Steak au Poivre

I could probably eat steak every day. I know red meat isn't great for you and it would get pretty expensive (I only buy "good" meat from stores like Whole Foods because they are strict with what kind of treatment the animals received). There's just so much you can do with a good steak - from just grilling or frying it and serving it as is to slicing it up and putting it on a bed of salad to grinding it and making burgers. I could probably deal with being a vegetarian if I felt so inclined, but I think I would miss eating steak the most.

So, I decided to make steak. "Steak au poivre" means "pepper steak" in French, and, boy, there's a lot of pepper on this thing. It's earthy and a little spicy, but, thanks to the sauce, it's creamy, delicious, and just heavenly. I served it with mashed potatoes and oven roasted asparagus. I would also recommend oven roasted potatoes or pretty much any roasted root vegetable. The recipe below is for one person; double the quantities for two and so on.

Steak au Poivre

1 piece of steak (I used a New York strip but a filet or rib eye will do just fine)
1 tbsp black pepper
1/4 cup brandy
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp canola oil
salt

1. An hour before cooking, remove your steak from the fridge. Remove any big pieces of fat, salt liberally on all sides, and let rest at room temperature. Yes, your steak will be fine for an hour, but don't leave it out much longer than that.

2. Once the hour is almost up, crush the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle (or something heavy, like a frying pan) until coarse - we want large pieces, not ground pepper. Spread the pepper on a plate and coat the surface of both sides of the steak by pressing it into the pepper.

3. Over medium heat, melt the butter and oil in a cast iron skillet until it starts turning golden. Add the steak and don't touch it for four minutes. Flip, and cook another four minutes without touching it for medium rare, depending on the thickness of your steak.

4. Remove the steak to a plate and cover loosely with foil. Pour off the grease from the pan, trying to not lose any of the residual pepper.

5. With the pan off the heat (this is important), add the brandy. Light the brandy with a match (trying not to singe your eyebrows in the process) and let the flames die down. Add the cream to the pan, turn the heat back on, and set to medium low. Cook for about three minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly.

5. Add the steak back into the sauce and coat with the sauce. Place the steak on a plate with whatever side dishes you opted for and pour the remaining sauce over it. Devour.

Leek & Potato Soup

Ah, the leek. It's one of those vegetables that are fairly challenging to grow because it takes a lot of patience, care, and, above all, space to succeed. I don't grow my own (a balcony is no place for a leek to grow), but I'm basically saying that I don't envy those that do. When purchasing leeks at the store, try to get the ones with as much of the white part as possible because that's essentially the part you eat. Sure, the rest has its uses (mostly for making vegetable stock), but the white part is where the flavor and consistency you're looking for lives.

Mixing leeks with potatoes and adding stock, cream, and potentially some other ingredients is called a Vichyssoise and it is apparently either a French or an American invention. There seems to be some debate regarding the fact. I don't really care; I just think it's super tasty. While a proper Vichyssoise is served cold and contains onions and no buttermilk (only cream), I like the version found here better. It's lighter, it's good both cold and hot (I prefer mine hot), and it has a certain...je ne sais quoi.

Leek & Potato Soup

1 lb leeks
1 lb potatoes
1 quart vegetable stock (preferably homemade - if not, low salt)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup buttermilk (can be substituted with a second cup of heavy cream)
3 tbsp unsalted butter
salt
white pepper
chives

1. Cut off the dark green parts of the leeks, leaving only the white parts (including the roots) and the light green parts.

2. Cut the leeks lengthwise all the way down to the roots, leaving about 1/2 inch. This makes them a lot easier to wash because you're going to want to get rid of the dirt that may be trapped under the outermost leaves.

3. Once cleaned, cut off and discard the roots, then cut the leeks into small pieces.

4. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat and add the leeks and a pinch of salt.

5. Sweat over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then lower the heat to medium low and cook until the leeks are tender, about 20 minutes. Continue stirring occasionally.

6. While the leeks are cooking, peel and cut the potatoes into small pieces. Note that the potatoes brown quickly if left in the open air, so I generally soak them in water (or in the vegetable stock).

7. Once the leeks are tender, add the potatoes and vegetable stock and raise the heat to high.

8. Once the soup is boiling, turn the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 40 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.

9. Remove the soup from the heat and puree with a stick blender or in a food processor. If using a food processor, be very careful as the soup is hot - placing a towel on top of the lid helps.

10. Once completely smooth, stir in the cream, buttermilk, and about 1/2 tsp of white pepper, then return to low heat. Slowly heat, stirring frequently, until hot enough to eat. Alternatively, let cool down completely and serve cool.

11. Slice some chives and sprinkle over the top. Serve with crusty bread and white wine.

The soup will last three days in the fridge or three months in the freezer. Reheat in a pot on the stove over low heat.

Kuvertbröd - Swedish Dinner Rolls

My grandmother, who passed away about a year ago, was a great cook and baker. I will always cherish the memories of having lunch at my grandparents' house because I knew I would get either meatballs or pancakes, which, to a Swedish kid, are about the best things you can eat in the whole world. One thing I had forgotten she baked (until my mother reminded me last Christmas) are these kuvertbröd - literally "envelope bread." At least that's what I thought all my life, until writing this blog post made me think, "That's a weird name for a piece of bread that looks nothing like an envelope." That's when it hit me: A kuvert in Swedish can mean both an envelope and a place setting (i.e., the plate and all the things that go with it - cutlery, napkin, glass, and whatever else). Using my Swedish brain even more (it's been a while since I spoke Swedish with any regularity), I recalled that you would use the word when talking about how many people would be coming to a dinner party.

