JoNorvelleWalker

Bad puns aside, since Modernist Bread came out I've been trying to use their methods and have had wonderful success with boules but less so with baguettes. I had thought to bake bread today but went with yeast raised waffles.

Nice loaf. I sometimes find baguettes a pain myself.

I may be wrong but I suspect it was supposed to be a pun.

I have the set of three pasta roller/cutters and I am very pleased with it. Long ago I got the extruder attachment but I didn't think it worked that well.

Pasta course... Back to Sardinia -- Bugialli's Lasagne alla Sarda con Salsa Noci (p53) with a bottle of La Cala Vermentino di Sardegna. Yes, I know, this does not look much like lasagna. Blame the Sardinians. In fact the recipe calls for dried commercial narrow egg pasta with a walnut herb bread sauce. In truth this was not my favorite Bugialli recipe. Followed by chicken cacciatore, Boursin, and bread. Wine was Soave... More than made up for it.

In most countries you'd be spending the new year with a ball and chain.

http://amzn.com/B007SGM160 http://amzn.com/B009JU5I9U

Something new for me: http://www.marani.co/index.php?site-lang=en&site-path=wines/&item=14 I've been reading about Georgian food and wine and wanted to taste a wine from Georgia. The Marani Kindzmarauli is from eastern Georgia, fresh and sweet. Almost an impossibly bright grape juice, not cloying. I was smitten with the Saperavi varietal and would love to try a more traditionally made dry expression. Alas, Marani Kindzmarauli is the only Georgian wine of any kind locally to be found.

I just picked up Ottolenghi: The Cookbook and Jerusalem for $2.99 each. Standard disclaimer applies.

Yet you had to tie it down!

Last night was a reprise of my Georgian chicken with walnut sauce from the other day. Though this time with thirty second green beans rather than Brussels sprouts. You see, Shoprite had no little packages of Guatemalan green beans, only the "Club Discount" size bags. Green beans may feature in my menus for the next few days weeks. The chicken was served with my very first Georgian wine: Marani Kindzmarauli. I confess the only Georgian wine locally available. The grape is Saperavi and it is sweet and red. Very flavorful, no tannin. Bread, of course, and cheese. Edit: I forgot the pomegranate! Not forgot to eat it, forgot to mention it. Sami Tamimi method.

Your poor hen is upside down.

Did I hear ice cream? I grew up in Philadelphia. A family friend had been an ice cream magnate in the city: http://digital.library.temple.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15037coll3/id/41295/rec/2 No connection to the later owners nor location. Word is he watered down his father's formula and went out of business.

Indeed, it came out like new.

Interesting and very helpful. For decades I'd been using Zojirushi bread machines to mix my dough but switched to the KitchenAid method after reading Modernist Bread. Possibly I may be overdoing it with the mixing but I'm using MB suggested times. I note you call for high protein flour. Which flour exactly? I've been using KAF organic AP for years. I can't remember if I've ever tried a higher protein flour for baguettes. But the proof is in the pudding and I've never seen more beautiful breads than yours. Though I must say the cutting boards don't detract much from the presentation.

Lovely!

If it helps anyone I just got a pair of toothbrush holders for storing my blades... Eunion Plastic Toothbrush Holder for Travel - Clear White, 2 Pack (No idea what the plural is of "lame".)

I got to thinking about that 137F. I'm a bit afraid 137F might be too rare for me. @mgaretz suggested 140F. I may split the difference. @Anna N when you cook loins sous vide what temperature do you use? Still looking for more browning thoughts, but please don't suggest a torch.

Well, months later, last night I made chicken cacciatore and baptized my All-Clad screen. Rather than being continuously spattered with hot fat, the kitchen and I were only intermittently spattered with hot fat. The chicken browned nicely and did not seem steamed, so I'll claim success. The screen is now in the dishwasher and it remains to be seen how well it cleans up. Wishing maybe that I'd bought the smaller size.

This week organic avocados have been 3 for $5.00 at Shoprite. Unfortunately in the bitter cold I have no appetite for avocados. Besides, they'd freeze before I got them home. Last week, or perhaps the week before, there were regular avocados for $0.99. But all were past the point of no return.

I shall never again pick up a pan hot from the oven...and then several minutes later, after running my hand under ice water, attempt to pick it up again.

Tonight chicken cacciatore... Bread and Boursin not shown.

Now that the sun is warm, days are getting longer, and the seed catalogs are here...the ground is like a brick.

Ann, you obviously have your mixing and proofing down perfect. Could you please say more about your methods? (I realize you may already have at some point.) Particularly for your baguettes. Since studying Modernist Bread I've switched over to using my KitchenAid for mixing. None of my recent baguettes have come out with the expected nice open crumb and the scarification is disappointing, though taste has been pretty much OK. The loaves are not cottony or anything. In contrast my boules I have been quite pleased with, and more often than not the scarification is beautiful...from the same batch of dough as the baguettes.

What kind of sauce?