New Favorite Banana Bread

The other day, I came across this recipe on the Joy of Baking site for Chocolate Banana Bread. I'd packed for the move all of our bags of assorted chocolate chips, hoping they'd make it in a cooler. They did, although slightly fused in blocks, but still usable. This recipe called for white chocolate chips, so I thought what the heck. Sitting in the fridge were perfect-for-banana-bread blackened bananas, and all the other ingredients were in the pantry. Stephanie, the host of Joy of Baking, writes all the well-tested recipes using volume measures as well as weights. I weighed out per her instructions, and I'd do exactly the same next time. This bread came out, like, totally awesome! After testing for doneness (no crumbs on my tester pick), and a brief rest in the pan, I turned it out onto a cooling rack, whereupon Eddie and I kept passing by, touching the sides to see if it had cooled down enough to "test" it out. When we couldn't wait any longer, Eddie made a pot of tea and we devoured nice thick slices. We could not resist the urge to shmear a bit of butter on first. Delicious! Not too sweet, good banana flavor, and just enough chocolate from the cocoa and white chips. The optional sprinkling before baking with raw sugar was a nice touch, giving the top a sugary crunch. Click on the above link for the Joy of Cooking site, but for convenience, here's the recipe. I did not change anything, but made it exactly as written. Why change perfection?
Chocolate Banana Bread:

1/2 cup (55 grams) walnuts or pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

1 3/4 cups (245 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 cup (30 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

1 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3 ripe bananas (approximately 1 pound or 454 grams), mashed well (about 1-1/2 cups)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (85 grams) white chocolate chips

Garnish:

Turbinado or Demerara sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place oven rack to middle position. Butter and flour (or spray with a non stick vegetable/flour spray) the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf pan. Set aside.

Place the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 - 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Let cool and then chop coarsely.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl combine the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, lightly fold the wet ingredients (banana mixture) into the dry ingredients until just combined and batter is thick and chunky. Fold in the nuts and chocolate chips. Scrape batter into prepared pan and sprinkle the top of the bread with coarse brown sugar (optional).. Bake until the bread has risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 65 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool and then remove the bread from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 1 - 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf

Ricotta Gnocchi with Sauteed Cherry Tomato Sauce

I DVR'd Sara Moulton's show last week, the show dealing with weeknight pasta dishes. This ricotta gnocchi gratin was one I just had to try. It can be done in stages, so work ahead is always good. Just assemble, bake and enjoy. Eddie and I each had a decent-sized serving, which was more than enough. This would easily serve six with a side of roasted vegetables, such as asparagus or broccoli. Looking forward to the leftovers tonight! Yeah, no cooking necessary.

Ricotta Gnocchi with Sauteed Cherry Tomato Sauce
Makes 4 - 6 servings

Kosher salt
One 15-ounce container whole-milk ricotta
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly milled black pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 recipe Sautéed Cherry Tomato Sauce (recipe follows) or your favorite bottled sauce
2 ounces Italian Fontina cheese, coarsely grated (about 1/2 cup)

Extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400° F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Beat the ricotta cheese and eggs together with an electric mixer until well combined. Stir in the flour, half of the Pecorino cheese, the salt, pepper, and nutmeg until just combined. (I made the dough in the morning, covered the bowl with plastic wrap and chilled it until dinnertime. Also, I just mixed it up by hand and it came out great.)

Scoop up a rounded tablespoon of the gnocchi dough, then use a second tablespoon to scoop the mixture off the spoon and into the boiling water. Repeat to make as many gnocchi as will fit in the saucepan without crowding. Simmer for 7 minutes. When they are cooked through, transfer the gnocchi with a slotted spoon to a shallow baking dish. Repeat until all the dough has been cooked. (I used a small ice cream scoop, about 1 1/2 tablespoons each. After cooking, I scooped them out to a sheet tray until I was ready to assemble the dish and bake it off.)

