eldereno

Through all of the trepidation....I did do it and it did not leak at all.....THE QUICHE!!!! Did forget the part where I was to rest the dough in the fridge after placing carefully into the ring form but, luckily, I hope, the dough was not too warm. So, baked it as directed, cooled it while making the filling, and NO leaking at all. Even with filling completely with beans, the crust did come away from one side a bit, though. This is after the bake (just out of the oven). It is the leek and roquefort filling. It looks a little more brown in the picture than it was. Will cool and refridgerate until tomorrow, then cut off the overhanging crust. Am anxious to try it!!!! Planning to try the other fillings as well (in the future) and making up new ones IF this is as wonderful as everyone says.

I'm beginning the process of making the pork coddled in olive oil this evening to have later in the week. Sounds like placing some eggs in the oven to slow roast them is worth trying (since the oven will be on anyway!). Can't wait for the pork....after all of the raves here!!!!!

Made the Cauliflower Gratin last night as a side for dinner. Pretty involved process for a side dish but very delicious. I have dough made for the crust of the quiche recipe in the fridge, bought the needed ring form, now......just to get up the courage to roll the dough, carefully place in the ring form and just hope it bakes without making holes that the filling will flow through!!!!! A project for this evening. Wish me luck!

Octaveman, Thanks so much for your recommendations. Ordered the Tojira 240 mm Gyotu from the Powdered High Speed Tool Series from JapaneseChefKnives.com and received it in 4 days. I have used it almost daily for a week and just love it. Seems no pressure at all is needed to get through any vegie that I use it on. I have some older Sabatier carbon steel knives, a Sabatier chef knife, but use mostly Wustoff knives (a chef knife and a santuko) and think that this new Tojira will be the one I pick up most often. That site is really great, BTW!!!! Thanks again (I think?!?!?!.....now I'm getting obsessed with buying more knives......transferring from my obsession in buying cookbooks!)

The best combo of flours that I have used so far is: 2 cups AP unbleached flour, 1/2 cup unbleached bread flour, and 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour. I have gotten the same oven rise as with only the unbleached flours but with a little more flavor. It is the mix I now use most often (but still continue to experiment). I have ordered a smaller, oval french oven (I now use a 5 1/2 qt. Le Creuset round dutch oven and a 5 qt round cast iron dutch oven) to see if a higher smaller, oval shaped bread adds anything to it all. I definitely love this technique. Have taken bread to my office and all the staff gave great reviews. It is so easy. Has made me much less afraid of trying other things. For example, made pizza dough Saturday and had a wonderful all homemade pizza for dinner tonight (from American Pie cookbook)!!!!! That was fun, too!!!!!

That is simply a great recipe, and your preparation looks wonderful. ← Looks fantastic! Making me want to do this recipe. So happy I have the cookbook!!! And the inspiration.

Chris, Beautiful cassoulet. I'm curious if you think the replicated clay chamber made a significant difference in the baking or texture. I used my regular ol' convection oven (the regular "bake" does not work anymore after I shorted? something out doing a large batch of basted chicken wings for a party a couple of years ago. Too much steam was created which did something bad to the controls.) I have some stones but never thought about using them. Love your cassole. I ordered mine from the same potter. Beautiful pieces, don't you think? Well done!!!! Donna

All of the suggestions given regarding additions were great. I'm anxious to try the rosemary and salt combo...and the addition of sesame seeds, sunflower seeds sound yummy. Thanks everyone. I will be checking this thread often for all the wonderful advise and suggestions. Will keep you all informed of my progress in the breadbaking world. BTW, because of my success with this recipe and that I no longer "fear the dough," I actually made another type of bread. Yesterday I baked two loaves of brioche (Ina Gartner's recipe in her Barefoot in Paris cookbook), after making the dough the day before. Should have taken pictures...sorry. I froze the loaves to make french toast some weekend coming up. This recipe has made me less afraid of the process, more confident. I am so very happy to now be a baker of breads and am looking forward to trying other techniques BUT I know I will keep coming back to this no knead bread!

Having been an avid reader most of my life, less so in these recent hectic times, it surprises me that I have never read M.F.K. Fisher. Since developing a greater and greater interest in cooking and food in the last 20 years, I have heard of her along the way. Even placed 'The Art of Eating' on my wish list at Amazon.com. Finally, in November when I did a mass ordering of cookbooks that I coveted, I ordered it. I have not yet gotten around to begin reading it (the holidays and all). This thread has provided the motivation to start. Glad to join "the bookclub." I am not aware of the biographical information on her life. Are there recommendation as to whether I should learn more about her personal life or not....BEFORE I read her work?

