phlawless

I'm trying another loaf today. With the help of shacke, I think I have discovered my problem(s). Last night I took out 1 ou of starter and fed it cold, equal parts hot water and flour. This morning, I fed it again, the same proportions and it doubled. So I went ahead and mixed my dough. I have never measured the temp of my dough before... I'm going to wait 2-2/12 hours and see if I can go ahead and shape. A question: Do I do a preliminary benching first, rest, then shape or just go ahead and shape?

So....I went. And I didn't wait. The inlaws arrived early and put our name on the list so by the time I got there they were seated with nachos in hand. Good lord! Why didn't anyone warn me what that place was like? It's like a casino in there!! And the menu...why are there ads for shoes and perscription sunglasses next to the choice of 14, yes that's right 14!! salads? Is there really that much of a difference between the Santa Fe Chicken Salad and the other quasi-mexi-add-guacamole-to-greens one? This place is hilarious...I am truly shocked that people pay that kind of money for such crappy food! I apologize to those of you who are okay with dining there, I just had no idea! Needless to say, that will be my only visit. (There was a line of at least 30 people when I was leaving around 7, regettably I didn't stop to ask how long the wait was.)

thanks, evan...i'm going to give it a try tomorrow.

so a schedule could go something like this: 1st feeding: 6 a.m. 2nd: 10 a.m. mix dough: 2 p.m. bake bread: 7-8 p.m. do you think that's long enough of a rise for the dough?

I think you may be right about being over proofed. It's not quite doubling, and that's why I let it go longer. My temp is a bit cooler, around 76-78.

My oven spring isn't too great. I have never had big fluffy loaves, but they have always been much better than this. Sometimes I bake on tiles, sometimes on pans, these were done on pans. I bake on the lower third of this oven which I haven't done a lot of bread in. My recipe hasn't changed at all. Hydration levels, not really sure.

I have been having issues with my sourdough lately. Though the flavor is fantastic, but I am getting a really dense crumb, and I am not sure why. my checklist so far: -health of starter: very vibrant and active, no off flavor or odor, dough rises beautifully -kneading: I am using the mixer for the first 5-8 minutes then finishing by hand for the last 8-10 -rising time: all of the breads I do with this starter rise a minimum of 22 hours. Assemble dough, till doubled, punch down chill, pull from fridge and rise again, bench, shape, then finally bake -oven temp: I usually heat my oven to 500 one hour before, then once dough goes in I turn down to 425 -steam: this is the only area where I am a bit iffy. I have been spritzing the oven before the dough goes in, then keeping the door shut for the first 20 minutes. Would steam (too little, too much, too late, too early?) cause this density problem?

I have been making quite a few melon margaritas...canteloupe works really well.

Problem is it's a 20 minute drive from home, and daughter has a 7:30 bed time. Am I screwed?

Tomorrow night will be my first venture to a Cheesecake Factory...not my idea: father in law's b-day and he loves it. What do I order? How do I keep my mouth shut? Do they at least have a bar? I did find out they don't take reservations...WTF??????!!!?? I've got a 16 month old who is going to go crazy if we have to wait longer than ten minutes. How long should I expect for 6@5:30???

I would vote for pate brisee...again very versatile and a good primer on fat incorporation/emulsification in pastry.

me hate: salmon eggplant (though I planted some in my garden this year to beat it: they contain lots of calcium!)

Another idea: cook with stock and plenty of garlic, red pepper flake and a bay leaf till soft, drain and puree with a bit of good olive oil. Add lemon zest to taste. Allow to cool and spread on toast-yum! p.s. I'm a phoebe too..

RecipeGullet Did that help? ← yes it did...many thanks. But do I have to retype the whole thing or can I cut/paste some way that I don't see (idiot, again)?

can you find rapini this time of year?

Maybe I'm an idiot, but I can't find Recipe Gullet...help? 1-Yes, 15...it makes it much smoother and richer 2-In one of those Cuisinart freezers Maple View is indeed full fat