Meanwhile, prepare the Sautéed Cherry Tomato Sauce. (I started the sauce in the morning and finished simmering before dinnertime.) Spoon the sauce over the gnocchi and top with Fontina and remaining Pecorino cheeses (here I gave it a quick drizzling of olive oil) and bake for 10 minutes or until cheese has melted. (Finished it off under the broiler for a nice browned top.)

Sautéed Cherry Tomato Sauce: Combine 1 large onion cut into 8 pieces and 6 garlic cloves in a food processor fitted with the chopping blade; pulse 2 to 3 times until coarsely chopped. Heat 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil oil in a large skillet over high heat until hot. Reduce the heat to medium; add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are softened, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place one pint of cherry tomatoes in the food processor bowl and pulse 3 to 4 times, until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and repeat twice with 2 more pints cherry tomatoes. Add the chopped cherry tomatoes to the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until they form a sauce, about 10 minutes. (10 minutes is not nearly long enough; I simmered at least 30 minutes to get right consistency.) Add kosher salt and freshly milled black pepper to taste and serve over Ricotta Gnocchi. Top with 1 1/2 ounces Romano cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup) and 2 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh basil and oregano, if desired. Makes about 4 3/4 cups.

Casual Italian Lunch at Roma Imports

The other day I was perusing the Chow section from the Tucson Weekly site and came across this review of a place called Roma Imports. I'll let the review stand on its own, as I cannot write a better or more complete one. By the time I finished reading it, though, I had decided we'd go for lunch the next day (Saturday). And we did.

Lucky for us there were map directions included in the article, because, being newcomers to Tucson, we'd never have found it. It truly is off the beaten path in a semi-industrial neighborhood. We knew we were close when I saw the Italian flag flying over some nearby trees and buildings.

Eddie had the Ultimate Roma sandwich (capocolla, Genoa salami, Mortadella, tomato, lettuce, red onion, vinaigrette) for $6.50. I had the chicken Parmesan sub (whole grilled chicken breasts and marinara sauce, Parmesan cheese and Provolone melt) for $6.99. Both came on their delicious French baguette bread. We didn't talk much during lunch; we were too busy enjoying the food. Truly, we could have shared a sandwich, and next time we will, but we both devoured the whole thing and loved every bit.

While waiting for the order to come out, we chatted with Lillian, the owner. Born in Calcutta, schooled in Israel and after a brief stint in Scotland where she met her husband, she settled in Tucson and built up this fantastic following for her homemade Italian and Mediterranean foods.
We asked to be put on the e-mail list for the next big banquet she throws, which will be in October. This one is going to be totally different: German foods in honor of Oktoberfest time. Can't wait!

After lunch, we took a moment to look through the deli, which includes coolers and freezers full of prepared foods to take home, such as lots of varieties of raviolis and gnocchi, lasagne, canneloni, sauces and pizza dough, just as examples. We bought a baguette, some sliced pancetta, some hot salami and Spanish chorizo.

Roma Imports was a real find for us and we'll be going back often to sample lots of their other menu items. It's located at 627 S. Vine in Tucson, AZ. Phone is 520.792.3137. Click here for a map and directions.