Marlene, The chocolate terraine looks so rich and luscious. Can you describe its taste and texture?

I eased myself into cooking from this book by making the recipe for "cocktail sauce" to serve with steamed shrimp on Christmas Eve. I got so many raves from my family and friends! Tonight I made the potato and leek soup for my husband and mother-in-law. We ate it hot (though I have the leftovers chilling to try cold tomorrow). Everyone loved it! I am so anxious to do the quiche but, after reading all of the posts here, plan to get the ring mold first!!!!!!!

I have never made bread at home before this recipe and find I am making 2-3 loaves per weekend now. Here are the three loaves I served with a cassoulet on New Year's Eve to 15 adults. Everyone really enjoyed the bread (and cassoulet). In telling my friends and family about this recipe, I found this website, which reviews the original recipe and the "tweaked" recommendations. Here are my questions. 1. I have recieved some sourdough starter from http://www.sourdo.com/]Sourdoughs International. Once I get this going, how is the substitution made (quantity) to use the starter instead of the instant yeast? 2. I feel ready to do some additions to the bread. I am a more savory kind of gal and am thinking about rosemary, olives, that sort of thing. How and when should those additions be made? For example, I would love to add some course salt and rosemary to the surface...but am afraid, at such a high temperature, that there would be burning. 3. I am using a 5 quart cast iron dutch oven and/or a 5 1/2 quart Le Cruiset dutch oven, both round. Would it be worthwhile to purchace a vehicle for baking of more oblong shape? Anyone see any advantages one way or another? Regarding the "taste" issue. I find this bread to be atleast as good as what I can easily get at the local grocery stores (Giant, Bloom, Ukrops) and am so proud (when I take it out of the oven, later cut into it, serve it to my family and friends) that I was the one who made it. Pretty darn good. I have gotten in to the habit of using atleast 1/2 to one cup of whole wheat flour in the mix. Personally, I have not noticed much difference when I added saved dough from a previous loaf or not. Still really enjoying this recipe and technique!

Made the "Almost Fudge Gateau" for Christmas. It was the second time I made it. Very beautiful, very RICH dessert, impressive without being very difficult to do. Thinking I might want to get a 9 inch springform pan. The 8 1/2 inch one I have seems to make it thicker than I would like. Do you think a 10 inch would work? I have one of those.

There was only 1/2 cup of the Great Northerns so were not too noticable. I do think that they did not hold up quite as well as the Tarbais. Nonetheless, it was delicious. Only one loaf got eaten that night, gave one away and had another to make some toast with the following morning. Those loaves served me well! Thank you for your kind remarks, Dave. Will be heading for bed early for the next few nights to try to catch up, for sure!

Just love this bread. Made three loaves to serve New Year's Eve with a cassoulet. These are my 6th, 7th and 8th loaves. Happy New Year everyone!!!!

Did the Les Halles recipe for cassoulet for New Year's Eve. A great success. Added some extra sausage, 2 more duck confit legs, otherwise followed the recipe pretty much exactly. Had only 4 1/2 cups of Tarbais beans so supplemented the additional 1/2 cup with Great Northern beans. Check out the difference in size, presoak. The cassoulet assembled for first bake. After first bake. Did not take pictures the following night. Looked beautiful, though, and was enjoyed by 15 adults. Served with my minimalist no knead bread and a simple salad of mixed greens with a white wine vinegrette with shallots and garlic. Had many hors d'oerves that were supplied by guests.....prior to the cassoulet being served and some fine cheeses. Birthday cake for dessert (it was my birthday). A great, fun party. Surprisingly, even with all the heavy food, many of us partied until 5 AM. And I had brunch this AM!!!!!!! Time for bed now!!!! Happy New Year to all!!!!!

HELP!!!! I received my shipment from D'artagnan yesterday, am off work today so I am contemplating my schedule and plans for the Cassoulet that I plan to serve New Year's Eve (using the Les Halles recipe). I ordered pork from the Niman's meat link earlier in the thread, got the pork belly with rind so should be cool with that (much more than I will need for this recipe). However, I only ordered 2 lbs of the Tarbais beans which I have just measured to be just shy of 4 1/2 cups. Won't be able to purchase these locally. Would you all suggest just going with that amount OR should I supplement the Tarbais beans with another type that I could get locally? I know this makes alot BUT I will have 11-13 adults here that evening and was actually planning to try increase the recipe by half. Any advise welcome!