With all this knowledge flooding back, I realized why these awesome little dinner roll-like pieces of bread are called what they are: They're individual servings that go perfectly with your dinner without having to share or slice bread. A cursory Google search proved me right: The name stems from the fact that they are for the individual and not for sharing with others around the dinner table. Bork, bork, bork!

Recently, I've found myself using these rolls for breakfast. I know that may sound weird to anyone in the U.S. reading this, but in Sweden, having a sandwich (we call it a macka) for breakfast is perfectly normal. We generally top ours with butter, Swedish cheese (which I currently purchase at IKEA), and maybe a slice of cucumber or tomato. A future blog post will feature the macka - I promise - and it's as Swedish as Absolut Vodka and ABBA. Read the Dragon Tattoo books and you'll find that they're having coffee and mackor (plural of macka) on every other page!

Anyway! This recipe is easy but made way easier with a stand mixer. It makes 24 rolls, and they freeze really well.

Kuvertbröd - Swedish Dinner Rolls

5 cups AP flour
50 g (about 3.5 tbsp) unsalted butter
2 tbsp active dry yeast
2 cups + 1 tbsp whole milk
1 tbsp white sugar
2 tsp salt
1 egg

1. Melt the butter in a small pot over low heat.

2. While the butter is melting, mix the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.

3. When the butter has melted, add the milk and heat to 118 degrees F (48 degrees C).

4. Add the milk/butter mixture to the dry ingredients and knead with the dough hook for 5 minutes. If not using a stand mixer, mix with a wooden spoon until everything comes together, then knead with your hands for 5 minutes.

5. Place the dough in a lightly floured bowl - it's likely pretty sticky at this point. Let rest under a kitchen towel for 30 minutes.

6. Turn your oven to 480 degrees F (250 degrees C).

7. Punch the dough down and divide into 24 equal parts - I use a kitchen scale for this. If you don't have a kitchen scale (digital), go get one. So useful.

8. Roll each piece of dough into a ball between the palms of your hands and place on a baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches of space between each piece.

9. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let rest another 30 minutes.

10. Crack the egg into a bowl and lightly whip with a fork.

11. Lightly brush each roll with the egg and sprinkle a little bit of sea salt on top. Alternatively, you can sprinkle with sesame seeds or black poppy seeds. Or just omit the sprinkling of anything at all.

12. Bake in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

13. Let rest on a cooling rack until cool enough to touch before cutting in half, slathering with butter, and trying not to eat too many in one sitting.

Once completely cooled, you can freeze the rolls in a Ziploc back for up to six months. While they can be toasted, I prefer mine not to be. Instead, I microwave a roll for 30 seconds on low power, then cut in half and microwave again on medium power for about 10 seconds. Your results may vary depending on your microwave, and you need to experiment with the timing if you're defrosting more than one roll at a time.

Chocolate Coffee Cookies

I love cookies. The chocolate chip cookie recipe I've posted in the past is a staple, and I try to bake them pretty frequently - my wife and all of our respective coworkers seem to appreciate it when I do. While chocolate chip is awesome, you can really make a more interesting dough than just a butter/flour/sugar mix. Case in point: I made cookies that do contain chocolate chips but also have two more of my favorite things in the dough itself: coffee and alcohol. Chocolate coffee cookies!

Chocolate Coffee Cookies

2 cups + 2 tbsp (9.6 oz) AP flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

3 tbsp instant coffee powder

1/4 tsp sea salt + more for topping

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup coffee liqueur (like Kahlúa)

1 cup chocolate chips (I used a mix of dark chocolate and white chocolate chips)

1. Melt the butter over low heat in a small pan (or in the microwave) and let cool for at least ten minutes.

2. Mix the flour, coffee powder, salt, baking soda, and cocoa in a bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, mix the butter and sugars until combined.

4. Add the coffee liqueur to the butter mixture and mix thoroughly.

5. Add the flour to the butter mixture gradually and completely incorporate.

6. Fold in the chocolate chips.

7. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for an hour.

8. About 20 minutes before removing the dough from the fridge, turn your oven to 325 degrees F.

9. Remove the dough from the fridge and shape into 1.5-inch balls.

10. Place the balls on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each ball, and sprinkle with sea salt.

11. Bake for about 12 minutes or until the edges are set (the center may not be completely set).

12. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before moving to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Tagliatelle with Charred Corn and Cheese

My wife and I got married in 2010 and spent our honeymoon in one of our favorite places in the world: New York City. One of the coolest things about New York is obviously its wealth of excellent places to eat and drink, and we visited a few real gems when we were there. One of them was Mario Batali's eatery Babbo next to Washington Square Park. We made the (what turned out to be) poor decision of going for the pasta tasting menu with wine pairing. It was a poor decision because there were five courses of pasta and three desserts, each with a glass of wine. I don't think I've ever been so full in my life, and I hit a plateau of fullness sometime around course number three. The rest of the evening is a blur, but I distinctly remember being very sad I couldn't eat everything in front of me.

The first course that night - black tagliatelle with charred corn, a light cream sauce, and cheese - was the most memorable to us both. It was delightful: light, creamy, salty, sweet, just an amazing (and simple) collection of flavors. I recently decided to try to recreate the course and, as you can see in the picture above, did not make black tagliatelle. I wanted to make it right away and did not have the patience to wait for an order to arrive (Amazon sells squid ink as well as squid ink pasta), but I do recommend using it as the difference in color makes the dish pop visually in a completely different way than what I made.

