recipe, adding another egg, more oil and more sugar. At least now they're coming out crisp, but still not flattening much when they bake, but I think the extra egg was a mistake.

          I stuck most of the dough in the refrigerator, I may try baking some more tomorrow, or I may write this batch off as a failure and see if my wife can get any advice from the person who gave her the recipe.

          in reply to: The Unrisen #6693
          Mike Nolan
          Keymaster

            I've done this a few times, myself. What I do is to make a yeast slurry, then work it into the dough, adding a little flour if needed to get the dough to firm up again. But usually you want to avoid a lot of additional kneading.

            in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of February 19, 2017? #6688
            Mike Nolan
            Keymaster

              Well, my experimental bread was good, but did not really pair well with last night's supper, beef stroganoff. Might be good toasted and spread with peanut butter or apple butter, though.

              At first I didn't have enough water in it, but then I had too much and wound up adding some more flour, so I'm not sure of the exact proportions. Probably somewhere around 65-70% hydration. I used some barley malt syrup, I think maybe next time I'll leave that out, or replace it with honey.

              Anyway, I wanted to try something new, so I did. It's good, but I think it could be better.

              in reply to: Recipe for baked steak using cube steak, onions #6683
              Mike Nolan
              Keymaster

                I haven't done a lot of baking in the last year, either.

                in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of February 19, 2017? #6677
                Mike Nolan
                Keymaster

                  Yes, it's a bread recipe, and it just went in the oven, so it'll be ready for tasting in about an hour.

                  I"ve made sprouted wheat pancakes from Peter Reinhart's recipe, and a couple of sprouted wheat bread recipes, one we liked and one not so much.

                  in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of February 19, 2017? #6675
                  Mike Nolan
                  Keymaster

                    Today I'm working on developing a new recipe using bread flour, sprouted wheat flour and semolina.

                    in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of February 19, 2017? #6669
                    Mike Nolan
                    Keymaster

                      I got started making gluten-free stuff because our daughter-in-law thought she has a gluten problem, but not celiac. (There appear to be at least five different types of gluten sensitivity.)

                      In the process, we've discovered several things (like cornbread) that we like better as a gluten-free product. There are several gluten-free cookies on that list, too.

                      in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of February 19, 2017? #6663
                      Mike Nolan
                      Keymaster

                        My wife brought home a recipe for a gluten-free snickerdoodle, so that's on my list for the next few days. Once I've tested it, I'll post it.

                        in reply to: What are You Cooking the Week of February 19, 2017? #6650
                        Mike Nolan
                        Keymaster

                          It's a lovely day here today, temperature around 70, so earlier we took a nice walk around the neighborhood and now I've got a chicken on the outdoor rotisserie. I'm basting it with barbecue sauce every few minutes.

                          in reply to: What are You Cooking the Week of January 29, 2017? #6635
                          Mike Nolan
                          Keymaster

                            Canned tomatoes always taste a little bitter or sour to me, sometimes they add a little citric acid to increase the acidity and help it can better.

                            I've made tomato soup from scratch during tomato season a couple of times, the variety of tomato used makes a huge difference in the flavor.

                            in reply to: Cuisinart Food Processor Recall #6621
                            Mike Nolan
                            Keymaster

                              They must have totally underestimated the demand for the replacement blades. Even though I seldom use my food processor, I'm glad mine wasn't one of the affected models.

                              I'm kind of amazed that the media hasn't picked up on this. I guess people who actually cook are just a fringe group compared to cell phone owners.

                              in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of February 12, 2017? #6617
                              Mike Nolan
                              Keymaster

                                One of the things I've been doing since I retired is working on my French, primarily using the duolingo.com site. According to that site I'm 42% fluent in French now, though I'd say that's on the high side.

                                This afternoon, I've been doing some research online trying to figure out why references to the cookie are 'langues de chat' and not 'langues du chat' or 'langues des chat'. So far I haven't found the definitive explanation, except for perhaps 'That's just how it's done in French'. 🙂

                                I've misplaced the recipe I have used several times for langues de chat, but as I recall I made it with superfine baker's sugar, not powdered sugar. (Powdered sugar adds a 'cornstarch' flavor to foods.)

                                I'll keep looking for that recipe, it's a good one for me to do 'piping practice' with, and I haven't done much piping since Chocolate School.

                                in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of February 12, 2017? #6616
                                Mike Nolan
                                Keymaster

                                  Chef Russ seemed to think boiling cream produced an inferior ganache, he would heat it, but not to boiling.

                                  I think most ganaches are too soft for Milano-like cookies, which is why I'd like to experiment with tempered chocolate. I should buy a package of Milanos and dissect them. (Yeah, that's my story for why I'm buying them.)

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