Brian’s French Bread

16 oz. all-purpose flour
16 oz. bread flour
1 tsp. Brown sugar
2 2/3 cups warm water
1 1/2 tsp. active yeast or 1 1/4 tsp. dry yeast
2 1/2 tsp. Salt
1 lb. old dough

In the bowl of a kitchenaide mixer, combine both flours and brown sugar.

Disolve yeast in warm water. Slowly stir into flour mixture. Let rest 20 minutes covered with a clean towel.

Add salt and old dough to mixer. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Let rise 30 minutes. Pull off 1 pound of dough and freeze.
Let remaining dough continue to rise another 1 1/2 hours.

Divide into two or three equal pieces and shape loaves.

Place on parchment covered, upside down cookie sheet or peal and allow to rise 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 475F.

Slit tops of loaves, place in oven. Reduce oven temp to 425F. Bake 2 minutes, spritz loaves with water. Bake another 5 minutes and spritz again. Alternately you can place 1 cup of water in a cast iron pan that has been preheating in the oven.

Bake 30 minutes until internal temperature of bread is 205F

Joe Gorski’s Cream Biscuits

My cousin Joe makes these regurlarly and they are spectacular. Stolen straight from the Fannie Farmer cookbook.

2 cups flour
1 tsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Baking powder
2 Tbsp. Sugar
1-1 1/2 cups heavy cream
6 Tbsp. Melted butter

Preheat oven to 425F

Combine flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in a bowl.

Slowly add 1 cup of heavy cream, stirring constantly. Gather dough together. It should hold together, if shaggy add more ceeam.

Knead 1 minute, roll out into 1/2″ thick, cut into biscuits.

Dip each biscuit into melted butter, place 2 inches apart on baking sheet.

Bake 15 minutes, until golden.

Graham Cracker Crust

1 1/2 cups ground Graham Crackers
1/3 cup sugar
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Crush graham crackers in a plastic bag or in this modern world, blend them in the food processor.
Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Press into a pie plate.
For baked pie: Bake 375F for 7-8 min.
For cold filling: Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before filling

Baked Zucchini Halves with Parmesan

Morgan found this is on Pinterest.

Slice a whole zucchini or summer squash down the middle

Brush lightly with olive oil and top with a mixture of:
Grated Parmesan cheese, thyme and rosemary
Sprinkle with salt and pepper

Bake for 15 minutes and finish with three-to-four minutes under the broiler until cheese is crunchy

Mussels in Butter and Wine

From Mastering the Art of French Cooking

2 cups white wine
1/2 cup shallots, minced
8 parsley sprigs
1/2 bay leaf
6 Tbsp. butter
1/4 tsp. thyme
pepper

1 bag mussels, about 2 pounds, scrubbed and de-bearded

2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley

In a large pan with a tight fitting lid, add the wine, shallots, herbs and butter. Boil 3 minutes.

Add the mussels, cover the pot and steam until the mussels open, about 5 minutes. Remove the mussels as they open and place on a large bowl/plate. Pour the sauce over when done. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley.

You may strain the sauce through cheesecloth to get rid of any sand, we just pour it over.

Scoop some sauce into little bowls for dipping the mussels in as you eat them to rinse off any remaining grit.

Escarole and White Beans

Adapted from Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero. New York, NY: Marlowe & Company, 2007.

I love this dish served over polenta.

1 head escarole, thoroughly washed and coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp. capers, drained
Salt
1 cup cooked small white beans
Lemon wedges for serving

Preheat a large saute pan over medium heat. Saute the garlic in the oil until just starting to brown. Add the red pepper flakes, stir. Add the escarole and salt to taste. Using tongs, toss the escarole until it begins to wilt. Add the beans and the capers and cook until heated through (about 3 minutes).

Remove from the heat and squeeze on a little lemon juice. Serve with additional lemon wedges.

Apple Chili Verde

This recipe is adapted from Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero. New York, NY: Marlowe & Company, 2007.  I find canned tomatillos work as well as fresh.

1 lb.potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, peeled if using russets
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 jalapenos, seeded and sliced thinly
2 chili peppers, seed and chopped into 1-inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. salt
1 lb. tomatillos, skins removed, washed, diced
2 red apples, cored and sliced thinly
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup loosely packed cilantro
1 1/2 cup while beans (1 can), rinsed
Juice of 1 lime

Cook the potatoes in water until tender. Drain and set aside.

In a large pot saute the onion and peppers until softened and the onions are lightly browned.

Add the spices and cook for a minute until fragrant. Add the tomatillos, and cook for a few minutes so that they release some of their juices (Veganomicon adds 1/3 cup dry white wine).

Add the apples, broth and 1/2 cup of cilantro. Simmer, covered, 20 minutes.

Partially puree the chili, leaving slightly chunky. Taste for tartness, if too tart add a teaspoon of sugar. Add the potatoes and beans and simmer until heated through. Add the remaining cilantro and lime juice.

Serve with sliced avocados and chopped scallions. If you are not vegan, some cheese is a great addition.

This also makes a good dip served cold with tortilla chips.

Pumpkin Cookies

This recipe is from Joy of Cooking, the first cookbook my mother bought every one of her children and grandchildren.

Preheat oven to 375˚

Cream together:
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar

Add and mix well:
1 cup cooked pumpkin
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Sift together and add to above mixture:
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice

Drop onto greased cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes.

Apple and Cheese Muffins

Mornings do not agree with most teenagers and my youngest was a strong testament to that fact. During her high school years, muffins were Kelsey’s answer to eating in class when lunch was late and morning was early. I made lots of muffins in those years, this is one such recipe.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 egg
1 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups diced, peeled apple
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375˚.
In a large bowl mix flours, sugar, baking soda and spices.
In a med. bowl, beat egg, then add yogurt, oil, apple and cheese. Add to flour mixture all at once and stir just until moistened.

Spoon into greased (or paper-lined) muffin tins.

Bake 375˚, 18-20 minutes. Makes 12-18 muffins.

Hello world!

Lorraine Sian

An attempt to honor the great recipes of my mother, Lorraine Sian. Her kitchen was the best place in the world.