Honey Oat Roasted Pears and Cornmeal Fig Focaccia

I write and putter best at night. I love the hush of the house after eleven, when hubby has fallen asleep and the pups are snoozing, occasionally quietly checking in on me between power naps.
This is my time. I get little things done, work on the computer, read... and fall asleep around 1am. Sounds ok, right? Did I mention that I get up at 4:45am with my commuter? To say that I am groggy would be an understatement, but I do get up and we have our coffee and breakie together. He is gone for long days and it counts as a good part of our time together. Most of the time we have cereal. I have high hopes of making something nice in the morning but when I actually fall out of bed I resemble something quite like Frankenstein's monster. Only not quite as cute. Hubby will give me a big hug when I surface, and I will say "Murrrrhhh" That is about all I can muster at such an hour. He doesn't mind, he makes me a double espresso and we have cereal together. Sometimes he makes eggs or we have some sort of leftover baked goods, but my family understands that, while I love to make breakfast - I would rather make it at noon.

Feeling a little guilty over our fifth day of Special K in a row, I decided to go ahead and make a nice breakie. At night.
I baked up a pan of Cornmeal and Fig Focaccia and prepped this recipe for Anna Olson's Honey Oat Roasted Pears. All the night before. I left the pan of stuffed pears in the fridge with plastic over them and instructions on the counter. The focaccia was in a cake dome on the same counter. When I awoke at the ungodly hour mentioned before, it was to the scent of pears heating up in the counter-top oven. Brilliant!

These baked pears were absolutely delicious. I cut the sugar in half and even omitted the honey as they were fairly ripe and sweet. I was surprised how well they stayed in the fridge cut open like that but I guess the brushing with the melted butter helped. I served them with a big dollop of plain yogurt, but they would also be nice for dessert with some good vanilla bean ice cream. Click here for the recipe, from Anna Olson's Food Network Canada show and new cookbook, Fresh. My review of the book is here.

Cornmeal Focaccia with Figs
Focaccia, Carol Field
recipe sourced from Baking Obsession here
(Check hers out, it actually looks much better than mine!)

Makes one, 10 ½ x 15 ½-inch focaccia; serves about 8

Ingredients:

• 8 oz dried figs, preferably Calmyrna
• 1 ½ cups water, room temperature
• 2 ½ tsp active dry yeast
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup plus 2 tsp cornmeal
• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp turbinado or demerara sugar

Preparation:

Soak the figs in the water for 30 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 1/3 cups of the water, and coarsely chop the figs. Warm the reserved water to 105 to 115 F. Sprinkle the yeast over the warmed fig water in a bowl of stand mixer, whisk it in, and let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in 2 tbsp olive oil. In another bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, and salt and add the mixture in 2 additions to the yeast mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until a dough is formed. Place the bowl onto the stand mixer base and knead with a dough hook for about 4 minutes, or until the dough is firm and slightly sticky.

Note: if you don’t have the stand mixer you can knead the dough by hand, for about 8-10 minutes.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

On a lightly floured work surface, flatten the dough into a 7-8 x 14-inch rectangle. Distribute three quarters of the figs over the dough, leaving a 1-inch margin around the edges. Fold in all the sides and roll the dough into a cylinder. Place in an oiled

10 ½ x 15 ½ -inch baking pan and flatten with the palm of your hand, being careful to keep the figs from poking through the skin of the dough. Press gently on the surface to stretch the dough to fit the bottom of the pan and, when it resists, cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Stretch the dough again until it reaches the edges of the pan. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and a towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

At least 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 400 F with a baking stone inside, if you have one. Dimple the dough lightly with your fingertips, drizzle with 2 tbsp of olive oil, dot the remaining figs over the top, and sprinkle with the sugar. Place the pan directly on the stone and bake until the focaccia is golden, about 20-25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The focaccia is best served the day it’s baked.

Oh, and if you are worried about me and my lack of sleep? I nap with the pups by late morning. Hey, if it's good enough for them...

