cakewalk

Sorry that Poilane didn't work out. I don't have any tips for you, but you are brave for even trying that loaf! I've looked at that recipe many times and just shook my head, thinking, "maybe some other time." I don't know what the problem could have been. But I've had situations where a sourdough loaf just refused to budge at all. I know the starter is fine, so I don't understand what's going on. I usually balk at throwing it out, and what I've done in the past is just add some yeast. Dissolve it in warm water, incorporate it into the sourdough that won't rise, proof, and you will get a loaf of bread. Not the loaf you wanted, but most likely an edible, decent loaf. (But I'm sure next time you try that Poilane it will work.)

When I first moved to Jerusalem (1980), it was almost impossible to get American food products. Now you can get anything, but back then it was a different story. There was a supermarket chain that would, twice a year, have something called "America Week." They imported all sorts of American foodstuffs. My favorite thing to get was Thomas's English Muffins (they came in a box, frozen) and Smucker's strawberry jam. Oh my, that was heaven. Now that I'm back in the States, I love finding Israeli-made treats. (I live in NYC, so they're not that hard to find.) M'kupelet and Pesek Zman (candy bars) are the best. After the fall of the Soviet Union many people came to Israel, and I remember the expressions on people's faces in the supermarkets (even when it wasn't America Week) or in Machane Yehuda, the outdoor produce market. "You have so much!" I remember one woman shouting. It wasn't an envious or angry cry, she was simply astounded by the quantity, never mind the quality, of what she was seeing. Goodness, the things I take for granted. (The other thing I remember is suddenly seeing people on line in the supermarket holding only a loaf of bread and a bottle of vodka!)

I just read that old thread, thanks for linking to it Jim D. It's a great thread, and one combination really caught my eye: lemon curd and bourbon. But when and how much bourbon would you add? Together with the lemon juice? I'm thinking maybe a tablespoon. I will probably try this soon. Has anyone used alcohol in lemon curd? Another combination that caught my eye: blueberries and cinnamon. I made a blueberry pie a while ago (I think it was a Richard Sax recipe) that called for cinnamon. I remember I was going to leave it out, the combination just didn't appeal to me when I read it. But I added it, and wow, it was great. Totally unexpected.

The rumtopf is pretty full these days. I just added another peach and nectarine. Not so many different fruits this time: raspberries, strawberries, plums, peaches, nectarines. I also couldn't help adding some mango - I figure it's local and seasonal somewhere!! There's just a bit more room and I hope to add some red grapes in a couple of weeks. Then I'll just let it hang out until Thanksgiving. That blueberry crostata above is beautiful. My parents always used "blueberries" and "huckleberries" interchangeably, and I thought they were the same thing until about 10 years ago when someone wrote about them on eGullet. I don't think I've ever seen a huckleberry, much less tasted one. This needs to be remedied, but I suspect it will have to wait until next season. (I don't remember ever seeing them in NY, but they must be sold somewhere.)

Oh you poor thing.

Nice kayb, especially that French toast. I made challot, mostly because I wanted to make this six-stranded braid, it's so pretty. (The challah is good, too.)

Wow. I always thought the squash-in-the-unlocked-car stuff was an urban legend, (Or rural legend, I guess.) If I had a car, I'd drive it to your neck of the woods and leave it unlocked with the trunk wide open!

God in His wisdom made the fly And then forgot to tell us why. (Ogden Nash)

Interesting. Yes, I'd love the Hamelman recipe, thank you very much. (I see a lot of ricotta in my future, so I know there will also be a lot of whey.)

Very much looking forward to this blog. I'm floored by small population, given the geographic size you mention. (Everything is relative. I live in Manhattan, where the only sort of emptiness we're familiar with is internal!) Safe travels.

Last night I made another batch of ricotta and decided to use the whey in my standard Pullman loaf. (I usually use water.) Not very successful, but I'm not totally sure if the whey was the issue. I don't have photos, it looked too dismal. There was no oven spring at all. It rose until about an inch from the top of the pan while proofing, then I covered it and put it in the oven. This is how it usually goes. But when I took it out, it was still at that exact same height. Seems that it overproofed, but I didn't let it rise any more than usual. So not sure what went wrong. It's still perfectly edible. It's much more chewy than usual, but again I don't know if that's because of the whey or because it didn't rise to its full height. (But the ricotta was delicious.) Regarding the post above: I never cover any bread. The Pullman is an exception, because you're creating a particular environment to get a particular result. (Which doesn't always work; see above!) Interested to hear how others do it.

