(Your) Ignorance Is (My) Bliss

As far as my cooking is concerned, I have little interest in full-disclosure. As far as you’re concerned, you’d like to keep it that way. You’ve been burned before, lied to by big bad lobbyists and policymakers, who care more about their selfish ends than your delicate health. Maybe you think I’m a nice gal who cares about you, so why do you want to know what I don’t need to tell you? Perhaps you think I am not above putting my selfish needs (ie my dependency on you as my friend) before your health.

Wrong. Example: I brought in some organic-ish homemade whole wheat blueberry muffins this Monday. You liked the way the anti-oxidants zapped those free radicals, and you liked the way those whole grains enveloped those LDLs. That satiated-mind-tummy feeling, however, left you pretty quickly, didn’t it? That’s what (1) a cup and a half of enriched white flour, (2) a cup of refined white and brown sugar, and (3) one stick and two tablespoons of butter will do to you. Those things have no heart. They shall take yours.

Please, try to understand that my habits are as intractable as that of the State. So, as long as the FDA is elusive about food labeling, so shall I. Friends, here’s a recipe for delicious whole wheat bread. Your final product may or may not be perfect, depending on whether or not you rub at least a tablespoon of butter on the crust after it comes out of the oven.

Wheat-ish Bread

recipe adapted from smittenkitchen.com

Yield: 1 loaf of bread

Active time: 35 minutes; Baking time:1 hour

Ingredients:
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cup whole wheat flour
1½ tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp powdered milk
1½ tsp active dry yeast
4 tbsp vital wheat gluten
3 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1¼ cups warm water (100°-110°)

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, mix the water and honey; microwave for about 40 seconds, until it reaches the right temperature; sprinkle the yeast over the liquid and let it proof for 10 minutes
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the two flours, powdered milk, salt, and vital wheat gluten
3. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of yeasty liquid, and stir together until a vague doughy mass begins to form
4. Dump the contents of the above bowl onto a clean work surface, and work in two tablespoons of the butter
5. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, until it is smooth and supple
6. Place the dough into a lightly-oiled container, flipping the dough around until the entire surface area has a bit of oil on it; cover and let it double at room temperature
7. Pre-heat oven to 350°
8. Take out the dough and gently flatten it to the size of a piece of printer paper; roll it from one short end to the other, keeping the surface area taut; seal up the edges with your fingers; place into a lightly-oiled 8½ x 4½ loaf pan; lightly-oil the top of the loaf, and cover with a piece of plastic wrap; let it almost double in size at room temperature
9. Put th loaf pan on a rimmed baking sheet; put a handful of ice cubes on the baking sheet; bake for about an hour, until the internal temperature is 190°, turning it 180° halfway through baking
10. Once the loaf is out of the oven, rub a tablespoon of butter all over it; put it on a cooling rack for two hours before slicing

Tip 1 I usually mix the water and honey in a huge Pyrex bowl, and put it in the microwave for about 30-40 seconds, then take its temperature

Tip 2 A lidded pitcher is a great way to cut the dough doubling guesswork, if you don’t want to spend money on a dough bucket

Tip 3 Carefully score the top of the bread right before putting it into the oven

Tip 4 Steam and crusts are friends

IMHO Please don’t rub shortening or margarine on the loaf

Lo! What sweet comfort appears

Tonight I shredded two zucchini
(Some call it a squash
Others a courgette)

With cinnamon
Sugar flour and salt
All were hand-mixed
In a golden Pyrex

350 degrees
An hour long wait
Out! And alas!
I longed for success!

My expectations blossomed
Yet crumpled when cooled
It was toasty deception
It was disguised driftwood

Remember that morning
So simple so spry
Muffins in pleated cups
A dewy tear to thine eye

My affection for this loaf
Was transitory.

Appreciatively devoted
I admire the muffin forever

Banana Nut Muffin

recipe adapted from Rombauer, et al joy of cooking

Yield: 12 muffins

Prep: 15 minutes; Baking time:14 to 16 minutes

Dry Ingredients:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
⅔ cup coarsely chopped walnuts/pecans

Wet Ingredients:
1 large egg
⅔ cup light brown sugar
1⅓ cups mashed ripe bananas (2 to 3)
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°, and line a standard 12-muffin pan
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the list of dry ingredients
3. In a large bowl, mix together the list of wet ingredients
4. Add the dry mix to the wet mix, and stir until the last bits of dry ingrdients are no smaller than the size of a dime (i.e., over-mix and expect less-tasty results)
5. Spoon and divide the batter into each cup
6. Bake on the middle rack for 14 to 16 minutes, until a toothpick stuck into the center muffins comes out clean
7. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before removing to desired next location (a cooling rack if not being immediately ingested)

Tip 1 I often complete Steps 2 and 3 in separate containers the night before I want to make the muffins. Next morning is as follows: Turn off alarm, pre-heat oven, snooze, stir, bake.