Tagliatelle with Charred Corn and Cheese

1 lb tagliatelle, preferably colored by squid ink
2 ears of corn
1 tbsp butter
3 tbsp dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
2 cloves garlic
1 bunch chives
Castelmagno cheese (can be replaced with Parmesan - I used Cotija for this recipe)
vegetable oil
salt
black pepper

1. Char the corn. You can do this on a grill (preferred) or under your broiler. Brush some vegetable oil on them, sprinkle with some salt, and place on the grill, turning frequently until the corn is blistered. If using a broiler, place the corn in a broiler safe pan, place as close to the heating element as possible, and turn frequently until blistered.

2. Using a sharp knife, cut the corn off the cob and place in a bowl. Cover with paper towels to keep somewhat warm.

3. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add two tablespoons of salt (you want your pasta water to be as salty as sea water).

4. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Mince the garlic and add to the pan when the butter has melted. Cook the garlic until soft but do not let it get any color - this should take less than two minutes.

5. Add the wine and reduce to about 1/2 the original volume, which should take about two minutes.

6. Add the cream to the saucepan and increase the heat to medium high, bringing it to a simmer. Simmer the cream for about five minutes or until thick enough to coat a spoon.

7. Once the pasta is done cooking, drain and add to the cream sauce. Stir to coat.

8. Plate the pasta with the sauce, top with the corn and shave the cheese over the top. Slice the chives into 1-inch pieces and place on top. Enjoy with a robust white wine.

Pan Pizza

As we've previously established, I love pizza. I love pizza so very much. Notice how much better they look over time, too! All the pizzas I've made in the past have been of the so-called New York-style, or I suppose you could call them Neapolitan-style. Thin crust, fairly sparse toppings, lots of blistering in the dough. On the other side of the spectrum, I suppose you would find Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, which I think is more like a casserole than pizza, but hey - to each his own. Even Anthony Bourdain admits that deep-dish pizza is more than edible; it can actually be good.

In between New York and Chicago lies the magical land of Pizza Hut, Papa John's, Domino's, and whatever else have you: the pan pizza. I'm obviously joking when I call any of these chain "restaurants" magical, but pan pizza can be good. I especially like ordering Pizza Hut on a lazy Sunday afternoon when the Saturday night is a haze and I don't have the stamina to boil an egg. Pan pizza has a fairly thick crust, is not blistered like a thin crust should be, and generally has more toppings and more stringy cheese than a New York-style pizza. So, how hard is it to make one at home? As it turns out, not very.

This recipe makes two 10-inch pizza pies. The dough can be kept in the fridge for three to four days or frozen for up to six months. If you have leftovers, the baked pizza can be kept in the fridge for three or so days.

Pan Pizza

14 oz (about 2.5 cups) bread flour
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp instant yeast
9.5 oz (1 cup + 3 tbsp) water at room temperature
2 tsp good quality olive oil
2 cups tomato sauce
mozzarella cheese (not fresh; dry or "low moisture" works best)
whatever toppings you want!

1. Mix the flour, salt, yeast, water, and oil together in a large bowl. You do not need to knead this; just ensure all the flour is wet. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for eight hours.

2. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Sprinkle some flour on top and then cut the dough in half with a sharp knife.

3. Shape each piece of dough into a ball and roll it on the work surface to make a tight "skin." If you're not making two pizzas right now, transfer one piece of dough to a Ziploc back that you've greased with a little bit of oil. Place in the freezer for long-term storage or in the fridge if using within a few days. Once you're ready to use the stored dough, just continue with the next step.

4. Grease a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with about 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Place the dough in the middle of the pan and press it down lightly. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let stand for two hours.

5. After about an hour, turn your oven to the highest temperature it will go (generally 525 - 550 degrees F).

6. An hour later, remove the plastic wrap from the pan and lightly press the pizza dough until it covers the pan, the whole pan, and nothing but the pan. If the dough seems to have air trapped underneath, gently lift it (one quarter at a time) to ensure even baking.

7. Top the dough with sauce, then cheese (grated), and then your toppings. The pizza pictured above was topped with mushrooms, red onion, red peppers, and sausage (which I had pre-cooked in a frying pan) on one side.

8. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned.

9. Loosen the pizza with a spatula and check underneath - if it's not golden brown, you can finish on the stove top over high heat for 1-2 minutes.

10. Transfer the pizza from the pan to a pizza peel or cutting board, cut into slices, and try to not eat so fast that you pass out from pure delight.

Seafood Stew with Fennel and Saffron

One of the coolest things about cooking is that you can take ingredients that you think might work together, add them up, and create something new and exciting. The more you experiment, the more you learn about different flavors and textures that work together really well.

One such combination that is pretty classic is that of seafood and saffron - the French bouillabaisse, for example, uses a broth flavored with tomatoes and saffron combined with what is classically considered "unsellable" fish (rockfish, angler fish) and various shellfish such as mussels, clams, and whatever else the fishermen in Marseilles could find.

A while back, I decided to try to make my own seafood stew. It uses slightly more common and easier-to-find fish, it's not as soupy as a classic bouillabaisse, and it has potatoes in it, but the flavors are most certainly there. It doesn't hurt that this is a very easy recipe to put together and can be done in half an hour or less! The seafood stock below is great, but you can easily use store bought stock as well. I like the Kitchen Basics brand.

I like to serve this with either fresh bread (with maybe some salted butter or even a slice of good cheese) or toasted bread that you rub a garlic clove over just after taking it out of the oven.