Nigella's Italian Sausages with Lentils

Sausage and lentils are a classic combo, you see them a lot in French and Italian cooking. This is a high protein, fairly healthy meal (depending on the quality of the sausages) that would be great with a dark green salad with a zippy, zesty dressing.
I dressed up the lentils with some added garlic, thyme, crushed black pepper and sea salt. The sauce from the sausages is wonderful, but I found the extra seasoning on the lentils quite good. They would have been pretty mild without it, or at least for me. Nobody has ever accused me of being subtle.

Italian Sausages with Lentils
Nigella Lawson
from her website here
and Nigella Bites

Ingredients

3–4 tablespoons olive oil (not extra virgin)

1 onion, finely chopped

sprinkling of salt

500g Puy lentils

1 fat clove garlic, squished with the side of a knife, and skin removed

8 Italian sausages

100ml red wine

50ml water

flat-leaf parsley for sprinkling

Serving Size : Serves 4.

METHOD

1.	To cook the lentils, put 2–3 tablespoons of the oil into a good-sized saucepan (and one which has a lid that fits) on the heat and when it’s warm add the chopped onion. Sprinkle with salt (which helps prevents it browning) and cook over a low to medium heat till soft (about 5 minutes). Add the lentils, stir well and then cover generously with cold water. Bring to the boil, then cover and let simmer gently for half an hour or so until cooked and most, if not all, the liquid’s absorbed. I don’t add salt at this stage since the sauce provided by the sausages later (and which will be poured over the lentils) will be pretty salty itself. So, wait and taste. And remember, you can of course cook the lentils in advance.
2.	Anyway, when either the lentils are nearly ready or you’re about to reheat them, put a heavy-based frying pan on the hob, cover with a film of oil and add the bruised garlic. Cook for a few minutes then add and brown the sausages. When the sausages are brown on both sides – which won’t take more than 5 minutes or so (actually, I used more time in getting a good brown on all sides of the sausages, which is how I like them best) – throw in the wine and water and let bubble up. (I added some extra chopped garlic here) Cover the pan, either with a lid or tin foil, and cook for about 15 minutes. Using a fork, mash the now-soft garlic into the sauce and taste for seasoning, adding a little more water if it’s too strong.
3.	Remove the lentils to a shallowish bowl or dish (I evacuate the sausages from their cooking pan, plonk the lentils in, then proceed) then cover with the sausages and their garlicky, winey gravy. Sprinkle over some flat-leaf parsley.

Italian Sausages with Lentils for the I Heart Cooking Clubs Pot Luck!

The Bread Baking Babes Celebrate the Season with Viennese Striesel

'Tis the season to bake with sticky dried fruits, earthy nuts, and sugar!
Katie of Thyme for Cooking is our Bread Baking Babe hostess of the month and has provided us with a seasonal and delicious loaf to bake for the holiday season.
I made it according to the recipe, only subbing craisins for the candied cherries as I didn't have any.
Mine was fairly dark by 45 minutes, but the inside was creamy and delicious. Very tasty indeed.

If you would like to join us as a Bread Baking Buddy this month, visit Katie's Viennese Striesel post and either leave a comment or send an email and she will send you the Buddy Badge. Katie will do the Buddy recap on December 21st.

Viennese Striesel

Basic Sweet Dough - I used my stand mixer with the dough hook and just finished up the kneading by hand.

1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup very warm water
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tbs shortening, melted (I used butter)
2 3/4 - 3 cups flour
1 egg

Dissolve yeast in warm water
Scald milk. Put milk, sugar, shortening, salt in bowl of mixer. Cool until just warm. Stir in 1 cup of flour. Mix in dissolved yeast.
Whisk egg and add to dough. Add second cup of flour and combine.

(Add remaining flour and knead until smooth and satiny if all you are doing is this basic dough - otherwise go on to the second part of the striesel recipe)

Viennese Striesel

1 recipe Basic Sweet Dough* recipe above
1/4 cup seedless raisins
1/4 cup candied cherries, chopped
2 tbs candied orange peel, chopped
1/8 tsp mace

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tbs milk
almonds or walnuts for sprinkling

Add fruit and mace to basic dough before the last of the flour. Mix in well. Add remaining flour and finish kneading until smooth.
Shape into a ball, place in lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled, about 2 1/4 hours.
Punch down. Divide into 9 pieces, shape each into a ball and let rest 5 minutes.
Roll each piece into a rope about 15" long. Lay 4 strands on a lightly greased baking sheet, overlapping at the center. Braid from the center toward each end. With the side of your hand make a trench down the center. Now braid 3 strands, also from the center to each end, and place in the 'trench'. Twist the 2 remaining strands loosely together and place on top, bringing the ends over the end of the loaf and tucking in.
Cover loosely and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. Bake, 350F (175C) for 40 - 45 minutes. Remove and cool on a wire rack.
Mix milk and sugar. When bread is cool, drizzle frosting over the top. Sprinkle with nuts.