Tip 2 Sprinkle some turbinado/raw brown sugar on the muffins before putting them into the oven. Surprise!

disappointment

PSA: Mother’s Day is May 9, 2010

From time to time, the consequences of living alone will abruptly strike my consciousness. For instance, about ten minutes ago I was sitting in my studio. A night in, oh how nice. Nine minutes ago, I was sitting in my studio, and I realized I was sitting under the light of two soft-glow lamps, a scented candle, and listening to the music of The Reverend Al Green. It’s a good thing I had a big dinner, or else an empty bottle of wine would be hanging out with me tonight, too.

Have I turned into my mom? My mom actually makes the world go ‘round when she’s at home, so, no, I’m not even close to turning into her. Other than an undeniable predilection for adult soft rock, the behavioral patterns my mom has passed down to me have little to do with my trespasses while in isolation.

Thankfully, before I left the nest, she was able to imbue in me the importance of making myself useful in the kitchen. Any ability to make things that are both edible and photograph-able comes from that woman. Within, and beyond, that lesson, she showed me that patience and tenacity bear great things in life. She’s right, so please keep that in mind when you see the recipe for this scrumptious loaf of bread.

Cinnamon Swirl Currant Bread
recipe adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s the bread bible

Yield: One 8″x4″x4.5″ loaf
Time: Dough Starter: 1hr to 24hrs; Minimum rising time: about 3.5hrs; Baking time: 50 minutes

Dough Starter Ingredients:
6 oz. or 1⅛ cup plus 1¼ tbsp whole wheat bread flour
7.15 oz. or ¾cup of warm water
.75 oz. or 1 tbsp plus .5 tsp honey
2.4 grams or ¾ tsp active dry yeast

Dough Ingredients:
5.5 oz. or 1 cup plus 1.5 tbsp unbleached all purpose flour
.75 oz. or ⅛ cup dry milk, preferably non-fat
2.25 oz. or 4.5 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp salt

Cinnamon Swirl Filling Ingredients:
1.3 oz. sugar or ⅛ cup raw brown sugar
.15 oz. or 2 tsp cinnamon
about .5 oz. or 1 tbsp beaten egg

Instructions:
1. In a large bowl, proof the yeast for about 10 minutes over the honey and water mixture that has been heated to about (about 105°). Add the whole wheat flour and whisk it until smooth and some air is incorporated, about 5 minutes. This is the dough starter.

2. In another bowl, whisk all of the Dough Ingredients except for the salt and butter. Sprinkle all of the dry dough ingredients over the dough starter, and cover it with plastic wrap, leaving it at room temperature to ferment between 1 to 4 hours. The dough starter will rise and push the dry dough ingredients around — success.

3. Add the butter and salt to the bowl, and mix with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to come together. Throw the mess onto a tabletop, and knead it for 5 minutes. The dough will stick everywhere. After 5 minutes, it should develop a stronger structure because of the gluten development. Resist any temptation to add more flour. Using a bench scraper, scrape the dough into a single roundish mass, and cover it with the now empty large mixing bowl for 20 minutes. It’s going to rest now, and so should you.

4. Knead the dough for another 5 minutes, and resist any temptation to add more flour. It’s going to be sticky, and you’re not going to feel good about it. Put the dough back into the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest for 10 minutes. Add a half cup of raisins/currants/sultanas, if you so desire, and mix it throughout the dough.

5. Let the dough double in a covered oiled container at room temperature (75° to 80°), 1½ to 2 hours. Gently lay the dough out onto a floured counter, in a rectangular shape. Fold it like a business letter, and put it back into the container to let chill in the fridge for an hour.

6. On a floured counter, roll out the piece of dough so it’s about 7½”x14″ and about ¼” thick. Gently press on the dough with your fingertips to deflate any large air bubbles. Brush the beaten egg over the surface of the dough, then spread the cinnamon sugar mix over it, leaving about a ¾” space at the edges. Starting from the short side of the rectangle, roll the dough toward the other end. Seal up the long seam of this dough log, as well as the spiral side seams.

7. Place in the loaf pan, and cover it loosely with an oiled plastic wrap. Let it rise until it is about 1½” over the top of the pan, about 1 to 2 hours.

8. Bake in an oven that has been pre-heated to 350° for 50 minutes, or until the internal temperature is about 211°. Turn the pan around halfway through baking.