Seafood Stew with Fennel and Saffron

1 yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1 bulb fennel
3/4 lb small potatoes (new potatoes work well, as do fingerling potatoes)
1 qt seafood stock (recipe below)
1/2 lb firm white fish such as cod or tilapia
1/2 lb salmon filet
1/2 lb shrimps
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp dry vermouth
1 tbsp Pastis (optional - made with aniseed which has a very similar taste to fennel and will intensify that flavor in the dish)
1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes
0.2 g (0.007 oz) saffron
olive oil
salt
black pepper

Start by peeling and dicing the onion. Cut the stems off the fennel bulb and slice into very thin strips. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, fennel, and half a teaspoon of salt and cook until the onion is translucent. While the onion and fennel are cooking, mince the garlic. Add to the pot together with the saffron and let cook another minute. Slice the potatoes into 1/2-inch thick slices and add to the pot. Cook, stirring frequently, for about two minutes. Add the wine, vermouth, and Pastis (if using) and let cook for about three minutes.

Add the seafood stock and crushed tomatoes and let cook until the potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes. In the meantime, slice the fish into small strips. Peel and devein the shrimps. Once the potatoes are soft, take the pot off the heat and add the seafood. Cover with a lid and let stand for about three minutes or until the fish is cooked through and the shrimps are pink. Add salt and black pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Seafood Stock

4 cups shrimp shells and heads (or crab shells, or lobster shells, or any combination)
1/2 cup white wine
1 yellow onion
1 large carrot
1 stalk celery
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 sprigs of thyme (fresh)
2 bay leaves
10 whole black peppercorns
1 tsp kosher salt
2 quarts filtered water

Turn your oven to 400 degrees F. Roughly chop the onion, carrot, and celery. Place the vegetables and seafood shells in a large roasting pan and cook for 10 minutes. Place the roasted ingredients together with the wine, tomato paste, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns, and salt in a large stock pot and cover with the water (you may need to use more or less water than listed above, just use enough to cover all the other ingredients). Bring to a simmer over medium heat, but ensure you never let the stock boil. Do not stir the stock at any point. If you do, there's a risk it will turn cloudy, and you want it to be as clear as possible.

Skim off any fat or foam that rises to the surface with a slotted spoon. Let simmer for about 90 minutes, then strain through a sieve, preferably covered with cheese cloth to catch even the smallest pieces. Let cool and either use right away for the stew or store. You can keep the stock in the fridge for up to three days or in the freezer for up to three months.

Burgers & Fries

When it gets a little bit warmer (Austin today: 95 degrees F), it's pretty inevitable that the grill gets fired up. The other night, I decided to make some awesome burgers. What goes with awesome burgers? Awesome fries, of course. I have a small deep fryer (we're talking toaster-sized here) which is great, but you can easily do these fries in a large pot on a stove. The main issue is temperature control - if the oil gets too hot, it'll burn the fries before they're cooked through. If it's too cold, they'll come out all soggy and oily and disgusting. The ones I made? Not disgusting. Say it with me: awesome.

I made some Thousand Island dressing to go with the burgers and served them with red onion, tomato, and lettuce. I forgot to put some cheese on top (there's cheese in the patty, though), but you can stick a slice of cheddar, jack, or any other firm cheese on there if you want to! The recipe below makes a meal for two.

Mozzarella-stuffed Burgers with French Fries

3/4 lb ground beef (I used 6% fat)
1 oz mozzarella cheese
1 garlic clove
Salt
Black pepper
Cumin
3 firm potatoes
Peanut oil
Mayonnaise
Ketchup
Sweet relish
White wine vinegar
Sugar
Lettuce
Tomato
Red onion
Burger buns

Start by preparing the potatoes for deep frying. Peel (or don't - up to you, just clean them if you decide not to) the potatoes and place in a large bowl filled with cold water. One by one, cut them up into uniform sticks. It's not super important that they're the exact same size but you certainly don't want them to be too different considering you want them to cook uniformly. Place the fries back in the cold water and add a bunch of ice cubes to keep it really chilly (or just stick the bowl in the fridge) for about an hour.

To make the burgers, put the ground beef, mozzarella, garlic, about a tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of pepper, and 1/2 tsp of cumin in a large bowl. Stir with your hands or a large wooden spoon until completely combined. Divide the mix into two equal parts and form two burgers. Remember that they'll shrink a bit when cooked, so don't worry about making them a little thin. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge until ready to grill.

To make the Thousand Island dressing, combine 1/2 cup mayo, 2 tbsp ketchup, 1 tbsp vinegar, 2 tsp relish, 1 tsp sugar, and a dash of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Done! Also, now would be a good time to slice the tomato and onion.

To ensure everything's ready at the same time, I suggest making the fries while the grill is heating up and then keeping them warm in a 200 degrees F oven while cooking the burgers. Fill your fryer with peanut oil to the adequate depth or, if using a pot on the stove, up to about 3-4 inches. Heat the oil to 325 degrees F. Grab a handful of fries from the water and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Cook in the oil for about 3 minutes, until soft and pale. Remove to a bowl and set aside. Repeat with the remaining fries, making sure you never crowd the pot or fryer.

Fire up the grill! If you have a gas grill, set it to medium heat. If it's charcoal, you can't control temperature as well so I guess just light it and wait until the fire has died and the coal is smoldering.

Increase the oil temperature to 375 degrees F and set your oven to 200 degrees F. Fry the french fries in small batches until browned, again making sure you don't crowd the fryer or pot. Remove to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Once the fries are done, toss with some salt and black pepper in a large bowl.

While the fries are cooking, grill the burgers until they're your preferred temperature. I like mine medium, which takes about 3-4 minutes per side.

Slather some Thousand Island dressing on the bottom bun, then add lettuce, the burger, some red onion, and a slice of tomato. Finish with the top half of the bun and enjoy immediately with the fries.

