A day in the life of dohhead

Flaky, feathery cinnamon rolls...With dough scraps.

|Today , with a little time on my hands, I decided to use up some dough remnants, and fashion some healthier cinnamon buns... I wanted a featherier, more tender product, like Danish , but without all of that extra sugar. Xylitol, mixed into the dough, imparts the sweetness that I'm looking for, without the carbs. The dough scraps were bits and pieces of old pie dough, some old croissant scraps, and some spelt laminated dough that I had made a few months ago. In lieu of milk, I also substituted coconut milk, for a little more flavor...3 book folds, and the result was a fragrant combination of buttery, soft, melty and gooey cinnamoney goodness...The rolls were proofed in the resident wine cellar, as it allowed a methodical slow rise, augmenting the already mouth-wateringly good viennoiserie....

 

Chicago deep dish pizza....

Yesterday was my GF's 48th, and for the occasion she indicated that savory , not sweet, was what the doctor ordered... She indicated that the thicker variety of pizza pie, was her preference. Sensing that the usual Friday nite thin crust, just wouldn't cut it, I set out to fashion her a "big'un".  I had made "Timbale", on several occasions. Timbale, are a sort of cake/pie hybrid made of savory ingredients: Pasta, dough, sausage, red sauce, veggies uasually molded in a springform pan, and then baked....The result is a delectable imbroglio of cheesy saucy tomatoey unctiousness...The Chicago pizza pie has similar characteristics...For last nites occasion I used a WW crust, peppers, sauteed Vidalia onions, San Marzano plum tomatoes (drained), crispy pancetta, bocconcini, mozzarelle, havarti and some milk fed fried seasoned ground veal...The crust was parbaked 12 mins @350, cooled, then filled in layers: Cheese first, then sauteed veal, followed by the plum tomatoes, and finally the sauteed peppers andd onions. Each layer should also get a liberal dusting of Romano or Parmigiano to kick up the flavor...35 mins @350, a rest for 15 mins out of the oven, andd ooey-gooey goodness....

A little January foodlove..

January. The coldest, bleakest month of the year...In this part of the world. Christmas credit card bills, post Christmas weight loss challenges, snow up to the rooftop, and short dark days with darker, more  frigid nights....Made bearable only becaused there's a warm body sleeping next to you sharing in the charm of this jewel of the calendar year....I fight this month, tooth and nail...I refuse to let SAADS, or mere nonchalance get the better of me.... I fight it by getting my butt in the kitchen!  Even when the work day, spent in someone else's kitchen is done, I still get back in tthe kitchen to ward off the blues...Here is a glimpse into how I spent  January.....It helped make it fly by....Try it.

Rustic Foccace....With red sauce..

 

Corned beef hash with bell peppers and onions...

 

Home baked whole wheat and quinoa fendu... Before
 

....And after.

OH YEAH.

The JANUARY  barbie was fired up for the marinated jerk pork tenderloin, and non-local cob corn.

 

The beginning of crepes suzette...

Breaded pan fried cod, and jalapeno salsa with a quinoa/barley risotto.

Local sausage, in a multigrain wrap with sweet onion greek yogurt farce...

My monthly coup de grace....Dearest and nearest to my ticker...A little handmixed, hand shaped, and heartfelt whole wheat levain miches....Crusty, fragrant and just what the doctor ordered, baby....

Some Christmas eats...

Christmas day.....Copious amounts of food, gravies, sauces, stuffings and desserts....It just doesn't seem to end. Throw wine and liqueur into the mix, and the recovery period can't come soon enough! Here are some pics of some Christmas goodies in an English, white bread homestead... 

 

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 Some tourtiere, balsamic sprouts and pan seared basil pomodori...

A little brunch fare: Homemade spelt and rye levain, marinated veggies, pate and  cheese...What else do you need??? 

A nicely browned, 24 hour brined free range bird with all the trimmings:  Root veg casserole, 2 kinds of stuffing, double baked taters, pan gravy, baby peas and a sensible, lo cal dessert: Croque Noel. 

