Abra

That tiramisu eggnog trifle that Kevin linked to above is really delicious. One might argue that it's more tiramisu than trifle, but one can't argue about its deliciousness. It's pretty, and people love it.

Most gas ovens either have a small round hole where you stick a match in, or they light from the broiler. You can use a broomstraw if you don't have a long match and don't feel like sacrificing your eyebrows for the team.

Ok, I ordered it from Amazon, where it's a very nice price. Thanks for the push, Kevin.

I don't have the Kaspar book, although I get her weekly email and really like her recipes. Do they tend to be from E-R? I didn't realize that. I definitely don't need entirely vegetarian, just a goodly proportion of vegetarian dishes. Mottmott, that tortellini pie sounds outrageous. I've made timballo before, but that sounds possibly even better. I'm going to Google E-R and see what I can come up with. edited to add a couple of recipe links: here's one another link to Kaspar E-R recipes online

Gosh, Sparrowgrass, take one for the team and bake the stuff - we all want to know how a 5 day proof turns out!

Wow, that apple risotto, pork, and cabbage all look delicious! Can anyone point me toward Christmas food from E-R?

Just FYI, for anybody that's interested, you can get the SAF Gold Instant Yeast here.

I love this thread, although I've contributed so little. I think I'll make it a resolution, to come here and cook with you all more regularly. I just freed myself from a major distraction, and this will make a nice new focus for me. And I'm starting with Christmas. Ours will be very small this year, and one is a vegetarian who loves Italian food, so I see my Christmas dinner shaping up right here.

Pontormo, do you think the bran might be affecting your oven spring? I remember reading long ago somewhere that bran flakes can sort of "cut" the gluten strands with its sharp little edges. I have no experience with proofing this dough with whole wheat or any of the additions that might make it absorb more water, so that contributes to our different advice. And also, for sure there's a yeast difference. I'm using SAF Gold, which is formulated for long fermentation, so I suppose that it would take longer to overproof as well.

Tammy, if you leave it for 18 hours, it will be ready. And if you stick to the amount of yeast specified, it won't be over-ready. Once I let it rise only 14 hours, just because of poor planning, and the results were good, but that didn't convince me to shorten the rise in general. 18 hours seems to work perfectly.

Sparrowsfall, that's inspired! I didn't mix the garlic into the dough because a) I wanted the cloves to remain intact and they were very soft, and b) I didn't want any on the outside of the loaf where they could burn. But I have a bunch of home-cured bacon on hand right now, and that would be a great use for some of it. I think you need to get a slab and cut it into lardons or a large dice, to get more flavor into each bite.

Andie, you'll be happy with the baked beans! Even though my Red Nightfalls were cooked through after 6 hours, I gave them another 3 hour simmer with the skin and ends of some home-cured bacon, as well as a bit of molasses, brown sugar, and some boiled cider syrup, and they were scrumptious and still nicely intact after all that extra cooking. My favorites are still Rio Zape, among the red beans, but the Red Nightfalls are very nice too.

MichaelM, those cuccidati look heavenly! I'll be making those for sure this year.

Thanks for the advice! I've been leaving the lid on for the prescribed 30 minutes. Next time I'll try in the 15-20 minute range and see if that gets the crust to lighten up. I am using a cloche, which bakes a bit differently, but the same principle would seem to apply with this.

Thanks, Milagai, great idea! I'm making some bacon right now and was contemplating using the rind and ends to spark up the beans. I really like the idea of adding pimenton too. Ok, it's a plan!

Wow, I never imagined beans with pomegranate seeds. I'll have to give that a try. Being kept indoors today by freezing rain, snow, and a miserable cold, I opened up some Red Nightfall beans. Uncooked, they have a subtle attractiveness, a silvery delicacy. Normally I start beans at bedtime and leave them on low all night, giving them at least 7-8 hours to cook. Many beans want even an additional couple of hours. But I started these this morning, and they were done in just 6 hours. That's good to know, for when I need quick beans. With only 6 hours of cooking they were still entirely intact and perfectly tender. They're not nearly as pretty when they're cooked. Kind of plain, actually. They have a very earthy flavor with a slight mineral tang to them. Tonight I ate them underneath a scattering of rice pilaf with some gyro-style lamb and a heap of tzatziki. Tomorrow I'm going to find a more illuminating use for them, although I'm struggling over what flavors would complement them best. Any advice?

Thanks for that RLB link, Fromartz. Here's what I don't get, though. She says she is getting a thin, crisp crust, and indeed, that's how her picture looks. But without reading all of the 11 pages again, I actually don't remember anyone here mentioning getting a thin crisp crust. I know I get a chewy, crunchy crust, and it seems like most people have been. She's using more yeast, and she doesn't actually say she made it in a hot pot, right? Rather, that she'll stick to other baking techniques, correct? Could that account for it? I'm a little mystified about this.

I have it, I love it, and I haven't had to sharpen it yet, so I'm following this with great interest. I bought a stone with it, but haven't used it yet. I only have a regular steel, not a ceramic one. Is that what I need? I'd hate to do anything to damage the edge, which is blazingly sharp out of the box.

I love the idea of pomegranate curd! In fact, I want to make some right now. Any suggestions as to proportions gratefully accepted.

I just lightly turn over the entire top layer, one spoonful at a time, only a spoon's width or so deep.

Elie, howzabout you bring that sausage over here to go with the duck confit and pork belly confit I have curing for cassoulet, and we will so be in business!

Tamiam, if you could get the fantastically delicious flavor of your latest brew into that bread, you could be a millionaire baker! It's a brilliant idea, if it works. I still remember how good the beer was with the roasted garlic bread.

I'm going to try your approach next, Jack. But I'm really liking the addition of 20% semolina flour, so I might have to tweak that into it. Has anyone else tried that? I think it's a major flavor boost, but maybe it's just me.

It's so nice to finally have time to sit with your blog, so cozy and homey and old-fashioned in the best possible. Thank you for sharing your week with us, Rachel!

Yesterday I made this dough as I described above, with 20% semolina, but I made it into roasted garlic bread. Of necessity, it only got a 14 hour rise instead of 18, and the dough was very slack. Too slack, in fact. but I smothered it in roasted garlic and folded it all up to rise. I did end up with more of a ciabatta-thickness loaf this time, but it was really good to eat. The garlic wasn't as evenly distributed as I would have liked. Perhaps there's some trick to that? It made a lovely Thanksgiving appetizer go-with.