Sourdough Boule

If you're a frequent reader of this blog, you know that I love to bake. After buying Pete Reinhart's Artisan Bread Every Day, I started playing around with a variety of recipes (mostly for ciabatta and pizza dough) and found that it's very easy to make a great-tasting bread. It really is. It gets easier with a stand mixer, a good oven, a baking stone, and lots of patience, but it's NOT difficult.

Sourdough bread, however, had escaped me for the longest time. I tried to create my own, but apparently there isn't enough viable wild yeast floating around my kitchen to really get it going. That, or I simply suck at making sourdough from scratch. No matter - I purchased some wild starter from Breadtopia, and a few days later, I had my own so-called "mother starter" (at least that's what Reinhart calls it). This thing is incredibly resilient and came alive less than 12 hours after its first "feeding" (addition of water and flour), even after spending a week in the mail on the way to Austin. I keep it in the fridge perpetually and will feed it every week or so, or whenever it gets a little low.

The first recipe I decided to try out was a simple sourdough boule. It is incredibly easy to make, provided you have the necessary equipment: a baking stone, a pizza peel, and a banneton. You don't really need the banneton, but it does help in forming a pretty loaf.

Sourdough Boule

10.5 oz (300g) bread flour
7.25 oz (200g) water at 110 degrees F (43 degrees C)
1.75 oz (50g) sourdough starter
1/8 oz (5g) kosher salt

Add the water and starter to a large bowl. Break up the starter. Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly with your hands or a wooden spoon. You can also do this in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment if you prefer. Lightly flour a work surface. Turn the dough onto the work surface and stretch and fold once. Place in a clean, lightly-floured bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rest for one hour at room temperature.

After an hour, turn the dough back out on the work surface and do another stretch and fold. Place back in the floured bowl and let rest, covered, another hour. After an hour, turn the dough out onto the work surface and do one final stretch and fold, forming a ball from the dough. Lightly flour your banneton. If you don't have one, a bowl lined with a clean, lint-free towel will do the trick. Place your dough ball, seam-side up, in the banneton. At this point you need to place the banneton in the fridge overnight, but it needs to be airtight. A large plastic bag will work, or you can put the banneton in a larger bowl and just cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap. If you're using a bowl with the towel, just fold the towel on top of the dough and cover with the plastic.


The next day, turn your oven to 450 degrees with your baking stone in the middle and a pan that can take a hit of hot water (such as a cast iron pan or an old, crappy metal pan you don't care about anymore) in the bottom of the oven. Turn the dough out onto a floured pizza peel (or the back of a sheet pan covered with parchment paper). Lightly cover with plastic wrap or a clean towel and let rest for two hours.


After two hours, score the top of the loaf lightly with a sharp knife. Slide the bread onto the baking stone (with the parchment paper if not using a pizza peel). Immediately add about a half cup of hot water to the pan at the bottom of the oven. Close the door and wait for three minutes. Next, place an oven-safe bowl over the loaf. Bake another 15 minutes, then remove the bowl and bake the final 20 minutes. The loaf should be a rich brown and sound hollow if thumped on the bottom.

Let cool on a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. And try not to eat the whole damn thing in one sitting.

Note: If your sourdough starter isn't super potent, it's fine to add about a teaspoon of instant yeast to the dough to improve its proofing.

Guinness Beef Stew

Hi, trusted readers! I have (perhaps foolishly) decided to start writing again. After having some people tell me things like the definition of a "hiatus" and others hint that I should "start food blogging again, or else" (among other thinly-veiled threats), I guess the time has come.

St. Patrick's Day happened fairly recently and we all know what that means: green beer and plenty of it. I didn't actually have any green beer myself, but I did make a shepherd's pie (with ground lamb, of course) and "Irish car bomb" cupcakes for dessert. I had some leftover Guinness from the cupcake making and decided to make one of my favorite meals: a proper stew with lots and lots of alcohol in it. I serve this one with garlic-rubbed toast and a horseradish sour cream. It freezes extremely well and tastes even better after a day or two in the fridge! Just reheat in the microwave or in a pot over low heat.

Note that the Guinness can be replaced by a bottle of good red wine. Just reduce the sugar to one tablespoon.

Guinness Beef Stew

1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp butter
1 cup AP flour
2.5 lb beef chuck

24 fl oz of Guinness or other stout
8 thyme sprigs
6 garlic cloves, smashed or minced

2 1/2 cups beef stock, preferably homemade
10 small potatoes
1/2 lb carrots
1 lb white mushrooms
1/2 lb peas (frozen are just fine)
2 cups pearl onions (frozen are actually preferable - peeling pearl onions takes forever)
1 orange's worth of zest
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 bay leaves
salt
black pepper
sugar

Start by browning the meat. Put the flour and a pinch of salt in a large Ziplock bag. Unless the meat is pre-cut, cut it into 1-to-2-inch pieces. Add all the meat to the bag, close it, and shake until everything is coated. In a large frying pan or heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in batches. You're looking for a nice brown crust, but it doesn't matter if it's cooked through or not.

Once all the meat is browned, bring out your biggest pot and add the beer, beef stock, thyme sprigs, garlic, orange zest, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and continue to simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Add the meat to the pot and turn the heat down to low. Cover and cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, scrub and quarter the potatoes, peel and cut the carrots into "coins," and clean and halve the mushrooms. After the two hours are up, add the potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, pearl onions, and 2-3 tablespoons of sugar (more if it tastes a little bitter, but don't overdo it) to the pot. Turn the heat up to medium and leave uncovered for another 30 minutes.