Food , family and fondness.....I know these aren't the only things that make Christmas what it is....But they seem to work in this household.  Hope your's was equally memorable.

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Make this for Christmas morning....Seriously.

 
This recipe is one that was provided to me by one of my professors at the CCA.  Chef Jacob Ference.  Chef Jake, as we called him, was a dry-humored , witty, somewhat biased cake "Divo".  He was a master cake maker, and fashioner of all things sweet, moist, buttery and delicious.   This pound cake recipe, he claimed was from a relative that made THE best pound cake.   It is better than original pound cake recipes, in that this one produces a much lighter, moister, more cakey product.  I find , when combined with cinnamon, nutmeg,  the right amount of toasted nuts, and a whole lotta love....You get a wonderful chaser for a bowl of caramel ice cream, or top it with a few dollops of creme fraiche.   Here is the recipe, and just in case you  didn't get a chance to read my post about "Comfort foods, bad weather style".....Some more pound cake porn!    

                                                                          MAMA GRIGGS POUND CAKE  

8 ozs butter

12ozs sugar 

1 tbsp vanilla

Cream these first 3 ingredients, till fluffy and light. Then add, one at a time, beating for 1 minute per: 

5 whole eggs.

Once the eggs have been absorbed, use a rubber spatula and scrape your bowl. Then add all at once, and mix on slowest speed:

4 ozs sifted cake flour

4 ozs sifted bread flour

1/2 tsp nutmeg

If you don't have these 2 separate flours, All purpose (unbleached) will suffice. NEVER use bleached flour, it is poison, and carries no flavor or nutrients.  I like to then add, in layers, as you spoon batter into your pan:  5 parts white sugar to 1 part cinnamon, and 1 part toasted walnuts by weight.....5:1:1.   A 9" x 2" greased and papered/floured pan will serve quite nicely for this cake.Or you can use a tube/Bundt pan.  Bake at 325F for68-75 minutes , depending on your oven.  Cake is done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. If you want to make a really spectacular pound cake, double this recipe and use a 10" pan that is 3" deep.  The baking time will be lengthened, and you will need to turn your oven down to 300F after 20 minutes. You might even need to cover the cake for the last part of the baking cycle, so as to not overbrown it.  It's worth the extra time, the cake is DEEP and DELICIOUS!  The combination of butter,cinnamon, and baking cakiness is almost too much to stand!   Happy caking!  

 

A repost from December 2010....Make this for Christmas!!!

This is the stretch of  my work week that puts me in the office for more hours, than I am at home....Some would call this obsession,  some a  mania.....Perhaps they would be correct on all counts.   I  call it   just  gettin 'er done, to quote a redneck.    As  we are  just days from  Christmas,  (yes, not xmas, or the season for greetings, or the holiday season)............But  CHRISTMAS,   I had  to make some holiday  Christmas cake......Italian style.     If you have ever perused my archives,  I made this recipe back in the month of July,  on a whim.  The result was favorable,  and as this is an Italian bakery.....I cannot go wrong.   The catch is Italian companies, overseas, have long been shipping their "Dolce di Natale", for years.   The Panettone is no longer a novelty, as virtually every  grocery store carries a plethora of this tasty cake,  in a variety of flavors.   I  do know for a fact however, that there are very FEW bakeries that even attempt this baked good:   The process is a long one,  and  requires  time , effort and space.      The rewards are worth it though.....One is rewarded  with  a fragrant   imbroglio of butter, eggs, citrus and dried fruit.......MMMMMMMMM!    I will lead you thru the mixing and baking process  until fruition.  Here goes:  The  dough is being handled this evening, by our friend Mr Eberhardt, he is more gentle than Mr Hobart.  The dough has been mixed till just shaggy, and I have added the soaked raisins,  the candied fruit and the booze (brandy).  In the next 2 clips....Notice how the mass  has changed in consistency, as the gluten  develops.  This is a dough that will  increase about 4-5 times  as it proofs and finally, bakes off.....It is remarkable.  Thus , we want to adequately mix, as the  final product has to be able to handle all the enrichments, and the added  fruit.  Download PC120013 Download PC120014   Now that was today's lesson in dough development.   I decided to put the bowl of dough in the proofbox  for one hour.   Anybody that knows me,  knows I HATE using the proofbox:  It's cheating.   The proofbox, steambox, proofer ....Whatever, is used to speed up the fermentation process.  The result is a LESS flavorful product.   Today, because my dough had two kinds of starters, or preferments:  A naturally yeasted  LEVAIN,  and  some  CROISSANT trim,  I decided,  in the interest of  expediency, I would help the process a tad. So, while the box was doing its work, I set about multi-tasking:   Some puff dough,   for turnovers and palmiers:   I also had to make some cream cheese/citrus  frosting for some kickass carrot cake I made earlier:     Cream cheese, butter, icing sugar, orange/lemon emulsion, vanilla   and lemon juice. But first, a FRITATTA break!  OK,  while we were daydreaming, the elves magically divided my Panettone dough, placed the pieces in  recycled  tomato cans, and popped them  in the oven.  Because the units weigh  a  kilo, or more each,  the tops  tend to brown pematurely.....Thus , a  parchment cap is mandatory... Here are the beauties, after a good cool-down and a dusting with some confectioners sugar:  I could just devour one, like now:   Our carrot cake has been iced and garnished with some toasted walnut pieces, and flaked coconut... Finally, a few random images of  stuff that  "gotter did!"   Hope to see you at:  Pain et Délices Luigi
1276 Dollard
LASALLE QC H8N 2P2
Tel: 514-363-8776