Closet Cooking's Blueberry Blintzes

Here's a great big thank you to Kevin of Closet Cooking for inspiring me with his recent post on blueberry blintzes. I've made blintzes before, but not for quite some time. So when I saw his recipe, and then saw a beautiful basket of blueberries at Costco the next day, I just had to make a batch. I've got this pan that is perfect for the crepes. It has a gently sloped side and is only about 8 inches across, the perfect size for a blintz. Kevin's recipe yielded 4, but I wanted extra for the freezer, so I doubled the crepes ingredients and left the other proportions as written. A small amount of butter in the hot pan, a scant 1/4 cup of batter and a quick swirl of the wrist is all it took to cover the bottom of the pan perfectly. Left alone for a couple of minutes and they were ready to turn out on the counter. I cut squares of parchment paper, enough for a double batch, and as the crepe was cooked, it was turned out onto the paper to cool, then to stack for later filling and frying. The cottage cheese - cream cheese filling was delicious. Not too sweet. I drained a heaping cup of cottage cheese in a yogurt strainer for about an hour to remove some of the excess moisture. Also not too sweet was the star of the show: the blueberry sauce. Made with a Grade B syrup, it had just enough sweet to balance the tartness of the berries. After filling and frying up eight of the twelve, I placed them on a sheet pan, popped them in the freezer, and when firm, placed them into Zip bags for future reheating in the oven. At dinnertime, I fried up the remaining four blintzes, reheated the sauce, and then Eddie and I just dove into the most delicious light dinner we've had in a while. Halfway through, we just looked at each other with smiles on our faces. This is a definite recipe to be repeated in the future.

Blueberry Blintzes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour (1 cup)
1 egg (2 eggs)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons milk (1 ¼ cups)
1/8 teaspoon salt (1/4 t)
1 tablespoon butter (melted) (2 T)

Directions:
1. Mix the flour and egg in a large bowl.
2. Slowly stir in the milk.
3. Add the salt and butter and beat until smooth. (chill for at least 30 minutes)
4. Pour scant 1/4 of the mixture into a lightly oiled pan heated at medium.
5. Tilt the pan and turn so that the mixture evenly coats the entire bottom of the pan.
6. Cook the crepe until golden brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes. (Here I removed the crepes from the pan without cooking the second side.)
7. Flip and cook the other side until golden brown.

cheese filling
blueberry sauce

butter for frying

Directions:
1. Place 1/4 cup of the cheese filling into a crepe an wrap it like a burrito.
2. Melt the butter in a pan.
3. Add the blintzes, seem side down, and cook until golden brown on top and bottom turning once.
4. Serve the blintzes with blueberry sauce on top.

Cheese Filling

Ingredients:
1 cup cottage cheese (drained in yogurt strainer. Look for farmer cheese for drier mixture.)
1 4 ounce package cream cheese (softened)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions:
1. Mix everything.

Blueberry Sauce

Ingredients:
1 cup blueberries
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

Directions
1. Mix the cornstarch into the water.
2. Simmer everything in a sauce pan for 5 minutes.

Perfect Parmesan Popovers

This recipe was inspired by one I've had in my files for a while. It's a Barefoot Contessa recipe, and I usually trust those. I added about a quarter cup of finely grated Parmesan cheese, but otherwise stuck to her directions. I'm not sure how Ina measured her ingredients, but there's no way this recipe would yield 12 popovers. I got nine, and next time I'd fill the cups even more to get eight larger ones (like the picture above). But that's my only criticism because they were delicious! Can't wait to make another batch. I'm lucky enough to have two six-cup popover pans, but these can be made in muffin tins or custard cups. They can be varied depending on the cheese used or even fresh herbs added. Or even adding some pureed garlic. Ohhh, I can taste that one now.

Popovers
Copyright 2001, Barefoot Contessa Parties!
Yield: 12 popovers (I got 9)

Ina says: There are 3 secrets to great popovers: Make sure the pan is hot before you pour in the batter, fill each section not more than half full, and no peeking while they’re in the oven!


1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus softened butter for greasing pans
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups milk, at room temperature
(added about ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Generously grease aluminum popover pans or Pyrex custard cups with softened butter. You’ll need enough pans to make 12 popovers. (Only enough batter for 9) Place the pans in the oven for exactly 2 minutes to preheat. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, salt, eggs, milk, and melted butter (and cheese) until smooth. The batter will be thin. Fill the popover pans less than half full and bake for exactly 30 minutes. Do not peek.

Salmon Burgers

I can't take credit for these, but the Trident brand salmon burgers, available at Costco, are fantastic! We bought a bag today and I had them for lunch. They're quickly prepared on the stove. All I did was toast up a croissant, spread a bit of mayo and mustard, and topped it with the salmon. I could have eaten two, but restrained myself. Eddie hates salmon, but took a taste and admitted even he'd eat one. So that's saying a lot. So now I can get a good serving of salmon a couple times a week. Yeah!