Remove the thyme sprigs (most leaves will have fallen off) and bay leaves, and add the peas to the pot. Salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Horseradish Sour Cream

1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup prepared horseradish

Stir the two ingredients together. A dollop of this is awesome with the stew.

Garlic Toast

4 slices of bread
2 garlic cloves
olive oil

Turn your oven to 350 degrees F. Put the bread on a baking sheet without overlapping. Drizzle a little olive oil on each piece. Toast in the oven until golden brown. Peel and halve the garlic cloves. Once the bread has cooled slightly, rub the cut end of the garlic on the side of the toast that you drizzled with olive oil. Serve with the stew.

Crème Brûlée

I finally went and bought myself a blow torch. As far as I'm concerned, Crème Brûlée can only be made using a blow torch, not with a broiler or any other heat element. I'm sure it can be done and the results are fine, but there's something truly special about serving this dessert straight from the fridge, very cold, but with a perfectly crisp layer of melted sugar on top. The picture above was taken before I had finished caramelizing all the sugar; it should be darker and cover the whole surface, but the blow torch is tiny and the flame is small, so it took quite some time!

Crème Brûlée

2 cups heavy cream
8 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar plus about 8 teaspoons more for the caramel glaze
1 tsp vanilla extract

Turn the oven to 325 degrees F. Heat the cream to almost a simmer over medium heat. In the meantime, stir the egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in a medium bowl until just blended. Slowly, gradually add the cream. Really, do this slowly - you're looking to make a custard, not scrambled eggs. Strain into a second bowl using a fine-mesh sieve. Add the vanilla and divide in 4 larger or 6 smaller ramekins.

Place a few layers of paper towels in a large, oven-proof glass dish. Place the ramekins on top of the paper towels, making sure they do not touch each other or the sides of the dish (or the bottom, but the paper towels should be taking care of that). Place in the oven and immediately pour scalding hot tap water into the dish (but not into the custard, obviously) until it comes about 2/3 up the side of the ramekins. Cook for about 35 minutes, or until quite set but still quivery in the middle. Remove from the oven and extract from the water bath. Let cool on a cooling rack until the custards are at room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to two days.

Just before serving, remove the ramekins from the fridge. Evenly sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of sugar over each ramekin of custard and apply heat. You're looking for a dark caramel crust that you have to crack open with a spoon in order to properly eat. As mentioned before, a blowtorch would be ideal for this, but in a bind, you can use your broiler set to high. This will probably heat the custard as well, and the end result won't be as tasty, nor will it be prepared traditionally.

Chicken Noodle Soup

All right, I'll be the first to admit that I have had canned soup from time to time. Canned soup is acceptable. At least when you have a bad cold and can't taste what you're eating. Seriously, canned soup is generally pretty horrible (including the "gourmet" kinds), and the effort it takes to make a good homemade soup is small - tiny, even, if you don't make your own stock. In this recipe, store-bought chicken stock is perfectly fine, and I don't even use the low sodium kind. It is still far, far less salty than a canned soup, costs less per serving, and tastes so much better. SO much better.

Chicken Noodle Soup

2 chicken breasts with rib meat
8 oz dried egg noodles
2 ribs of celery
2 medium carrots
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
2 quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper

First of all, cook your chicken. I find that for soup, the easiest way is to simply boil it. It may not sound appetizing, but the end result is perfect for shredding into the soup. Cover the chicken breasts with cold water in a medium saucepan and cook over high heat until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Check with a knife to ensure juices run clear and no pink remains, then rinse with cold water to stop cooking and prevent them from drying out. Shred or cut into bite-sized pieces when cool enough to handle.

While the chicken is cooking, start with the rest of soup. Cut the celery, onion, and carrots into small pieces, and mince the garlic. In a large stock pot or soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the vegetables, bay leaves, and thyme and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have softened but are not mushy, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until al dente, about 5 minutes. At this point, lower the heat to a simmer and add the shredded chicken. Cook until heated through. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs (most of the thyme leaves will have fallen off at this point).

Serve with freshly baked bread or some good crackers.

For an extra kick, the soup can be made with a couple of tablespoons of some dry vermouth or even a splash of white wine. Add together with the chicken stock.

Red Berry Cobbler

This is a variation of a recipe I found in New American Table, a cookbook by a chef born in Ethiopia, raised in Sweden, and living in New York City. The flavors are much more complex than a standard cobbler, thanks to the red wine, cardamom, and honey. You can prepare these until they're ready to go in the oven, then refrigerate for up to three days. Perfect, in other words, to make in advance for that big dinner party!

Red Berry Cobbler

2 cups AP flour
3 tbsp white sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
6 tbsp unsalted butter (cold)
1 cup milk or buttermilk
1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey, preferably raw
zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 cup dry red wine
2 cups fresh raspberries
3 cups fresh strawberries
confectioners' sugar for dusting

Start by heating the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, white sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture. Mix with your fingers until a mealy mixture is formed. Add the milk and stir with a spoon until a very wet dough is formed.

Cover a cookie sheet with a parchment paper. Divide the dough into 10 2-inch wide biscuits. Bake in the oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the filling. Hull the strawberries and cut them into quarters. In a small bowl, mix the honey, lemon zest, cornstarch, and the seeds of the vanilla bean or the vanilla extract, depending on which you're using. In a medium saucepan, bring the red wine to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, then add the honey mixture and stir continuously until it thickens slightly. Stir in the fruit and the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar and cook until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat.

Butter either twelve 4-ounce or six 8-ounce ramekins. Crumble up the biscuits and divide half of them into the ramekins. Add equal amounts of the berry filling on top of the biscuits, then crumble the remaining biscuits on top. Cook in the (still 400 degree) oven for about 15 minutes, or until bubbling. Be careful not to let the biscuits on top burn - if they start to brown too quickly, cover with some aluminum foil.

