Ann_T

Kim, I'm not a breakfast fan, but if I have to have breakfast out, it is eggs benedict that I order. That one looks perfect. I would also like the scones. They do look tender. Breakfast is served. Made a Thai Chicken Red curry served over rice for Moe this morning. I'm working today so I'm taking the same for lunch.

Now that is a beauty. I'm always amazed at how a loaf turns out when I do something different, like using a dough that has been in the fridge for a week, or not refreshing the starter. And then it turns out like that beautiful loaf. Love the crust and the rusticness of it. I can just imagine how delicious it is.

Started two batches of sourdough last night. Both started with levains that had been in the fridge for 3 days. One went into the fridge for another day and the other was left out on the counter for a room temperature bulk fermentation. Had more than doubled by 3:00 AM this morning. Baked two baguettes and two loaves in vintage bread pans. I've never baked sourdough in bread pans before.

We have two Thrify's in the area. And both have a full butcher and fish department. I live in between both so I have an option. I hate buying packaged meat and fish. I want to be able to pick out what I want.

Last week, the first week in season Thrifty's had it on for $4.99/100gs, but this week it is up to $5.49/100gs. Which is still not bad, considering by the next week or two it will probably be up to 6.99/100gs. We don't have Sobey's here, but I think Thrifty's is owned by the same company. Does your Sobey's have a full seafood and butcher department too, like Thrifty's?

Braised Lamb Shanks in a wine sauce over mashed potatoes with rutabaga and zucchini.

Picked up more halibut this morning before going to work. First week back in season so it is on sale until Thursday. When I'm sure the price will jump. Grilled green, red and yellow peppers, eggplant, zucchini, and red onions and drizzled with a vinaigrette and served warm along side the halibut. The halibut was grilled on a cast iron grill pan and finished in the oven.

Shelby, I'm sorry you are having to deal with this again. That was what Moe had recently. He had to have a tooth pulled and a bone graft. In his case though the tooth that had be pulled is the tooth that actually anchors a partial bridge. So Tuesday he goes back to our own dentist for molds to be made and hopefully they will be able to adjust his bridge by adding the missing tooth. That apparently is the simplest solution assuming it works. He wasn't interested in eating much for the first two days, but after that he was able to eat. Mostly softer foods, like soup, scrambled eggs, and he wanted toast so I just cut the crusts off of them.

I had some leftover cooked halibut so I made Moe Halibut Cakes with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce for breakfast.

I promised Moe Halibut Fish and Chips, so I picked up fresh halibut before going to work yesterday. Batter is a tempura style beer batter. Moe's plate. Mine.

Breakfast is served. I had planned to make a stir fry last night and didn't so I made it this morning and Moe had it for breakfast and I'm taking the same for lunch. Chicken stir fry with baby bok choy over crispy Shanghai noodles.

Tonight's bake. Dough was made with a levain and was the last of the two doughs made and in the fridge since last Friday. Taken out of the fridge late this morning and baked tonight.

The first halibut of the season arrived this morning at Thrifty's,from ship to store. I've been waiting for fresh halibut since last November. Definitely worth waiting for. I seared it in a cast iron grill pan and finished it in a hot oven. Served with a lemon butter with pink peppercorns, roasted potato wedges and zucchini.

I took pictures of this batch of dough for a FB friend that is having problems with whatever she is doing. I fed my starters and spun off two new starters, one for her and a friend of hers. I don't really know this person, but she lives in the same area and participates on some of the local groups that I participate in. I can't quite figure out what she is doing wrong. She apparently is feeding the starter and using the discard to make a levain and even adding a little bit of yeast to a 1000g of flour. She is using the stretch and fold method, but her dough isn't rising. The starter should be strong enough without the addition of yeast, but I suggested that she proof her yeast first, just to make sure it is active. Not something I do, because I know that my yeast is good. She baked what looked like a beautiful loaf, and I expected to see at least two or three loaves, but she only got one from the 1000g batch, and when she sliced it, it was very, very dense. So I told her I would take photos of what my dough looks like over a few days. I fed my sourdough starter Thursday night and made two levains, with 55g of discard in each of them. Left the starter and the two levains on the counter overnight and in the morning, the starter went back into the fridge and I made two batches of dough with the levains. Both had 1000g of flour, plus the levain, 15g of salt, 1g of yeast (basically just a pinch) and 660g of water. After the last stretch and folds the dough looked like this and they both went into 6L containers and into the fridge. After 24 hours in the fridge. After 48 hours in the fridge. After 60 hours in the fridge. I left one dough in the fridge and I took one out last night and left it on the counter until this morning. I should have taken a picture at 4:00AM this morning because the dough was blowing the lid off of the container. So by the time I got around to shaping the loaves at 4:00 this morning this dough was going on 72 hours. Even in the cold fridge (3°C) the dough more than doubles. Baked two larger batards, two smaller batards and one baguette.

So many inspiring breakfasts that I know would love. @Kim Shook, my idea of the perfect breakfast though would be your pain au chocolate. Moe is still recovering from dental surgery, but was able to eat this Caprese Salad with Burrata cheese for breakfast. And a couple of thin slices of sourdough baguette for dipping.