I've decided to join in on the fun , and make cassoulet for guests coming New Year's Eve. Decided to do the Les Halles recipe. Ordered the ingredients I need (got some duck legs confit to use in a few days for the recipe AND duck legs to confit myself for the future duck confit needs) and they are arriving today. Will try to remember to take pictures. My friends are anxiously awaiting this treat. Wish me luck! I've been making a few loaves of bread using the minimalistic no knead technique with good results. Plan to have that and a light salad. Any other suggestions?

I was unable to make another after my first, very successful, loaf due to not being around over the last few weekends. (Went to Atlantic City last weekend....luckily did not lose too much money) My plan this weekend is to mix up a dough tonight to start the initial rise (just the regular recipe with added salt). Save some of the dough for future batches. Bake the original off tomorrow night. Add the saved dough to a new batch tomorrow night to bake off on Saturday. Making another batch on Saturday to bake off on Sunday (with taken off dough from the previous one). Does that make sense? Maybe add some WW to the second or the third batch. Will that work? Should have enough bread for Christmas Eve and Christmas day dinners. I used my LC 5 1/2 qt dutch oven for the first loaf but have recently purchased a Lodge preseasoned 5 qt cast iron that I plan to use now. Should I do anything different?

A "china cap"? Similar in appearance to a chinois but with larger holes.

Very happy with the results. Husband and MIL impressed. They would like a thinner crust, though I liked it as is. May take the lid off a little earlier next time. Easy enough that I do believe I have become a bread maker!!!!! Expect to do this often. Not too bad for a first timer, eh?

I am so excited!!! My very first loaf of bread is out of the oven and cooling (only after I carried it all around the house to show my husband and MIL). This is when the lid was removed, after 25 minutes at 475 (lowered the oven temp from 500 to 475 when bread placed in oven). Baked another about 23 minutes uncovered, internal temperature was 209 when removed from oven. It came right out of the pot...no sticking at all. I am so looking forward to cutting into it. Hope it looks as beautiful as all of yours. Will hopefully get photos! This was so easy. If the bread tastes good, looks like bread baking is in my future. Could easily do one or two loaves a week. Maybe later I will gain the confidence to do more. WOW!! What a revelation ! I have been so inspired by the whole lot of you. Thanks so much.

It is time I joined in. Been reading this thread with much interest. Though I have not baked much in the past, I have decided to start. Really want to bake bread and have purchased several bread baking books (BBA, Artisan Bread). They scare the heck out of me!!!! I will get to those BUT need to take baby steps. This recipe seems like a start. After all the I've read here, I used 2 cups KA bread flour, 1 cup KA WW flour, 1/4 tsp instant yeast, slightly more salt than the recipe called for, and a little more than 1 1/2 c water to bring it together. Waiting the 18 hours now. Hopefully will bake great bread tomorrow evening!

I do not have any place near me to get these ingredients so must purchase online. You may want to check here.

sazji, I will be reading your blog with much interest. My very first trip out of the USA was to Turkey, of all places!!! This was in 1978 or so. I had a very good girlfriend who. at that time, was dating a professor at Carnegie Mellon who was from Turkey. He was returning for the summer to do a guest lectureship at a University in Istanbul (Bosphorus?) and wanted her to come for a couple weeks to meet and visit his family. I was invited as a travelling companion. Too bad I was only two years out of college and we had very little money BUT who could turn down such an opportunity? Those years Turkey was under a military regime. so stepping off the plane with soldiers with armed machine guns was a bit of a culture shock for us BUT the trip was still amazing. We spent time in Istanbul, Izmir, and Ankara. We first arrived in Istanbul so were there for several days but his family lived in Ankara, so most of the trip was spent there. Food? Fortunately, even almost 30 years ago, I was an adventuresome eater. Loved the food. My friend, however, was not so enthralled. I do recall one of our most memorable days. While exporing the ruins near Izmir (Ephesus?), hanging out in one of the amphitheaters being excavated, we spotted some folks on the other side WITH, of all things, A COOLER (now this was after almost 2 weeks of luke warm beverages...lucky to get 2 small ice cubes in a drink)!!!!! We soon discovered (after making fools of ourselves....yelling and screaming at them) that they were Americans stationed at a base nearby. And in that COOLER was some ICE COLD BEERS!!!!! Not being a regular beer drinker myself did not mean that I did not thoroughly enjoy that cold one more than any other beverage I have ever had!!!!!! I never did learn much Turkish BUT, to this day, I can still say "I'm American, I do not speak Turkish" in Turkish!!!! Looking forward to more of your blog. Brings back memories!!! Thank you.