Let cool for 5 minutes, then dust the top with confectioners' sugar and serve, preferably with ice cream.

Halibut in Lemon Butter Sauce with Pan Fried Potatoes and Cucumber Salad

While I never say "no" to a good steak, I do love me some fish and seafood as well. One particular craving for a delicacy of the seas set in the other day, and I decided to make some halibut.

Halibut in Lemon Butter Sauce with Pan Fried Potatoes and Cucumber Salad

1 lb halibut fillet (or other firm-fleshed white fish)
1 lemon
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 shallots
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cucumber
1 lime
chives
extra virgin olive oil
1 lb firm potatoes
peanut oil (or other vegetable oil)
paprika powder
salt
pepper

Turn the oven to 400 degrees F. Next, start preparing the potatoes. Wash them and dice them into half-inch cubes. Add a few tablespoons of peanut oil to a large cast iron pan and place over medium high heat. Add the potatoes, sprinkle with salt and paprika, and fry, stirring frequently at first (to prevent sticking), until golden brown and delectable. Add freshly ground black pepper when finished.

While the potatoes are cooking, wash the fish and dry with paper towels. Place in a large, oven-proof skillet. Peel and chop the shallots. Remove about a teaspoon of zest from the lemon, then cut it in half. Top the fish with the shallots and dot it with the butter. Squeeze the lemon over the fish, pour the wine into the pan (to the side of the fish, to prevent washing away the "toppings"), and sprinkle with the red pepper flakes. Place over high heat until the liquid is boiling, then place in the center of the oven for about 10 minutes or until cooked through. If you use a particularly thick cut of fish (like halibut), you may have to cook it for 15 minutes instead.

While the fish is cooking and the potatoes are finishing, prepare the cucumber salad. Slice the cucumbers fairly thinly, then cut them into very small squares. Chop the chives finely (I used about 8 pieces). Place the cucumber in a bowl, and add a tablespoon of olive oil, the juice of the lime, the chives, and a little bit of salt. Stir to combine and keep chilled in the fridge until ready to serve.

Once the fish is finished, remove it from the pan and place it on a plate. Place the pan back over high heat and cook the sauce for a minute or so until it thickens a bit. If most of the liquid has evaporated in the oven, add a little more wine. Slice the fish into portions, then pour the sauce over it. Serve with the potatoes and cucumber salad.

Cheese and Artichoke Dip

While the dip itself is more of a snack, we actually had this for dinner tonight! Cheese and artichoke dip, vegetables, ciabatta bread and oven-roasted potatoes may not sound like a traditional Sunday night dinner, but it was really, really good!

Cheese and Artichoke Dip
1 can artichoke hearts (16 oz)
1 package Neufchatel or cream cheese
4 oz shredded cheddar, Monterrey jack or similar cheese
paprika
black pepper
salt

Turn the oven to 425 degrees F. Finely chop the artichoke hearts. I used my food processor, but a knife will do the job just fine (it'll just take a while). Mix with the cheeses, sprinkle liberally with the spices and stir thoroughly. Put the dip in an oven-safe form and bake for 15-20 minutes or until just starting to brown. Serve with root vegetables cut into staves (I used carrots, cauliflower and cucumber).

Oven-Roasted Potatoes
1 lb firm potatoes
olive oil
black pepper
salt

Turn the oven to 425 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Slice the potatoes into half-inch thick pieces and add to the boiling water. Boil for about 10 minutes or until just tender. Remove the potatoes from the water and dry on paper towels.

Place an oven rack over a cookie sheet. Spread the potatoes on the rack and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes or until the edges are crispy.

Holiday Cocktail: Jolly Arrival

It's the holiday season! Our Christmas tree is up, the fireplace is lit almost every night, and I get to indulge in cooking with those ingredients that are really only useful for about a month's time around the end of the year.

I came up with a drink that fits well with the holiday theme, and decided to name it Jolly Arrival (figure THAT one out). The only problem is that you can only really have one - it's almost like a dessert!

Jolly Arrival

1 oz vodka
0.5 oz Irish cream liqueur (Bailey's or similar)
0.5 oz coffee liqueur (Kahlúa or similar)
0.5 oz almond liqueur (Amaretto or similar)
0.5 oz hazelnut liqueur
0.5 oz peppermint liqueur
3 oz whole milk or heavy cream
freshly grated nutmeg
cocoa powder

Fill a cocktail glass with ice and set aside. Add ice to a cocktail shaker, and pour in all the ingredients. Shake for 5 seconds. Discard the ice in the cocktail glass and strain the contents of the shaker into the glass. Sprinkle cocoa powder and nutmeg on top. Serve immediately.

Open-faced Tomato and Mozzarella Sandwiches

One of the best applications for day-old bread, in my opinion, is to top it with some good toppings and put it in the oven for a few minutes. I recently baked some bread according to the ciabatta recipe I've used before, but shaped short baguettes (bâtards) instead. The recipe below is a very simple sandwich, but providing you use high-quality ingredients, it tastes heavenly.

Open-faced Tomato and Mozzarella Sandwiches

A piece of baguette, 8-12 inches long
1 tomato
2-4 oz Mozzarella cheese
olive oil
dried oregano
dried garlic (garlic powder)
salt
black pepper

Start by turning your oven (or toaster oven) to 400 degrees F. Cut the bread lengthwise and place, cut side up, on a baking sheet. If you are unable to balance the pieces so the cut side is fairly level, you can trim the underside slightly.