Not food related: Here are a few pictures I took the other evening of the incredible sunset out back.

Pluot, Avocado, Tomato & Corn Salsa

I came across a recipe this morning on a site called Foodbuzz, specifically from a contributor named TiffyC from Tulsa. This was another case of using what I had on hand, modifying the original recipe and making it work. The recipe called for peaches (used four different varieties of pluots), sweet corn (used frozen), cilantro (used regular parsley), cider vinegar (used tarragon) and jalapeño (used pasilla).

This is called a salsa, but I chunked the vegetables and fruit large, so I'd call this a salad, and that's how I served it for lunch, alongside a nice slice of leftover pizza. Yummy!

Just a word of caution: just because the pasilla chile is less potent than the jalapeño does not mean you can rub your eye after working with it. YOU CAN'T!!! Take it from me, it hurts.

Thanks, TiffyC, for the inspiration. This one goes in the repeat file.

Peach and Avocado Salsa with Corn

Adapted from a recipe by TiffyC.

3 medium fresh peaches, diced (used 4 kinds of pluots)
2 medium ripe avocado, diced
1 t lime juice (to taste, more like half a large lime)
2 c. tomato, diced
1/2 c. fresh sweet corn (frozen, more like 1 cup)
1/2 diced onion (red onion and scallions, about 1 cup)
2 t minced fresh cilantro (used regular parsley)
1 T cider vinegar (used tarragon vinegar)
1 t chopped jalapeño pepper (used pasilla chile, one whole diced large)
1 garlic clove, minced (don’t like raw garlic, so I blanched it, then smashed)
1/4 t sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

In a bowl, combine fruit, avocado and lime juice. Add the remaining ingredients. (Here I drizzled in some olive oil.) LIGHTLY toss until combined. Refrigerate for 1 hour. (I let it sit at room temp for an hour; the fuit tastes better when not chilled.)

Vanilla Bean Apple Crisp

Well before we moved to Tucson, I'd bought two hefty packages of vanilla beans. They're well-wrapped, so they should be okay for a good while, but I wanted to continue using them up. This recipe for vanilla bean apple crisp comes from Epicurious, and I made it a couple of weeks ago. Fabulous flavors going on -- buttery topping to cut through, not too much vanilla flavor but what's there is pronounced, and the apples (and I throw in a chunked pear just to use up what's around). This is not like a nonbaker's apple pie, although if you don't bake this is a great recipe to add to your nonbaking repertoire. It's easy to throw together, and the ingredients are usually on hand. If vanilla beans aren't available, try substituting a teaspoon or so of extract, the real stuff, not the fake. As I only had limes in the house, that's what I used instead of the lemon juice called for in the recipe. I adjusted the baking times upward to get nicely browned edges on the apples before adding the crisp topping. Also, I finished the whole thing with five minutes on convection bake to get a nice evenly browned crust. The first time I made this, we had one caramel-chocolate Drumstick in the freezer, and that broken over the apple crisp was incredible. Tonight, we'll have to settle for plain ol' French vanilla, but it will still be memorable.

Vanilla Bean Apple Crisp
Bon Appétit March 2002

Makes 8 servings.

1/3 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (save pod for vanilla sugar)
2 1/4 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced 1/2-inch thick
(I used Fuji and a peeled pear)
1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (I only had lime juice on hand)
Pinch of ground nutmeg (Ooops! Forgot it this time, but first time used freshly grated)
1 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place sugar in large bowl. Using small sharp knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean into sugar. Rub mixture with fingertips to distribute seeds. Add next 4 ingredients; toss well. Transfer to 8-inch square glass baking dish. Place dish on prepared baking sheet. Bake until apples are tender and beginning to turn golden brown, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven; stir apples.
Blend flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt in processor. Add butter and cut in, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle crumbs over apples, spreading evenly. Bake crisp until topping is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool crisp 10 minutes.