9. Glaze the top of the bread with melted butted, and let it cool for an hour before slicing it. If you still have any remaining hours left in your day, you should try a slice — it’s very good.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

it’s pronounced 包子

Street food — love it, can’t get enough of it. It’s all the rage these days, and I’m anticipating an article about the proliferation of food trucks and carts during times of economic downturn. Someone, please create a bar chart with falafel and burrito towers versus credit debts, or a line graph of people queuing for street meat on 53rd and 6th versus the waitlist for Peter Luger by EOD TODAY. Charts — I have no less love for them than I do for that Taiwanese food truck on Pearl.

Taiwan — it’s not my mother country (USA Rocks!), but its hold on my heart is real, and I can’t wait to go visit all of my island family again. Additionally, there really is a countless number of street food vendors in Taiwan. Now that I’ve said that, I now have a new dream job — Taiwan Street Food Vendor Census Survey Analyst. It’s an impressive job title that I think I’ve earned, and finally, everything about the past two years of my life makes sense.

While I am there, I’m going to see if there’s a market for Asian Fusion Buns. That name is probably also the title of some really terrible “movie”, but that probably makes it even more appropriate for a land where English words are hilariously mishandled. Anyway, what was fused together in this bun, or baozi, was the traditional steamed bun and a filling that was a departure from the commonly found fare of ground pork and cabbage. Will the Taiwanese embrace Hot Italian Turkey Sausage + Leeks? Will my mom still embrace me after she reads about my bastardization of her mantou recipe? Mom, I didn’t do it on purpose, it’s all I had at home. Mom, do you read my blog/親愛的老媽,妳有沒有在念我的博客?

Baozi
Yield: 16 small-ish Asian Fusion Buns

Ingredients:
1 cup Whole wheat bread flour
1½ cup All-purpose flour
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp yeast
2 tsp baking powder
¾ cup warm water (105°)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
½ pound seasoned ground meat
1 stalk Leek
16 3″x3″ pieces of parchment paper

Instructions:
1. Dissolve sugar in a large bowl of warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the water and allow it to proof for ten minutes.

2. Whisk together a cup of all-purpose flour and the cup of whole wheat flour, and combine with the liquid mixture from Step 1. Knead the dough for 5 minutes. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel, and allow it to double in size in a warm area.

3. Add in the remaining ½ cup of all-purpose flour, baking powder, and oil, and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Place the dough back into the bowl, and allow it to double again.

4. Prepare the meat mixture while the dough is rising.

5. Roll the dough into a log that can easily be cut into 16 even pieces. Cut it, and flatten and roll each piece into circles of between 4-4½” in diameter. Edges should be thinner than the center. Don’t stack them. They’ll stick and you’ll have to start all over again. You’re going to get all angsty.

6. Fill each circle with 2 tbsp of filling, and pinch the edges together to the best of your ability, and center on a 3″x3″ piece of parchment paper.

7. Allow the buns to rise again for another 10+ minutes. Steam them for 15 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave the cover on for 1 minute, otherwise, they will wrinkle, and we hate wrinkles, don’t we?

pursuits of happiness

In a rare event, I got home today while the sun was still shining, so much so that I broke out a new pair of running shorts, bounded through the lobby of my apartment building, and took off toward Prospect Park. The trees finally look refreshed after what seemed like an interminable winter, and Grand Army Plaza was a splendid sight at dusk. It was a happy run, even after I encountered the ultra-intense, angry-looking pack of cheetah runners. Where were they going, who were they about to eat, and why not me?

The glee ended about a quarter mile from home, as the last remaining bits of sunlight faded to nothing. I really am a tunnel-visioned runner who, when she forgets to wear her glasses at night, has a depth of vision of about 8ft. Thankfully, la policia have sirens on their cars, and given the number of their vehicles arriving at the scene, they were noticeable. Also, the groups of people trying to leave the area were floating the word “shooting” around, which was another audible cue that there’s no place like home, and being home would be much better than idiotically turning around and around at the corner. Dummy.

Finally, I got my act together and hauled ass across what appeared to be the less crazy side of the intersection, and found my way home. What waited at the finish line? A couple of doors, a dimly-lit studio, and a higher level of perceived safety. And behind my freezer door, more than a couple Earl Grey Truffles, and some happiness, again.

Earl Grey Truffles
Yield: about 40 truffles

Ingredients
½pound bittersweet (70%) chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
½tbsp unsalted butter, softened
5 Earl Grey tea bags
½cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼pound bittersweet (70%) chocolate chips

Instructions:
1. Put chocolate chips into a large bowl. If not using chocolate chips, chop up the chocolate into small pieces.