This Viennese Striesel has been Yeastspotted!

Visit the Bread Baking Babes to see how they fared with this gorgeous loaf.

The Bread Baking Babes
Not just pretty faces!

Bake My Day - Karen
Canela and Comino - Gretchen
Cookie Baker Lynn - Lynn
Grain Doe - Gorel
I Like To Cook - Sara
Living in the Kitchen with Puppies - Natashya That's me!
Living on bread and water - Monique
Lucullian Delights - Ilva
My Kitchen In Half Cups - Tanna
Notitie Van Lien - Lien
The Sour Dough - Breadchick Mary

Salmon en Croute

Hooray for dinner wrapped in pastry!

This month, the Daring Cooks challenge was to make a Salmon en Croute. A delicious fillet of salmon is topped with an herbal, creamy topping, wrapped in delicate pastry, and baked to yummy perfection. This is a dish I have always wanted to make so I was thrilled when it was announced as the challenge, and even more thrilled by how easy and delicious it is. Sometimes we just need that little push.
Hubby found a nice big side of salmon on sale, I used some puff pastry I had on hand, wrapped up a big fillet of the salmon and used the rest to make gravlax. We are in salmon heaven.

Recipes to Rival Challenge - Beef Wellington, Summer 2009

I chose not to make the optional Beef Wellington as I had made it in the summer for Recipes to Rival. As you can see from the picture, it is totally delicious! Cooking meat or fish wrapped in pastry keeps the steam inside for a wonderfully tender finished product.

Blog Checking Lines:
The 2009 Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Simone of Junglefrog Cooking. Simone chose Salmon en Croute (or alternative recipes for Beef Wellington or Vegetable en Croute) from Good Food Online.
Recipe source : Good Food online

A few notes first:
1.If you are making the short-crust pastry yourself; make sure not to add too much water as that will render the pastry too hard, making it impossible to roll out into the needed size.
2. If you cannot find short-crust pastry and don’t want to make it yourself, you can substitute with puff pastry.
3. The recipe does not call for adding any extra salt or other seasonings to the salmon. I found that the salmon could use just a little bit of extra flavor, so feel free to add some seasoning to your liking. Be careful not to use too much as the topping also adds flavor.
For a vegetarian version check out this recipe on my blog and leave out the chicken

Preparation time: Total prep time incl. cooking for the Salmon is 50 minutes
Total prep time for the Beef Wellington is 3 hours

Shortcrust pastry: 50 minutes (optional)
Equipment required:
For the Salmon en croute
oven
food processor
rolling pin

For the Beef Wellington
Blender or food processor
Frying pan
15 cm crepe pan or small frying pan or griddle
cling film
oven

Salmon en croute:
Ingredients
Mascarpone or cream cheese 5.2 ounces/150 gr
Watercress, rocket (arugula) and spinach - 0.6 cup/4.2 ounces/120 gr
Shortcrust pastry - 17.6 ounces, 500 gr. Use a butter version such as Jus-rol which is frozen or dorset pastry. or... make your own!
Salmon fillet (skinless)- 17.6 ounce/500 gr
egg - 1 medium sized

Directions:
1.Heat the oven to 200°C/390 F. Put the mascarpone or cream cheese in a food processor with the watercress, spinach and rocket and whizz the lot until you have a creamy green puree. Season well.
2. Roll the pastry out so you can wrap the salmon in it completely (approx. 2-3 mm thick) and lay it on a buttered or oiled baking sheet (it will hang over the edges). Put the salmon in the middle. If it has a thinner tail end, tuck it under. Spoon half of the watercress mixture onto the salmon. Now fold the pastry over into a neat parcel (the join will be at the top, so trim the edge neatly), making sure you don’t have any thick lumps of pastry as these won’t cook through properly. Trim off any excess as you need to. Make 3 neat cuts in the pastry to allow steam to escape and make some decorations with the off-cuts to disguise the join if you like. Brush with the egg glaze.
3. Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and browned. To test whether the salmon is cooked, push a sharp knife through one of the cuts into the flesh, wait for 3 seconds then test it against the inside of your wrist; if it is hot, the salmon is cooked. Serve with the rest of the watercress puree as a sauce.