I used one of the sourdough Levains made last Thursday morning and made a batch of dough Thursday night. It was in the fridge until 4:00 AM this morning and then rested on the counter until 12:00 PM . So a 5 1/2 day old dough. Baked three batards. Two baked under the spun iron cloche and the larger one baked in a Romertopf clay baker. Sliced for dinner.

Moe is having dental surgery today and won't be able to eat anything but soft foods for the next few days and probably won't feel much like eating dinner tonight. So I made him a big breakfast this morning. Asparagus Omelette with Coastal White Cheddar and a side of low sodium bacon. Local asparagus won't be out here for another month or more. This was asparagus was from Mexico and was as good as any asparagus I have ever had.

WOW!!! great post. A week of feasts. That duck breast is perfectly cooked. Giving me a craving for duck. Some recent meals this past week: A dish we use to order at a little Italian restaurant in Buffalo, NY when we lived in Dunkirk. Normally I would make this with halibut but last night I used Sablefish (black cod). Friday night's dinner. Chicken souvlaki with rice and Greek Salad. Last night's dinner. Wanted to make pizza for dinner, so I made a dough in the morning before leaving for work. Used half of a levain I had in the fridge along with 2g of yeast in a 500g batch of dough. Enough for Matt to make a large pizza and for me to make a small one for Moe and I to share. I hadn't used the Ooni since last fall, but decided to use it last night since it was still daylight until after 7:00AM. Started out to make a Margherita pizza, but also added some Kalamata olives.

Fed my starter this morning and used some of the discard to make two Levains. Both were 55g of discard, 55g of water and 142g of flour. Had to add a little more water. Stretched and folded a few times and then placed in a container before I left for work. Had more than tripled by the time I got home. Put one in the fridge for another day, and I pulled the other out of the container and started another batch of dough. Took a photo to show the strands of gluten.

Fed my starters yesterday and used 80g of discard into 500g of flour, 7g of salt and 1/2 g of yeast, at 68% hydration. Just tossed the discard into a batch without making a levain or preferment. Dough was left out on the counter for about 7 hours and then Matt divided it and took 500g of dough and left me the remainder. I had intended to bake a loaf last night, but instead put the dough in the fridge around 4:00 and took it out at 1:00 AM this morning. Baked on a steel under the spun iron cloche. This loaf was out of the oven by 9:00 AM. I love looking at the gluten strands. Sliced this morning and used to make French Bread.

@rotutsI love the idea of the Tortelini in the Stracciatella soup. It is one of my favourites. Two days in a row for homemade fries. We both had a craving for Halibut Fish and Chips. Haven't bought halibut recently because I've been waiting for the 2024 season to start. Spoke to the man at the fish counter today and he told me that they were expecting the first halibut of the season in about 15 days. So this will be the last time I'm buying frozen halibut for at least the next 8 months. Halibut season runs from about mid March until mid to late November. Sticking with the lower sodium diet for Moe, he had just a tiny pinch of salt , with fresh lemon on his fish and vinegar on his fries. So what you are seeing here is my plate. I don't like vinegar or lemon with my fish and chips but I do love salt. Batter on the halibut is a light crispy tempura style beer batter. Fries are double fried.

Yesterday's dinner. Grilled chicken breast on a bun with lettuce, tomato and onion and a chipotle garlic mayo. Served with double fried fries. Sunday Night's dinner: Grilled Sterling Silver NY Strip steak for dinner tonight. Served with baked potatoes, sauteed mushrooms and zucchini.

Years ago, many many years ago when we lived in Toronto, we use to go to this little Armenian restaurant on Queen Street called Arax and the owner was a man named Raffi, an Armenian by way of Lebanon. We always started with his amazing deep fried eggplant. Thinly sliced, with a thin batter, it was so good. Sometimes we ordered two orders to share. Tonight I made deep fried eggplant with a very light and crispy tempura style batter. I served with it Toum a Lebanese Garlic sauce that I sometimes serve with Chicken Souvlaki. Reminded me of Raffi's eggplant. I need to make this more often.

Last night's dinner. Found a recipe for a garlic, lemon pasta dish using crab. I have lobster tails in the freezer so I pulled out one that weighed 7oz and I adapted the recipe reducing it for two and subbed in lobster. Served with a lovely Chardonnay from our local Unsworth Winery.

Okay so, I had no idea how today's bake was going to look or taste like. The dough had been in the fridge since February 17th. I did take it out on Saturday and cut off a 500g piece of dough for Matt and immediately put the remainder back into the fridge. Matt made himself a pizza. I didn't see it but he said the crust was wonderful. So I pulled the rest of the dough out of the fridge this morning and baked four baguettes this afternoon. I've never used 9 day old dough before. As soon as it was cool enough I sliced one of the baguettes. Flavour is amazing. Moe had a couple of small slices with butter. Not bad for a 9 day old dough started with a Pate Fermentee and 1g of yeast.