I wanted to use the whey from my ricotta in bread. A few days ago I made a loaf of sourdough, and I guess I was half asleep because I mixed the dough and without thinking added water. And then I remembered - the reason I made the loaf in the first place was to use the whey! Duh. I ended up adding some whey anyway (hmmm) because it needed more liquid. Wanted to let it rise in the fridge over night and then shape, proof and bake, but I ended up leaving it in the fridge for the next three days. I finally baked it, and this is the sourest loaf of sourdough I have ever tasted. I usually like a tangy loaf, but this was wicked. Not sure if it's because of the whey or because of the long stay in the fridge (or both). Probably from the fridge time. But I think the whey is responsible for the fine crumb and the nice crust. Tere, I found this: http://wearenotfoodies.com/whey-bread-a-monstrous-ciabatta/ which I think I might try myself next time I make ricotta and have some whey. I'm wondering if I can use the whey in a straightforward sandwich loaf, one of those quickies that is done in about four hours, no overnight anything. I don't see why not.

Thought this was an interesting read: http://www.farmcurious.com/blogs/farmcurious/17599408-cheesemaking-what-to-do-with-all-that-whey

It seems to be one of those things that has evolved. Most people no longer make their own cheeses (as far as I know), so leftover whey is pretty hard to come by. I'm not even sure if store-bought ricotta is made from whey. So I guess making it with milk was the logical next step. I don't know anything about paneer. Is it made the same way? Can the leftover whey (when making ricotta from milk) then be reused to make more ricotta?

Keep spamming! Does the instant pot do anything different, or does it just do it faster?

This is almost exactly what I just did. One quart of whole milk, 1/2 cup of cream, about 2 Tbs white vinegar and 1/4 tsp of table salt. It's now draining, but of course I've tasted it already. I think it could use a bit more salt, but still, it is revelatory. I don't know why I waited so long to try this. The end product is light years beyond the simplicity of putting its ingredients together.

I'm reviving this thread because making ricotta is something I've always meant to do, but never got to. A couple of days ago I made a small amount using whole milk, some heavy cream, and buttermilk for the acid. It was one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten. I'm now about to try some more, but since I don't have any more buttermilk I'll use either vinegar or lemon juice, I'm still debating over which one. I noticed on the breakfast thread some of you have been eating home made ricotta on your toast. How do you make yours? Do you make it regularly? Always with the same recipe? I think by the end of this week I might be giving away ricotta instead of my usual cake or cookies.

Bread and beer to go. I like that. What was the texture like? Can you show a photo of the crumb? They look like they might have been made in a Pullman loaf pan. And the taste? (I don't suppose you could ask them for their recipe. But wouldn't that be nice?)

Not sure if this qualifies, but I'm making a rumtopf this summer. I made one a few years ago and it was fun to make, even more fun to drink and eat. It's all summer fruit, starting with the berries of early summer, macerated with some sugar and then covered with rum. Let it sit until the next summer fruits ripen, maybe plums and peaches, mix them with some sugar, add to the rumtopf, and again cover with rum and let it sit for the next summer fruits. This goes on until about September or October, when the summer fruits are gone. The fruit, sugar, and rum just hang out, either in a cool cellar or the fridge, until Christmas (I used mine for Thanksgiving). It is sweet, potent, fruity, and delicious. A bit of summer fruit in the winter. And did I mention potent?

I'm the same way. I've gotten rid of many cookbooks over the years because they were books I bought when I was first starting to learn particular methods or whatever. As I learned, I also began to realize what I prefer and what I like. The cookbooks evolve as those realizations evolve.

Topic, shmopic. Oh those cornflowers!

Ah, never-ending plums, such hardship. Enjoy them as I look on in envy and pay through the nose for a few measly ones. KennethT - did you grow those huge basil leaves in your NY apartment?

That is a mighty fine looking plum tort, Jacksoup! Maybe you can tell us about it in the baking thread? Is it by any chance the Marion Burros recipe? Is there any basil in it? (Basil and plums go very well together.) I am absolutely writhing with envy over this thread, the gardens look so luscious.

That's a new one for me. What have I been missing?

Yes, Virginia, there really is American food. This is an argument that has been batted around for ages. It usually goes something like this: Americans are not "native" to America, it is an immigrant culture, therefore there is no real American food. Bulls**t. This isn't a question of "purity." It's a cultural question about food. Whether or not we started with a blank slate (and who does?), there are many dishes that have been adapted to become quintessentially American in their new form. (And may those adaptations never end.) Apple tart existed. Americans altered that and made deep-dish Apple pie. Then they added cranberries to it, brilliant IMO, and definitely American. Ground meat doesn't belong to anyone. Hamburger and French fries (to hell with the name) belong to America. And on and on. These are American dishes now.