Shortcrust pastry

Ingredients:
450 gr (15.8 ounces or 3.2 cups ) of plain all purpose flour
200 gr ( 7 ounce) cold butter
pinch of salt

Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. If you have a food processor you can use that as shown in the above video.
Stir in the salt, then add 2-3 tbsp of water and mix to a firm dough. Knead the dough briefly and gently on a floured surface. Wrap in cling film and chill while preparing the filling.
For best results make sure the butter is very cold.

Instructions for Beef Wellington (serves 4)
Button mushrooms - 17.6 ounces/500gr (stalks removed and finely chopped)
Olive oil - 2-3 tbsp
thyme - 1 sprig
Beef fillet, center cut piece - 21.16 ounce/600 gr
English mustard - 1 tbsp
puff pastry (all butter pastry pack) - 17.6 ounce/500 gr
parma ham (prosciutto) - 3 slices
egg yolk - 1 pcs, beaten

For the herb crepes:
plain (all purpose) flour - 0.3 cup/1.76 ounce/50 gr
milk - 0.5 cup/125 ml
mixed herbs - 1 tbsp (chopped, use herbs such as chervil, chives and tarragon)
butter - 0.5 tbsp

Instructions:
1. To make the crepes, whizz the flour, egg and milk with a pinch of salt in a blender or processor until smooth. Pour into a jug and stir in the herbs and some seasoning. Leave to rest.
2. Fry the mushrooms in a little oil until they give up all their moisture and it has evaporated, leaving you with a thick paste. Add the thyme leaves and some seasoning and keep cooking for a few minutes. Cool.
3. Stir the melted butter into the crepe batter, heat a 15 cm crepe pan and oil it lightly. Pour in enough batter to make a thin layer on the base of the pan, cook until the top surface sets and then turn over and cook briefly. Remove and repeat with the rest of the batter. This will make a couple more than you need so choose the thinnest ones for the recipe.
4. Sear the beef all over in a little oil in a very hot pan. Brush with the mustard, season and allow to cool.
5. Lay a large sheet of cling-film on a kitchen surface and put two crepes down on it, overlapping a little. Lay over the parmaham (prosciutto). Spread the mushroom mixture over the ham and put the beef in the centre. Roll the cling-film up, taking the crepe with it, to wrap the beef completely into a nice neat log. Chill for 1 hour.
6. Heat the oven to 200°C/390F. Roll out the pastry, remove the clingfilm and wrap the beef in the pastry like a parcel, with the ends tucked under. Trim to keep it nice and neat. Brush with egg, score with shallow lines across the top and chill for 20 minutes.
7. Cook for 20 minutes. The best way to test if the meat is done to your liking is to neatly and carefully stick a skewer into the beef, count to three and then test it against your inner wrist. If it is cold, the beef will be raw, if it is warm then the beef will be rare and if it’s hot, it’ll be cooked through. Leave to rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Piccante Dolce's Chipotle Mango Pulled Pork Sammies

There are times, when surfing and blog visiting and twittering that I wonder - wow, what just happened to the last couple of hours of my life? It is true, foodie bloggers spend a lot of time online. Some days are more productive than others.
But one of the bright points of this online life is the inspiration and support that other foodie bloggers offer. The other day I had a craving. I really wanted a pulled pork sammie. With chipotle peppers. I had a little boneless pork shoulder roast and didn't want to have to go out and pick up any extra ingredients.
I tweeted my desires and was instantly provided the perfect recipe for my cravings. Piccante Dolce sent me a link to her signature crock pot dish and I couldn't be happier. It was easy and totally delicious. My kind of meal! Hubby was so very happy with this dish, I am sure I could make it every week for him for the rest of his life.
I had a 2lb roast, so I scaled the recipe back by about a third (the original recipe is below) Except for the garlic of course, I would never reduce garlic. Also, the original recipe called for mango - I didn't have any on hand but I did have half a fresh pineapple and so used that instead. I am sure the mango would be great, and the pineapple was delicious. The fruit adds a nice element of sweetness to the pulled pork. This recipe is a winner. Thanks Piccante!