Here are the apples and pear as they went into the oven for the intial browning for 40 minutes or so.

Just before processing the crisp topping ingredients. I waited to do this until the apples came out of the oven so that the butter in the flour would stay cold.

The finished apple crisp, bubbling hot straight out of the oven. Yummmm! Just imagine vanilla ice cream melting over the edges of a bowlful of this.

Great Chinese Buffet, Zero Atmosphere

If you want a Chinese buffet for lunch with atmosphere, don't go to the New China Buffet on North Wilmot in Tucson. If you want a Chinese buffet with very tasty food for little money, go to the New China Buffet on North Wilmot in Tucson.

We are often in this area of town (it's sort of kitty-corner from Beyond Bread) and have eaten here probably five times now, and since we've only lived here a month, I'd say that's a lot. Lunch for two was just pennies over $15, so the price is very reasonable. Dinner is a few bucks more. Everything is really good, but we seem to really go for the appetizers, especially the small butterflied fried shrimp, the pot stickers, fried chicken and egg rolls. Eddie skips it, but I usually get a small bowl of the hot and sour soup. Entrees include the usually fare such as General Tsao chicken, lemon chicken, broccoli beef, seafood stir fry, to name a few, but the list is quite long. For anyone so inclined, there's a nice salad bar with lots of fresh fruit. If there's any room left, we'll sample the desserts (just to clear the palate).

I suppose this will be one of our regular places, as we know what to expect and how much we'll pay for it. It's definitely not fancy, but the food makes up for lack of decor and atmosphere. The wait staff is efficient, but a bit reserved. A smile goes a long way.

El Sur Mexican Restaurant on E. 22nd Street

After running our errands this morning in town, we headed over to El Sur Mexican Restaurant for lunch. Mike, the technician from ADT Security who installed our system, recommended the place with lots of enthusiasm. Unfortunately, we arrived five minutes past noon, and the place was totally filled with a waiting list. We only had to sit for 10 minutes before a table opened up (notwithstanding the two guys who jumped the line and helped themselves to a table). Delicious chips and two salsas, hot and mild, were brought to the table promptly, and soon thereafter our orders were taken. Eddie had the special , chicken mole, and I had one of the everday lunch items, the two green corn tamales and ground beef taco. The wait was very short, maybe five minutes or so. A second server came to the table and offered sauteed onions and roasted jalapenos, which I had never seen before.

This was the first time for Eddie and the mole, and he loved it. At my suggestion, he spooned some of the shredded chicken and mole sauce into a grilled flour tortilla and topped it with the onions. He loved that a lot. My green corn tamales were incredible -- savory and sweet at the same time. Delicious. And the taco was good too, perfectly seasoned and just the right amount of lettuce, tomato and cheese. Honestly, mine was just too much food, and I didn't even touch the foil-wrapped flour tortillas.

So with the tip, it came to under $16. What a deal! And now we don't have to worry about dinner, because we'll still be too full from lunch to think about it.

Highly recommeded, and we'll go back lots of times. only not at noon. Good food, good prices and friendly servers. It's located at 5602 E. 22nd Street, just east of Craycroft in Tucson.

One Fantastic Bakery, but Only Two Locations

Beyond Bread is a local Tucson bakery we found while staying here a few years ago. At the time we were house hunting and just came across it one morning. They're celebrating ten years of business, and I can certainly understand why they're so successful. The bread is fantastic. That's all I can say. When you walk in, there's usually a line of customers waiting to place orders for breads or something from the menu, which includes breakfast items, sandwiches, soup and salads. While waiting, you can sample all the bread and butter you want. I must admit we've joked about getting cups of their delicious coffee and some of the sample breads and calling that a meal. Yes, it's that good. I'm especially fond of the multi-grain bread. We've tried several of the sandwiches, but we really enjoy the curry chicken salad inside whole-wheat pita bread. There's way more than enough for two, so we just split it and we never walk out hungry. There are two locations, one at the Monterey Shopping Center at Wilmot and Speedway and another on Campbell Avenue. Haven't been to Campbell yet, but when in the neighborhood we'll stop by. We only hope they'll open another store down our way in Vail, but that's not too likely. That's okay because it's usually near something we're doing in town anyway.

