Tuesdays with Dorie - Semolina Bread

Today`s recipe for the Tuesdays with Dorie group is „Semolina Bread“, a recipe that was contributed by author, teacher and baker extraordinaire Nick Malgieri.

The recipe itself is not long and seemed rather uncomplicated. Apart from yeast, all purpose flour, salt, and olive oil, the main ingredient of the bread is semolina flour, a flour often associated with Italian breads, it is a flour milled from durum wheat, it is yellow in color and the very flour used for pasta making. The obvious store to get this flour was my favorite Italian store. I have often bought semolina flour before (I use it for pasta making and for baking cakes) but for this bread, I needed to replenish my stock.

The preparation, although somewhat of a lengthy process, was easy enough. After you prepare the sponge and wait two hours for it to rise and double in volume, you add the remaining ingredients, mix everything together for a few minutes, put the dough into an oiled bowl and then you wait for about another two hours for it all to double in volume (first rise), then you deflate and shape, transfer to a baking sheet and wait another two hours until the dough doubles in bulk again (second rise). Then you slash lines on the sides of the loaf and then you finally get to bake the bread for about 35 minutes. Of course, I had to use a really sharp kitchen knife for the “slashing” since I was fresh out of razor blades. I must say that the bread did smell wonderful while baking.

All sounds not too complicated but somehow, without a picture, I really did not know how this bread was supposed to look like. Not that I had never seen semolina bread before but this particular one was a bit of a mystery to me. I should also add that semolina bread is not a bread readily available at the bakeries around here unless you can find one of the very few bakeries that specializes in Italian breads.

So, I ended up having to bake the bread twice. The second time the semolina bread just looked better that my first try, not as flat, more bread like and a little bit more, well, photogenic.

I served the bread with a wonderful light olive oil for dipping (the same one that I used for the dough, although only one tablespoon was required) and some delicious green and black olives. The taste testers loved nibbling on this bread and agreed that I should bake this again sometime. And I will bake it again because although I was not all that happy with the "looks" of this bread, I loved the way the bread tasted, fresh and toasted, the day after it was baked.

Our gracious hosts for today's recipe are Renee of The Way to My Family´s Heart and Anna of Keep it Luce - a big Thank You to both!

To see how the other Doristas prepared the Semolina Bread, please click here.

"Happy Bastille Day!" - "Joyeux Quatorze Juillet!"

Why don´t you celebrate this years “Bastille Day" -  "Quatorze Juillet " with a wonderful Coconut Cake with Berries and Cream, similar to a Tres Leches Cake but with a coconutty twist – it is a wonderful cake to celebrate the French National Holiday on the Fourteenth of July!

I found this recipe in the July 2012 edition of Martha Stewart Living. It was featured as part of the Fourth of July celebration menu but I thought it would be just as fitting for a French Fourteenth of July celebration menu. Whatever day you celebrate, this cake is an absolute winner!

Coconut Cake with Berries and Cream
(as adapted from Martha Stewart Living, July 2012)

Ingredients for the Cake

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for pans
6 eggs (L), separated (organic or free range, if possible)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 cup superfine sugar
1 package of pure vanilla sugar or 2 tsp of pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup flaked unsweetened coconut, toasted and finely ground
1 cup AP flour, divided
2 cups heavy cream, divided
1 can (13.75 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
3 cups mixed fresh berries (I used blueberries, strawberries and raspberries but blackberries or other fruit would be just as delightful)

Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and generously butter a 9-by-13-inch glass baking pan.
2. Whisk together the egg whites, baking soda, and salt in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium speed, until soft peaks form, four to five minutes.
3. Add the egg yolks to the egg-white mixture, and whisk until completely combined.
4. Gradually add sugar, vanilla sugar (or extract) and whisk until combined.
5. Fold in the melted butter and the finely ground coconut with a large rubber spatula.
6. Sift 1/4 cup flour onto the mixture and fold to combine. Repeat with the remaining flour, folding in 1/4 cup at a time.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared glass baking pan and bake the cake until it is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, whisk together one cup of heavy cream, the coconut milk, and the condensed milk.
9. As soon as the cake is removed from the oven, pour the cream mixture over the cake.
10. Let the cake cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
11. Cover the cooled cake with some plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least five hours and up to eight hours (I found five hours to be quite sufficient).

Serving

Just before serving, whisk the remaining cup of heavy cream until soft peaks form, and spread over the cake. Serve with mixed berries, some on top, the rest on the side.

"Happy Bastille Day!" -  "Joyeux Quatorze Juillet!"

French Fridays with Dorie: Blueberry-Mascarpone Roulade - And a morning spent blueberry picking

This week`s recipe for the French Fridays with Dorie group is Blueberry-Mascarpone Roulade. At first glance, the recipe seems rather long with a lot of different steps but after the second read, it becomes obvious that this is not a complicated recipe at all but a simple, summery recipe for a cake filled with blueberries and a cream.