Chipotle Mango Pineapple Pulled Pork
Piccante Dolce

Ingredients
1 3-4 lb pork shoulder - trimmed of any excess fat (trying to be SB conscious)
1 - 2 large mangoes - cubed (I didn't have mangoes, I used fresh pineapple)
1 large onion - diced
4 cloves of garlic - minced
2-4 chipotle chilis canned in adobo - seeded deveined and chopped (depending on how much heat you want)
1 Tbsp adobo from the canned chilis
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup whiskey
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp mustard powder
salt & pepper
buns or bread of your choice
sliced avocado for garnish (I also added home-grown sprouts)

Action Shots!

Directions:
1. Place pork shoulder in slow cooker and cover with vinegar, ketchup, whiskey, mango, onions, garlic, chilis, adobo and spices. Set to cook for 8 hours on high. (I switched to low after about 5 hours)
2. At the end of the cook time, carefully remove the pro shoulder from the slow cooker and shred with two forks. Return to the slow cooker and stir with the remaining liquid.
3. Serve on toasted buns topped with sliced avocado and cole slaw on the side.

World's simplest basic slaw.

In your food processor - slice thin wedges of green cabbage so that they end up like ribbons. Shred peeled carrots. Empty into large bowl. Add, to taste, apple cider vinegar, mayo, kosher salt and pepper and a pinch of sugar. Toss and adjust seasoning again to taste. Leftovers make great lunchbox fare.
You can tart your slaw up to match your meals, really the sky is the limit.

Chipotle Pineapple Pulled Pork Sammies for Souper Sundays (Soup, Salad and Sammies) with Deb of Kahakai Kitchen and Crock Pot Wednesdays with Dining with Debbie! What can I say? I have a thing for Debs.

Nigella Lawson's Christmas Chocolate Cookies

Cookie Exchange!
That time of year when we feel inexplicably drawn to bake for one and all. Spread the goody love, as it were. Today I made these beautiful chocolate Christmas cookies for my son, his friends, his girlfriend and her father. Yes, I met a parent. That's a pretty big step!
These are very light cookies, not too sweet. A little like a light brownie or even shortbread - without the heaviness.
The icing acts as a glue to add festive sprinkles and is casually spooned on to create a free-form runny look. They are quick, easy and delicious. Below is a video of Nigella herself, whipping them up in her own inimitable style.

Christmas Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 sticks (18 tablespoons) soft butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• For the Festive Topping:
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup boiling water, from a kettle
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Christmas sprinkles

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl and when you have a light, soft whipped mixture, beat in the 1/3 cup cocoa powder (sifting if it is lumpy), and when that's mixed in, beat in the flour with the baking soda and baking powder. Or just put everything in the processor and blitz, if you prefer.

This mixture is very soft and sticky and I find it easiest to form the coolers wearing my disposable vinyl gloves, so pinch off pieces about 1 tablespoon in size, roll them into balls, then slightly flatten into fat discs as you place them well spaced on your cookie sheet; you should get about 12 on at a time.

Back each batch for 15 minutes; even though the cookies won't feel as if they've had enough time , the will continue to cook as they cool. They will look slightly cracked on top and it's this cozy, homespun look I love.

Remove the cookie sheet to a cold surface and let it sit for 15 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack, with a sheet of newspaper under it to catch drips while topping them.

To make the topping, put the cocoa powder, confectioners' sugar, water and vanilla extract into a small saucepan and whisk over a low heat until everything is smoothly combined. Take off the heat for 10 minutes.

When the cookies are cool, drizzle each one with the tablespoonful of chocolate glaze, to glue the sprinkles on in a minute, using the back of the spoon to help spread the mixture, though an uneven dribbly look is part of their charm.