I miss THIS place, come holiday time....

I know that Christmas is about family, and Jesus' birth, and getting together with our loved ones....It shouldn't be about work right?  I always felt that the sooner the down time arrived, come holiday time....The better. That was before I worked....Here. Perhaps it was the feel of the place, maybe it was all the great smells, and tastes emanating from the kitchen....I truly believe, after being there for a year and half, and moving on to different pastures....It was the PEOPLE that made it diffferent. I also believe that  ITALIANS, do Christmas best.....This time of year, always makes me grateful for the people that  I call family, for the people that have come into my life, that I now call family, and for the significance of the season....There is , however always a tinge of sadness when I think of you folk at my little oasis of good taste....My test kitchen extraordinaire....The place we made "THE DONUT"....You guys know who you are, but just in case you've forgotten, these photos should remind you....Ti amo, tutti...A la famiglia Marano.....This is re-post from pre-Christmas  2010......Seeing just what you guys let me make....Warms my heart..  

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Yeah, it's almost here, just 30 something days, says the eBay counter every time I log in.   That time of year  where  everything  is in  your face.    IF  Black  Friday  is  bad,  December  is  interminably  inky,  until  Christmas.   Then  it's  as  if  the  storm  has  passed.   The  problem  with  November,   is  it lulls  you gently  into  a false  sense  of  calm......Sort of  like   a  lullaby,  that   ultimately  ends  in a  nightmare  of  burnt  minced  tarts,  missing  cellophane tape,   salt  instead  of sugar,  (yechh)  and  irate  clients ,  all clamoring  for their  product....Like  yesterday.   So,  I  decided to take a  few photos  of the  before,   when   quiet  reigns.    My bosses  have been  very  busy......making  Christmas  gift baskets.    These  beauties  are filled with  Italians   specialties,    kinda  like  a  "How you doin'"  version   of  a  Hickory farms offering!   The  Store   may   look  like  it's  bursting  at  the  seams,   actually  we're  not  even  close  to  capacity.   The   baskets  line   the walls,  along every  shelf,  nook and cranny  available.  

 

 After  my little  photo-reconnaisance  mission,  I headed  back  to "my office".  
   Notice   the  lack  of clutter........In  about  8  hours,  I am slaloming between   rolling racks,  and vats  of  pizza sauce    the size  of  volkswagens!  

 My night  begins  with some   chocolate/almond   strudels......Basically  a   yeasted  coffee   cake,  with a   chocolatey  almond   filling that  uses  cake crumbs,  cocoa,  and  day old   pastries,    that  are  a   tad stale  for sale,   but  perfectly  fit for a  tasty  filling.   