2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, scald the heavy cream and immerse the tea bags. Cover, and steep for 15 minutes. Remove tea bags, squeezing out the liquid, and scald the cream again.

3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips, and wait 5 minutes. Stir the chocolate and cream mixture until all of the chocolate is melted. Mix in the butter, and stir until completely smooth.

4. Refrigerate the bowl of chocolate until it is firm enough to scoop, yet soft enough to shape, which should take at least 2 hours.

5. Scoop out teaspoon-sized balls of the chocolate, and quickly roll them between (gloved) hands. Place on parchment paper and refrigerate to harden, about 30 minutes.

6. Melt the remaining quarter pound of chocolate in a bowl at 30 second intervals in the microwave, or on a double-boiler. Roll each truffle in the melted chocolate, forming a very thin layer of chocolate that will quickly harden. Before it hardens, toss the truffle into a shallow dish with the cocoa powder and move them around until they’re covered.

Serve at room temperature. Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month, or freeze.

The Origin of Everything

Makeovers can be the main thrill of one’s life, giving a sense of control in a world full of chaos. An adage from my most favorite movie, like, ever, I found it difficult to bring that wisdom into my kitchen. Until the end of 2008, I only baked chocolate chip cookies. Assembling and mixing the ingredients, then forming perfectly round little cookies was the nexus of my sanity, my zen, my peace in a world full of papers about causal inference, and worksheets full of vlookups. In fact, I was pretty sure those cookies were why I made friends and went on dates.

Thus, 2009 was the year of the cookie counterfactual — every month, I tried out a new recipe and (sometimes) shared the results. I made over my risk-averse cookie soul. More butter than my body weight, more eggs than we’ve had Presidents, and more kilos of flour than stolen horse in Bad Boys 1 passed through my kitchen than I have previously admitted. Ever notice why I’m still wearing the same stuff I wore in ‘08? Follow the flour trail.

By the end of 2009, I was ready to make the following conclusions:

1. Friends and dates are correlated, but not caused, by divulging the secret ingredient in my cookie recipe (why the heck not — it’s CINNAMON!)
2. Burning, under-baking, and ruining what coulda-been-great create a different type of (post-trauma) zen, especially after the NYFD arrives/leaves
3. I’d rather live out a counterfactual than read about it, and writing a blog is more therapeutic than writing a macro

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yield: 48 cookies
Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup softened unsalted butter
⅔ cups brown sugar
⅔ cups white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1½ cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips
2 cups rolled oats
½ cup chopped walnuts

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. In one large bowl, mix butter, brown, and white sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, stirring into the ingredients without over-beating it.

2. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Mix into the wet mixture a bit at a time, stirring until smooth.

3. Add in the oats, chocolate chips, and walnuts. Form rounded tablespoons of cookie dough, and bake for 9-10 minutes, or until golden brown on bottom of cookie.

windows

In my studio apartment, there are four windows. Two in the living space, one next to the stove, and one next to the bathtub. All four windows face a scene of brick and iron, and when the sky is blue and the angles are just right, some rays of sunlight drift down and illumine the sills.

The inclination to become weary from the lack of sunlight is natural, especially when the day is long and the break of dawn never happens. So on the days when I’m home and resting, and nature and urban dwelling cooperate, the little light on the windows provide a disproportionately large source of happiness.

Four days ago, sun and sill aligned, and I baked. The bread has an ethnicity, but only because I am willing to pander to those who want their bread to have a better name other than “57% Whole Wheat Football Shaped Bread”. Suggestions are welcome, and the winner will receive a loaf of what is currently known in my heart as “The 57:43 Whole Wheat:White Wheat, Crusty, Great with Hearty Stews Bread”.

Whole Wheat Italian
Yield: Two loaves
Time: 25 minutes, plus 2.5 hours rising time and 45 minute baking time

Ingredients:
2 cups warm water (warmer than 100° but not >110°)
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons active-dry yeast
1½teaspoons table salt
2⅔ cups Whole wheat bread flour
2 cups All-purpose flour
4½ teaspoons vital wheat gluten
approx. 2 teaspoons olive oil (for greasing the bowl)