Some Shots out the Back

I took these shots yesterday evening. We looked out the back and saw a small herd of CATTLE in our backyard. I don't remember seeing anything about CATTLE in backyards in the homeowners covenant documents. They were so cute, especially the mama nursing her baby.

The Daily Show

Here's a sample of what we've been seeing outside almost every day since moving in on the 11th. Awesome!

We're Moving!

That's right, we're moving next week to Vail, AZ, a suburb of Tucson. So we're totally stressed out, trying to get everything ready for Wednesday. May I say this? A disorderly and messy house really sucks! We've reduced the kitchen to a skeletal minimum of dishes and cookware: 3 bowls, 3 cups, 3 mugs and lots of paper plates and plastic flatware. For cooking we're down to a Farberware electric skillet, a waffle iron with reversible plates, the Weber grill and the oven. Hey, we get by remarkably well, and there's not much to clean up afterwards.
Here's a photo of our new home in Vail. Sort of out in the country, about a 20-minute drive into central Tucson. A whole different lifestyle with lots of elbow room. Fantastic mountain views too. Can't wait for it all to be over next week.

We'll keep posting on our adventure.

A Basic Focaccia, and a Lot of It

Yesterday I pulled out an older cookbook on the shelf (Five Brothers, A Year of Tuscan Cooking by Piero Selvaggio) and came across this basic focaccia recipe and decided to give it a try. It's not an all-day affair; it can be made in a few hours. It came out really well -- nice and golden, tasting of olive oil and coarse salt. It paired well with the pork chops I made as an entree. I've made focaccia lots of times before, but I think this one is my favorite. It made A LOT of bread; I think I'll have to freeze some or let it stale and make a panzanella with it this weekend. Not in the directions, but I preheated the oven with a pizza stone on the lowest rack setting for a good 30 minutes before putting the pan in to bake. I think this gave a nice bottom crust; golden and not too crisp. I think this recipe is very versatile and can be modified in lots of ways. Freshly chopped rosemary and garlic? A bit of saffron added to the warm water? Some warm curry spices added to taste like naan bread? How about adding a tablespoon or so of pesto to the dough? Anywhooo... here's the recipe, with my comments and changes noted.)

Basic Focaccia

5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (plus more if needed)

2 teaspoons table salt

2 cups warm water (105° – 115° F)

1 package active dry yeast (I used instant, 2 ¼ teaspoons)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

additional oil for drizzling

coarse salt for sprinkling

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt; set aside. In another bowl, combine warm water with yeast; stir. Let stand until yeast has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Whisk in olive oil. Add yeast mixture to flour. Using an electric mixer, mix on low speed about 2 minutes or until well combined. Remove dough from bowl; place on lightly floured surface and knead until a smooth ball of dough forms. (I completed the mixing with the machine and had to add about an extra cup of flour; it must be the weather here. Note: a wetter dough is better than a dryer one.) Place dough in oiled bowl; cover and let rise 1 to 1 ½ hours or until doubled. Generously oil a 17 x 13 inch baking sheet. Place dough in pan; press and stretch dough evenly with oiled fingers to fill pan. (It was a bit tight, so I covered it 10 minutes and gave it a rest; when I came back it spread out perfectly to fill the pan.) Pierce dough with a fork at 1 inch intervals; drizzle lightly with olive oil. Cover dough with a kitchen towel and let rise about 45 minutes or until doubled. Sprinkle with coarse salt.

