This one has been a long time coming.
And, perhaps this is TMI, but this particular purge/organize was even more important because we seem to have developed an infestation of pantry moths. These little buggers seem to love dried chiles, chocolate and nuts of any kind, and I have to say, it’s pretty amazing the sealed storage they seem to be able to make their way into. Anyone else have these? If so, how did you get rid of them? I’ve heard bay leaves help.
Big deal right? For me, it actually is. I’ve never been a breakfast person. I have this notion that I feel more hungry during the day when I do than when I just have a latte. So once again, as has happened in many a January past, I have decided to take up the healthy breakfast banner and see how it suits me. Chances are, by mid-February, I’ll be back to my breakfast skipping days. But, for now, I’m indulging today in the yogurt I made yesterday topped with some Kashi nuggets and the huckleberry calamondin marmalade from a few weeks ago.
This yogurt was made from Fresh Breeze 2% milk, with Grace Farms yogurt as a starter, and it has a really nice tang and texture. To make your own, start with the milk of your choice (ideally not ultra-pasteurized) and a starter of your favorite plain yogurt. Heat the milk to 185F, and then let it cool to at least 120F. Stir in some of the plain yogurt (1/4 cup yogurt to every 1 quart of milk), and pour it into sterilized glass jars. Let sit in a yogurt maker, or in a cooler with a heating pad until it thickens and there is some whey sitting on top… usually about 9 or 10 hours. Then chill.
What do you eat for breakfast?
PS: In case you haven’t noticed, I’m trying a new thing here. It’s sort of a 365 project… a little something to keep me from pushing off blog posts until they are practically edited novels. Instead, I’ll be sharing little glimpses as a way for me to celebrate the little satisfactions of life. I won’t kid myself that I’ll be blogging every day… like breakfast, I’m not sure it will stick when life starts getting crazy. But you never know unless you try!
I’ve been thinking about whole grain doughnuts lately. I’m not crazy enough to think that adding some whole grains turns a doughnut into a health food. A doughnut, even one with healthier grain, is still mostly about sugar and oil. But I’ve been playing around with whole grain baking in general, and thought, why not doughnuts? The complexity of flavor and texture that makes recipes breads (like those in “Good to the Grain: Baking with Whole-Grain Flours”) more interesting should make doughnuts equally intriguing.
Today, I started simply. I substituted whole wheat pastry flour for 50% (by weight) of the all purpose flour in my Chai cake doughnut recipe (“Doughnuts”) topped with a honey glaze. Wow. The whole wheat pastry flour adds a lovely nutty flavor, but the doughnuts are still light and fluffy with a subtle and pleasing crispness to the crust. I’m quite sure you could make the same recipe with 100% whole wheat pastry flour for even more wheaty flavor.
Next I’ll be trying whole wheat raised doughnuts, buckwheat cake doughnuts and maybe something really crazy like chocolate pumpernickel!
What is your favorite whole grain to bake with?
Ah, yes. There was a little something missing. The actual Super Bowl game. Today was a shoot for an upcoming Epicurious feature, so I had all kinds of fun with astroturf and glue guns. Here’s a sneak peek.
The food was delicious… the beer will have to wait until after I drive home from the studio.
The crepe is the Joy of Cooking buckwheat crepe recipe with a little less all purpose and a little whole wheat pastry flour. The hash is quick saute of yukon gold potato, broccoli stem & button mushroom in a very hot pan. Top with a poached egg, salt & pepper.
Although it looks a bit “steppy” this would actually be an easy brunch for a group of people. The crepe batter can be made the night before (and kept covered in the refrigerator overnight… it needs at least an hour rest anyway). Chop the veggies (it helps to parboil the potato so it sautes quickly), and have them ready to go. Make the crepes while the water heats for the eggs, and set them aside. Poach the eggs and let them sit with a drizzle of olive oil in a warm spot near the stove, while the pan heats for the hash. Then quickly saute the veggies, and assemble.
Yum!
Same crepe batter (just used the leftovers), but this time filled with sautéed Kale, fresh pear, a smear of cream cheese and a drizzle of balsamic syrup.
Just like yesterday, these are pretty quick to come together if you do a little bit of pre-planning. Make the crepe batter the night before, and keep it chilled up until you need to use it (do give it a good stir before you start making the crepes). Pull out the cream cheese too, if you are using it, so it warms a bit and is easier to spread. Make the balsamic syrup, and set it aside. Chop the kale and the pears. Place the pears in some slightly acidic cold water (a squeeze of lemon will do) to keep them from browning. Make the crepes and set aside while you saute the kale (just a touch of oil and a very hot pan). I like to finish the kale with a squeeze of lemon juice and a little salt. To assemble, smear a small amount of cream cheese on a crepe, top with the kale and a sprinkling of pears and drizzle with the syrup.
By the way, the balsamic syrup is a great addition to all kinds of things, and it’s really easy to make. Just combine 1/2 cup balsamic with a tablespoon of sugar, and heat to your desired consistency… actually, just a tiny bit thinner than what you’d like because it will thicken a smidge as it cools. It’s also the subject of my next Still Life With remake challenge… so stay tuned!
It started with an idea to make my own soba noodles. My udon noodles were so tasty, I thought it would be no problem.
They started out beautifully enough. I used a ratio of 2:1 buckwheat to bread flour with salt and water. The rested dough, once rolled a little bit, fed through the past roller to yield fine sheets of pasta.
It even cut into beautiful long threads instead of crumbling as I feared it might.
Kind of gorgeous aren’t they? Just think of them floating in dashi. What could go wrong?
Well, apparently, even a slight move in the warm broth, and they turned into sludge.
So sad. Obviously, no recipe until I get it right. I always do like a good challenge…
Has anyone made their own soba before? What’s your trick?