Instructions:
1. Dissolve sugar in warm water in a large bowl, and sprinkle yeast over the mixture.  Let it hang out for 10 minutes
2. In the mean time, mix together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, vital wheat gluten, and salt in another large bowl
3. Spoon a little under half of the flour mixture into the yeast+water mixture, and stir it out until it’s smooth. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap over the bowl and let it rest for 15 minutes
4. Pour in the rest of the flour mixture with a spoon, and mix until most of the really wet parts of the dough have disappeared
5. Knead the dough right in the bowl, picking up all of the flour against the side of the bowl for about 5 minutes, until it’s a smooth ball. A small bit of the dough might stick to bottom of the bowl, and that’s ok
6. Drizzle olive oil into the now empty flour bowl and turn it over so at least 90% of the dough is greased. Drop a piece of parchment paper or kitchen towel over the top of the bowl, and allow it to double in size (about 45 minutes)
7. Pat down the dough, fold in thirds, turn it over, repeat 4 times. Pat down one more time, cover, and allow it to double a second time
8. Shaping:Divide the dough into two equal pieces, and flatten each piece into 8″x8″ squares on a floured surface. Fold two corners of the square down to the middle of the square, like you’re folding a paper airplane. Take the nose of the airplane, and start rolling it down toward the tail of the plane, making a log shape. Place the two logs onto a large piece of parchment paper, with about 4” between them. Squeeze the far ends of each log under itself, so that each log resembles a football. Dust with flour, loosely cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise until almost doubled in size
9. Preheat the over to 500°, with baking stone/high-quality baking sheet on the middle rack in the oven, while the logs rise for the third time. Ten minutes before putting in the logs, add hot water to a broiling pan/baking sheet, and put on rack directly below the middle rack.
10. After the logs have risen, using either a razor blade or sharp chef’s knife at a 45° angle, cut a ½” deep slit 1½” from the top to bottom of each loaf. Sprinkle/spray cold water over the loaves
11. Slip the loaves with the parchment paper onto the baking stone/sheet, and bake for 10 minutes. Quickly rotate the loaves by handling the sides of the parchment paper, and bake for about 35 minutes at 400°, or until loaves are medium brown, sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, and/or register at 210°. Place loaves on cooling rack for 2 hours.

Just In Time

2009.  Yeast looked me straight in the eyes, spat between them, then kicked the bowl of hot butter all over my kitchen.  It was proof of failure, in the form of scalded skin and wasted dairy.  On my mind: Eye for an eye.  Yet, it was only after I killed the yeast that I realized I had also unwittingly destroyed any chance of leavened bread.  Revenge from the grave.

Like Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson in Die Hard With a Vengeance, my eventual friendship with yeast was forged through a course of ticking timers, guessing games and the threat of defeat.  We have evolved into a charismatic duo, and just in the nick of time.  Easter Sunday is nearing, bringing with it the message of forgiveness, sacrifice, and the pressing earthly and concrete question: What are you bringing to the potluck?

Answer: Challah.  Let’s ignore whatever awkward religious messages one might draw from the situation, and just know that they exist in the world of debates that can interfere with people enjoying really delicious food (example: Kobe beef is delicious!).  Challah is a traditional Jewish bread that is sunny because it’s eggy, tanned because it suits up in two layers of egg wash before entering the oven, and the prettiest bread on the block with its sesame-studded plaits.  Challah cemented my relationship with yeast, and in return, I will spread its high name and pillowy texture at next week’s Easter feast.

Challah
recipe adapted from smittenkitchen.com

Yield: Two loaves
Time: 45 minutes active working time, plus approx. 2.5 hours rising time and 35 minutes baking time

Ingredients:
1¾ cups lukewarm water
1½ packages active dry yeast (1½ tablespoons)
1 tablespoon plus ½ cup sugar
½ cup olive oil, plus more for greasing the bowl
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon salt
8 to 8½ cups all-purpose flour
8 teaspoons vital wheat gluten
Poppy or sesame seeds for sprinkling

Instructions:
1. In a large bowl, dissolve 1 tablespoon sugar in lukewarm water (about 100°)
2. Sprinkle yeast over the water, and let it proof/get foamy for about 10 minutes (complete 3 & 4 in the mean time)
3. In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, vital wheat gluten, and salt
4. In a small bowl, gently beat 4 of the eggs
5. Whisk oil and eggs into the yeast+water mixture, and add the remaining sugar. Gradually add the flour, and mix until the dough is no longer dusty.
6. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is soft and smooth
7. Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl, turning it over so the surface area is protected from drying out
8. Lightly cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm area until it almost doubles in size. Pat it down, and let it double up a second time.
9. Roll out six 18” strands of dough for two three-strand braids, or twelve strands for two six-strand braids. Braid to the best of your abilities, or do what I did and admit that seeing is believing.
10. Lay braids out on a greased baking sheet, brush it with the beaten fifth egg, and let it rise for another 30 minutes as you preheat the oven to 375°
11. Brush the braids one more time, after which you can gently press sesame or poppy seeds onto the loaves using a lightly greased thumb dipped into your seed of choice
12. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the outside is a deep gold and the inside registers 190°. Cool loaves on a rack for at least two hours.