After you've iced six cookies, scatter with some of the Christmas sprinkles and continue this until all the cookies are topped. "If you ice them all before sprinkling, you will find the cocoa "glue" has dried and the sprinkles won't stick on.

I Love Canadian Chefs! Cookbook Review - Fresh with Anna Olson

Fresh with Anna Olson
Seasonally inspired recipes to share with family and friends.

Anna Olson is a Food Network Canada sweetheart. Originally born in Atlanta, Georgia, Anna and her family moved to Canada when she was a young child. She had started out studying politics and sociology and went into the field of banking, but when she realized that she was happiest in the kitchen, she enrolled in the prestigious culinary program at Johnson and Wales University in Vail, Colorado.
When she returned to Canada, she settled in beautiful Niagara and went to work in the kitchen of the Inn on the Twenty. After some time as a line cook, she was promoted to pastry chef. It was here that she met and fell in love with head chef Michael Olson. A foodie fairytale come true, they have been inspiring and encouraging each other, and us, ever since.
Her latest cookbook, Fresh, is a celebration of the seasons. In a style that is becoming more popular lately, the book is divided into the four seasons with an emphasis on fresh and local ingredients.

I had actually made this Roasted Vegetable Tart over a year ago when it was the featured dish on Food Network Canada's website. Light and flaky phyllo dough is layered, not with butter, but with roasted garlic oil for a flavour sensation. The butternut squash and sage are lifted nicely by the red pepper, fennel and feta. A very pretty dish, great for guests.

This Sweet Potato Soup with Coconut Milk and Ginger was just the thing to keep us warm now that the cold weather has settled in. The flavours are Thai in nature and the contrast of sweet and heat is lovely.

I just had to make her Devilled Eggs. I had a craving. The recipe is a classic one, nothing too out of the ordinary - but there is something about devilled eggs that is so irresistible. I added some paprika to this one, when I realized that we were trying to take pictures of white eggs on a white plate. I love the tang and bite that the capers give, they will definitely be on my devilled eggs from now on.

The Sweet and Salty Trail Mix had a great balance of flavours. I ended up packaging it in several small baggies for my commuters to grab quickly on the way out the door. So much healthier than a pre-packaged granola bar! The balance of the sweetness of the dried fruits and maple syrup was beautiful with the deep spices and flaky salt. I will be making this often.

And a recipe that I thought was brilliant was the Beet and Goat Cheese Terrine. Thinly sliced cooked beets are made into a mould for deliciously flavoured goat cheese. The terrines are turned out onto some mixed greens, here I have used baby arugula and spinach. Next time I will slice my beets thinner, so they conform to the ramekin shape better, but the flavour was out of this world.

Anna has a lovely little bakery, Olson Foods + Bakery in Port Dalhousie, that hubby and I always stop at when we tour the Niagara wine region in the summer. And, while I don't care for her representing the faux sugar product Splenda, the product thankfully does not show up in her store, shows or books.

Some of the other recipes that I have bookmarked are:

• Smoked Salmon Crepe Torte
• Homemade Tortellini with Fennel Cream
• Blueberry Sticky Buns
• Fruit and Nut Muesli
• Honey Oat Roasted Pears
• Frisée Salad with Warm Camembert
• Walnut Brie Strudel
• Three Cheese Pasta Bake

It's going to be a delicious season!

Pain de Campagne

This week for the Bread Baker's Apprentice challenge, I made Pain de Campagne. A rustic bread, similar to a baguette but made more hearty with the addition of some whole grain flour.

A paté fermentée is made the night before, then blended with the flours, yeast, salt and water to make the dough. It rises for two hours and then is shaped into three interesting shapes of your choosing, rises for another hour and is baked at a high heat.

For shaping, I chose the Epi - the wheat stalk - that is made out of a baguette shape and snipped with scissors and stretched out to form the blades. And the Couronne - the crown - a boule is made, a hole created in the middle and creases formed in the shape of a big square. I also made a Fendu - a creased, almost folded-in shape - but mine rose up in the oven and lost much of its shape. It was still delicious though! Click here for the recipe. My daughter, my husband, and I sat down and ate these two loaves of bread and that wheel of brie in one sitting. It is just that good. This might be my favourite bread yet.