Preheat oven to 450° F.

Bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Place on a rack to cool. Serve as is or top with herbs and other flavorings.

Easiest, Tastiest Cinnamon Bread -- Ever!

I know, Iknow. You see that kind of recipe title a lot, the best, whatever, "ever!" but this really is incredibly delicious and easy to put together. I came across a blog called Closet Cooking yesterday. Kevin had made this cinnamon bread a couple weeks ago, and since I am trying to use up a lot of pantry items around here, I gave it a try. Replacing the buttermilk was a cup of sour milk (ewwwhh) plus a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. After a brief time it was ready to use. If you make this, try to give the eggs a warm-up in a bowl of lukewarm water. One comment on the batter brown-sugar-cinnamon layering: I wish there were a bit more batter. Trying to spread wet batter over a layer of dry sugar-cinnamon is a challenge, but I used my mini offset spatula and spread it out to the sides as evenly as possible. The end result? Delicious! Second day was even better. No kidding. Very moist with intense cinnamon flavor. No butter needed, but it wouldn't hurt. Can't wait to finish this loaf so I can make another. Here's Kevin's recipe, with noted modifications. After removing from the oven I let it cool in the pan 20 minutes, then covered it with a small sheet pan, inverted it out of the pan, then turned it back over onto a rack to cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap until the next day, if you can wait that long.

Thank you, Kevin, for the great recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter (room temperature)(unsalted)
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 cup buttermilk (used sour milk and 1 tblspn lemon juice)
1 cup (light ) brown sugar
2 heaping tablespoons ground cinnamon

Directions:
1. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
2. Cream the butter and sugar in another bowl.
3. Beat in the eggs, salt, vanilla and lemon zest.
4. Mix 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
5. Mix 1/2 of the buttermilk into the wet ingredients.
6. Mix 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
7. Mix the remaining buttermilk into the wet ingredients.
8. Mix 1/3 the remaining dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
9. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
10. Pour 1/3 of the batter into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan.
11. Pour 1/3 of the cinnamon mixture on top.
12. Pour 1/3 of the batter on top.
13. Pour 1/3 of the cinnamon mixture on top.
14. Pour the remaining batter on top.
15. Pour the remaining cinnamon mixture on top.
16. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until a toothpick pushed into the center comes out clean, about an hour.

Early Morning Video of Moon Setting over Mountains

The wind kept us up all night, so we got up and watched TV until about 5:30, at which time the moon was setting over Mt. San Jacinto. So I took this little video to capture the moment. I just wish I knew how to use the video features better!

Last night's pot roast was delish, and tonight I'll shred the leftover meat, mix it with the yummy, tomato-y sauce and serve it over soft Mexican rolls. Can't wait!

Italian Pot Roast

This is an easy pot roast to throw together, and it always comes out great. I've made this several times before, but now that it's so hot, I decided to do some of the prep steps outside on the Weber's side burner. That way, there's not smoke or odors left wafting through the house. Here's what I did.

I took a beautiful chuck roast (half price from Fresh & Easy!), seasoned it well with kosher salt and cracked pepper, a bit of granulated garlic; browned it really well in a bit of olive oil. That goes into the crock. Not mentioned in the original recipe from Everyday Food is a quick deglazing and reduction using a dry red wine. I like to do this because it adds another layer of flavor to the sauce. Added to that is an onion, cut into eighth wedges; canned tomatoes and juice, baby potatoes, fresh rosemary from the garden and some halved garlic cloves. That's it. Eddie set up a table outside with a utility extension cord, and that's where it cooked, on HIGH setting, for six hours.

Ideally, in the past I've separated the meat and vegies from the sauce and then used a fat separator to remove the excess grease. Sauce, meat and veg can be stored separately in the fridge overnight. Then put it all back in the crock, heat it up in the oven on a low heat and it comes out meltingly tender and so savory. We may just have this tonight right away and hopefully there'll be leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Here's the recipe, with my as-made notes added.