I've had this for about 10 years:

here it is: 3 ears silver queen corn, scraped, milked and cobs cut into 3-4 pieces 2 cups heavy cream 1 vanilla bean 15 eggs yolks 1 1/4 cup sugar 3 cups full fat buttermilk, if you can find it generous pinch of salt -combine corn and heavy cream in food processor, quise till chunky. heat with vanilla bean til scalded -whisk yolks, sugar, and salt til pale and ribbon-y. temper with corny cream. I don't continue to cook, but this is your choice. -cool a bit, then add buttermilk. allow to sit at least six hours, preferably overnight -strain and freeze Peanut Butter and Bacon Blondies butter/flour a 9x13 pan 350 oven 4 slices of bacon 2 ounces soft butter 8 ounces natural peanut butter 1 1/4 cups brown sugar generous pinch of salt 2 eggs 1/4 heavy cream 1/2 T vanilla extract 1/2 t baking powder 1/4 t baking soda 1 1/2 c ap flour -slice bacon into thin strips and render til crispy. drain, cool, and chop fine. -cream butter, peanut butter, sugar, salt and bacon til smoothe ( it will look kinda gross) -add eggs, cream and vanilla -combine dry ingredients and add to mix slowly -press into prepared pan and bake till poofy and still soft in the middle -allow to cool before cutting I know this is off topic, but I couldn't resist:

I have to admit, I was thinking this wasn't going to be all that hard. I figured with the diversity of things available to me locally, my professional background, and just my sure will to win would guarentee my success. HA! I don't know if I can continue the same level of commitment that I have this week for the entire month. Actually I know I can't. Next week my fourteen year old nephew is coming to visit for five days...I am not prepared to fill my house with enough food for a teenager using only local ingredients! I don't think he will find snacking on speckled lima beans all that enticing... What I have learned this week: 1. I will no longer take the small farmer, or the mega supermarket, for granted. 2. Eating food made/grown from sustainable methods is expensive. 3. I really love my sourdough starter. 4. The area that I live is a much better food community than I've given it credit for. 5. My partner Chuck is such a great sport, and my daughter M will thankfully eat almost anything. Thanks for giving me a space to rant and complain...I've had a lot of fun, but will not miss the excessive documentation of my eating and cooking habits.

The Christmas before my mother died, she put together this collection of our favorites: I hope to take the time to add to it and leave it to my daughter.

Oooooh! Purty! I really like cardoons--haven't had any, or even seen any in markets, in forever. Do you grow any for food as well as for looks? If I don't get a chance to get back in here before this blog closes, let me take the time now to say thanks for a most enjoyable blog. ← At the last house we lived I had a few that I occasionally ate from. It took me a while to figure out when to 'harvest' the stalks. They were never tender enough to use for bagna cauda, which was the original reason I grew them, so I made gratins with them instead.

Which one? All? Oh fou...thankyouthankyou...I love these shoes! I got them specifically for a wedding back in the spring and I find myself wearing them at every opportunity, which with my little girl isn't many!

I have to confess...our meal tonight was not entirely local. I wanted to do mexican, and I got a bit lazy this afternoon, so a few of the ingredients came from a tienda in my neighborhood. Next door is a fantastic taco stand that makes tortillas by the pound to order: Funny enough, they weren't the one's who put the cow on the roof, it used to be a country store a few years back. The menu today: We started off with a couple of watermelon margaritas and chorizo/potato quesadillas with lime crema for munchies: After M went to bed, I used the rest of the tortillas for tacos, which we have at least once a week in the summer: Only the tomatillos, onions, and garlic in the salsa are truly local. Funny thing is, I feel guilty. I've let myself down...I couldn't even make it through one week and I've got three to go!

I am so glad that the cardoon decided to bloom today so you all could see it! I haven't eaten any of this one, it's merely decorative in my herb garden. We are going mexican tonight...more later.

Good Morning! I can tell you that even though I didn't do it up as I have in evenings past spent with the Varmints, I still had a bit of trouble rolling out of bed this morning...it must have been those last few glasses of bandregg's fantastic Barolo. The meal turned out really well, and thank you V for hosting all of us and accomodating M. Even though I only had a couple of bites, bandregg's caponata was deelish! The appetizer and sides were all fantastic, my favorite being the tomato/watermelon salad with the local pheta. And thank you also for all the praise on the dessert, it was fun to make and I'm glad everyone enjoyed it. If I can nitpick: the ice cream was a little icey, and I would have liked to have used sorghum instead of the caramel sauce as I originally intended. The bacon also didn't have the presence I would have liked. Other than that, it was pretty yummy. Next time we do one of these, I promise to host and give the V's a break! For the last day of the blog, I'm going to take it easy cooking wise. A friend is coming over in a bit and we'll be heading to a bakery/cafe for brunch. I seriously doubt much of their stuff is local, but some of their breads are good and they have a fantastic charcuterie plate that I've got a hankering for. My enthusiasm for this challenge is waning, and I need to get re-invigorated...maybe a mexi dinner will do the trick.