Drizzle the bread with a little olive oil. Slice the tomato and cover the bread. Cut the cheese into chunks and place on top of the tomatoes. Add the herbs and spices to taste. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and starting to brown.

Pasta con Pancetta e Asparigi

I absolutely adore simple pasta dishes, especially the ones that look and taste like they took much more effort than they actually did. This is one of them – very simple and fast to whip up, and as long as you use high-quality ingredients (fresh is the key word here), you really can’t fail. Well, you could, but follow the instructions, and you shouldn’t!

Pasta con Pancetta e Asparagi (pasta with pancetta and asparagus)

12 oz tagliatelle (for this course, I generally use dried and not fresh/homemade and in the picture above, I actually used shells instead)
4 oz pancetta, thinly sliced
1 lb green asparagus
2 cloves garlic
1 bunch green onions
Italian parsley (flat-leaf)
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 lemon
olive oil
salt
black pepper

Start by boiling the water for the pasta, and add the tagliatelle when the water is boiling. Cook until al dente. Cut the pancetta into smaller pieces (I generally do roughly 0.5x1 inch strips) and place in a large skillet with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Cook over medium heat until crispy, and then move to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Reserve some of the fat in the pan (not too much, about a tablespoon).

Cut the asparagus into bite-sized pieces and cook in the skillet with the reserved fat for about 3 minutes over medium-high heat. Divide the green onion into dark green and light green + white. Mince the garlic and slice the pale green and white pieces of green onion, and add to the skillet with the asparagus. Cook another two or so minutes, until vegetables are cooked through, but still crispy.

At this point, add the pancetta back to the skillet together with the parsley, and the minced dark green parts of the green onion. Drain the pasta and return to the pot, reserving a few tablespoons of the water you cooked it in. Add the contents of the skillet to the pasta, as well as the juice of the lemon, the cream, the Parmesan cheese, and about a tablespoon of olive oil. If it seems a little dry, add some of the reserved water.

Serve immediately. Add some more grated Parmesan if desired.

Oatmeal Cookies

I’m back! Finally! After a couple of crazy months (wedding, new house, new car, new department at work), I’m ready to start updating the blog again. I’ve been taking some pictures of things I made recently, so that should get me started at the very least!

First up: cookies. I do apologize for the low-quality picture, but I did not have my nice camera readily available. Cell phone pictures aren’t as good, but it’s what I’ve got! Either way, I decided to make chocolate chip cookies the other day, and while I was at it, played around with some oatmeal cookies. I think I liked the latter even better than the former, so here’s the recipe! The oatmeal cookies are on the right in the picture, if that wasn't obvious.

Oatmeal Cookies with Walnuts

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
3 cups quick oats
½ cup chopped walnuts

First of all, turn your oven to 375 degrees F. Next, cream the butter and sugars together until very pale. I recommend doing this in a stand mixer, but a handheld one will work as well. Lowering the speed of the mixer to the slowest, add the eggs, one at the time. Next, add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Be careful not to over-mix!

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Roll the batter into roughly golf ball-sized balls, and place them about three inches apart on the paper. Bake the cookies in the center of the oven for 10-12 minutes or until they just start to brown. Make sure you let them cool completely on a cooling rack, but don't move them for the first couple of minutes after removing from the oven – they will be quite soft and fragile, and might break.

Enjoy!

40-Clove Garlic Chicken

40-clove garlic chicken is exactly what it sounds like: chicken cooked with 40 cloves of garlic (give or take). While it may sound excessive, the final result tastes great. Providing everyone around you has the same meal, nobody will notice the garlic breath you inevitably will have after eating this! I ended up serving this with oven-roasted potatoes and asparagus. The traditional recipe includes a whole chicken, quartered or cut into 8 pieces, but I decided to go with boneless chicken breasts, as that was what I had available.

40-Clove Garlic Chicken

1 lb chicken (any kind you want, but I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
4 garlic bulbs
bunch of fresh thyme
olive oil
salt
pepper

Start by heating the oven to 350 degrees F. Next, separate all the garlic cloves from the bulbs and peel them. The fastest way to do this is simply to smash the clove by pressing the "side" (the flat part) of your knife on top of them, and the garlic should come right out. Just make sure you don't press too hard, as you're not looking to smash the garlic, just peel it. We're not making mashed garlic here! Cut off and discard any browned parts of the garlic cloves and set aside.

Cut the chicken into roughly 1-inch pieces. Place in a large, oven-proof pot (a dutch oven works really well for this) together with about two tablespoons of olive oil. Brown over medium heat without cooking the chicken completely through. Add the garlic cloves, about 5 twigs of thyme and salt and pepper to the pot. Cover and place in the oven for 1h30m.

If you wish to serve this with potatoes, it's a good time to start preparing them as soon as the chicken goes in the oven. Peel two or three large potatoes and cut into bite-sized pieces. Place the potatoes in a roasting pan and toss with some olive oil (about two tablespoons should do it), salt, pepper and paprika. Place the potatoes in the oven (together with the chicken) and roast for the remainder of the chicken's cooking time, which will probably be closer to 1h15m at this time. Make sure you stir the potatoes occasionally, and check them when they've been in the oven for about 45 minutes to make sure they're not going to be roasted to oblivion.

If you're making asparagus, I suggest tossing the vegetables with some olive oil, salt and pepper and roasting in a shallow pan for the last 20 minutes of the chicken's cooking time.

Once all the food is ready, remove the thyme twigs from the pot and serve with a glass of red wine, a cold beer or whatever else you have available.

And, again, make sure everyone you think you'll be close to for the next day or two eats the same thing, because you'll be eating a lot of garlic!