Italian Pot Roast
Serves 8 | Prep time: 15 minutes | Total time: 6 hours 15 minute

ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 can whole tomatoes in purée (28 ounces)
1 ¼ pounds small white potatoes (scrubbed)
1 large onion (cut into 8 wedges)
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried and crumbled)
3 pounds beef chuck roast (trimmed and halved crosswise)
red wine
6 garlic cloves, halved
coarse salt, granulated garlic and ground pepper

1. With a sharp paring knife, cut 4 slits in beef roast; stuff slits with half the garlic. (I used some granulated garlic with the salt and pepper and just threw the garlic on top and around the meat in the crock.) Generously season beef with 1 ½ teaspoons salt, some granulated garlic and 1 teaspoon pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over high heat, swirling to coat bottom of pan. Cook beef until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. (This is where I deglazed with half a cup or so of red wine, scraped up the fond, and reduced it by 75% and then poured it over the meat.)

2. In a 5-quart slow cooker, combine beef, onion, potatoes, tomatoes (with purée), rosemary, and remaining garlic. Cover; cook on high setting until meat is fork-tender, about 6 houors (do not uncover while cooking).

3. Transfer meat to a cutting board; thinly slice, and discard any gristle. Skim fat from top of sauce. To serve, divide beef and vegetables among bowls; generously spoon sauce over.

Summer's Here!

A Perfect Birthday Cake for Eddie

I recently came across a blog called Culinography, which featured Dorie Greenspan's "Perfect Party Cake," which I recreated for Eddie's birthday on Monday. I like cakes that can be made in stages, ahead of time, and this one fit the bill. The two cake layers were made, cooled and wrapped on Sunday; the creamy, white and lemony buttercream was made Monday in the afternoon. After briefly chilling the frosting in the fridge (it's starting to heat up here in the desert), the cakes were halved, then the layers spread with briefly warmed-up seedless raspberry preserves and buttercream, and the top and outside got the remaining frosting, which I smoothed with a warmed mini offset spatula. I took Culinography's suggestion and topped it off with raspberries. We had a big slice after dinner at Roy's of Hawaii in Rancho Mirage. I know it's gone corporate in recent years, but I love that place. The food is always superior, and the service is tops.

So here's Dorie's recipe as it appeared in Culinography. I'll be making this one again. I can see adding different flavors to the cake batter and buttercream. How 'bout Framboise in the cake with a chocolate buttercream? Hmmm? Sound good?

Dorie’s Perfect Party Cake

Cake:
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
4 large egg whites (I used extra-large eggs)
1 1/2 cups sugar (I used "vanilla" sugar)
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract

Buttercream:
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites (I used extra-large eggs)
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Finishing:
2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves warmed gently until spreadable

Making the cake:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl. Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.

Add the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light. Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients. Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.

Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch - a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up (I wrapped the cooled cake layers in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature overnight. They can be frozen up to two months).

Making the Buttercream:
Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a plan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream. (I have some carpal tunnel problems, so this was quite a chore. Next time I'll use a hand mixer!)

Remove the bowl from the heat. Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes.

Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth. Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes. During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate - just keep beating and it will come together again. On medium speed, gradually beat in the lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla.
You should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly. (I thought it needed a brief chilling to firm up a bit, as it was warm in our kitchen that day.)

Assembling the Cake:
Using a sharp, serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half. (The trick is to never let the knife go more than about a third of the way into the cake. Once there, keep turning the cake and sawing, and you'll come to the beginning point without making a wavy cut.)

Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. Spread it with one third of the preserves. Cover the jam evenly with about one quarter of the buttercream. Top with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream and then do the same with a third layer (you’ll have used all the jam and have buttercream leftover). Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top. (I used a regular offset spatula to spread and smooth out the buttercream, with the aid of a turning cake stand. Once smoothed out, I switched to a mini offset spatula, heated it in some hot water, dried it, and got a nice professional finish.)