 In  the  last   photo,   what  doesn't end up  as  a strudel,   becomes  sweet  rolls,   cinnamon  or  chocolate .   I  recycle   cake   crumbs,   cookie crumbs,  nuts.......It's   all   good.   What's  good for da filling......Is  good  for  da  pastry.  Next  up,  before   dinner,  some  cranberry scones.  My dough  has been chilling in  the cooler  for some 60  minutes  or so.    The dough is barely  mixed,   then  gently  rolled out,  and marked/cut  into triangles. 

   Some all-butter  puff  dough, (for  apple strudel)  is  sheeted out, and   docked  so that  it  will  "poof"  evenly..... 

  The  next  Photo  warms my  cockles,  so to speak.....If you're  a   breadhead,   like   yours truly,    then   a  bubbly  starter  is  to  me  like an oasis  is  to  a  thirsty  traveller....A  thing of  beauty!   The  lighting makes  this concoction   look   yellowish.....Must be the fluorescents.  

 Into  the bowl   it goes,  and while "Mr Eberhardt" does his due diligence,    I  will make myself  some cheeseburgers in  paradise.

 By  now,  It's   almost  time   to  start  loading the bread in the oven.....Some  of my loaves   are  baked  right  out  of  the  cooler.......Just  another reason   to  love  sourdough!    In  the  photos:   Some   dark  rye,  and  levain   are getting slashed  and  placed on  loading  boards  ready  to   face  the   fire.

The  brioche a  tete  are  awaiting  their   eggy  bath...

Some   almond   brioche,

 

 OHHHH  LUIGI, caramel  fudge cakes  shivering  in  the  cold......Before their   chocolate  drenching

.......Some  finished  product   to  close  this  little  Saturday  tour   of   my   duties:    MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!....

  CHOCAMELLE   tarts

.....Fragrantly  buttery  brioche.....Some  flaky,   waist-friendly (only during the holidays),  croissants

......Lastly,   my favorite  item  this  evening:   The  sauteed apple/blueberry   strudel.   After  scanning/critiquing and ultimately  trashing  last weeks'   strudel......I decided   that  they  were  vertically  challenged,  and  needed  a  little  more  in-your-face  verticality!    So  here  they are,  the  new  and  improved  version

 

....ONLY  available  at:

 

 

 

 

  

Pain et Délices Luigi

1276 Dollard
LASALLE QC H8N 2P2 
Tel: 514-363-8776

make....Warms my heart..  

Some goodies....Pre-Christmas

Yesterday at Lucie's, my co-worker, Emily, who had been lusting after my chocolate crackle cookies....had an epiphany: She loves chocolate, she also adores mint. The perfect coupling of cookie and cream, (mint flavored , cream cheese fillied).  Lucie's also offers tasty, scratch-made meals to go, Montreal-style bagels, seasonal baked yummies, and a whole lot more.  Yes, this is a shameless plug for Lucie's...We're at 1474 Gordon st , in Guelph..Open 7 days a week...Now have a look-see and drool a bit...

24 hour pulled pork, on a flaky cheese biscuit..

Home-style Shepherd's pie, (Pate chinois).

Fragrant Christmas Stollen, with or without candied fruit...

Chocolate crackle cookies.....

Emily Elizabeth's Chocolate crackle mint sandwich cookie....Are you kidding me??  YUM, BABY!

A good Crieffing on this day in June.

It's always nice to start at a new place, when the direction, from the powers that be, is forward thinking. That being said, the good folks at Crieff hills retreat have turned out to be just that....Not just forward thinking, but visionary. Today, after serving brekky to a few visiting folks, I was able to play.....I get to do a little bit of everything, some things are to keep tradition, others, more looking ahead...You decide:  

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 6 layer shepherd's pie...

   

 

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 A little croissant pudding, with candied pears, for dessert...

 

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 The workshop, and dining room...

 

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25 % sour rye, with a sour starter...

 

Bagels, for Sunday baby...

 

 

 

 

PIZZA PORN

This long overdue pictopost is dedicated to pizza!