Since this is a roulade filled with blueberries, the most important ingredient to get is, of course, the blueberries and what better activity for a summer´s day than to pick blueberries with all the kids involved in the action. So we packed up the car and drove to the one and only blueberry farm that I am aware of. It is about a thirty minute drive and we go there once a year to pick three huge baskets full of delicious, wonderful blueberries.

So this year we went blueberry picking a little earlier than in previous years but with that roulade in mind and all the other lovely blueberry dishes that will make an appearance at our house soon, nobody complained. Even the weather was perfect.

Back home, the roulade was quickly made, I usually bake a strawberry roulade and I do not find it particularly difficult or intimidating to bake this jelly roll style of cake. It was easy to follow the directions in Dorie´s recipe and the cake turned out wonderful and light, just the way we like it. While the cake was cooling, the blueberries had to be dropped in hot sugary syrup to soften and sweeten them ever so slightly. After cake and berries were cool enough, I folded the blueberries into the mascarpone and cream, spread the cream onto the cake, rolled the cake up and put it into the frigde to set for a while. All that was left to do before we devoured the cake, was to dust it with confectioner´s sugar. I then plated it and it was gone in about fifteen minutes.

We all adored this cake, it was wonderful with afternoon tea (I loved Earl Grey tea with this cake). It is just a marvelous cake, not too sweet and very pretty. It was fun reading through Dorie´s recipe and all of the “bonnes idées” and preparing the cake and the end result was just delicious. I followed the recipe to the letter and I would not hesitate to make this again, for a special occasion as well as an every day treat and it was well worth the extra effort of picking fresh blueberries!

Voilà! - Enjoy!

Biscoff Oatmeal Cookies - Wonderful with Summer Fruits

Those Biscoff Oatmeal Cookies are quite wonderful alongside the "flat" peaches, "sugar apricots" and "mini flat nectarines" that I found at the market a few days ago - I do not really know how they are all properly called in English, but these apricots, peaches (did you see these on the cover of the August issue of "Martha Stewart Living" Magazine?) and nectarines are not only sweeter that the "regular kinds" but are also much prettier.

And Biscoff Cookies, well, a lot of people are raving about the Biscoff Spread. A few months ago,  I also made the Bicscoff Oatmeal Cookies and already posted the recipe for these Cookies (see my post), so there is only pictures today.

When we are in the Netherlands, I always buy a few jars of the famous Biscoff Spread and I have since learned that a similar spread is also available from an American company as "Cookie Spread" or "Speculoos Cookie Butter".

 The European Biscoff Spread is now available in two kinds, regular and crunchy, with little pieces of Biscoff Cookies throughout the Spread, delicious! When I made them the first time, I added 3.5 ounces (100 g) Côte d´Or chocolate to the cookie dough and used the regular Biscoff Cookie Spread. This time,  I decided to leave out the chocolate and use the crunchy Biscoff Spread. My taste testers told me that the Biscoff Oatmeal Cookies turned out to be even a bit more wonderful with the crunchy Spread than with the regular Spread!

We liked the Cookies a lot when I made them the first time and we liked them even a bit more this time.

Serve the Biscoff Oatmeal Cookies alongside some fresh summer fruits and whether you will use the regular or crunchy Spread, add dark or white chocolate (as some bakers do) you will not regret having tried this easy and delicious cookie recipe! Just make sure not to use add ins that will overpower the distict taste of the Speculoos cookies that comes from adding the Spread and some additional cinnamon. And, again, as I often mentioned already,when using cinnamon in baked goods (or other fare) try to use good cinnamon, preferably from Ceylon.

Peanut Butter and Nutella Cookies - A Child´s Play

The summer vacation has finally started, six weeks filled with summer fun including some wonderful food. So in order to get things off to a good start, I decided to bake some delicious cookies for the kids.

The other day, I came across this recipe for Peanut Butter and Nutella Cookies and now that I was looking for a new recipe to try, I remembered having seen this recipe a while ago. These cookies seemed to be just perfect as a dessert for our little "Beginning of the Six-Week Summer Vacation Party".

Peanut Butter and Nutella Cookies
(recipe adapted from Sweetest Kitchen)

Ingredients for the Cookies

1 3/4 cups AP (plain) flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup peanut butter (you can use either smooth or crunchy, I used smooth)
1/2 cup sugar (I used superfine white sugar)
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 egg (L) room temperature (organic or free range organic, if possible)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract (I used a package of pure vanilla sugar)
1/2 cup original Nutella (do not like the imitation brands)

Preparation of the Cookies


1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking Soda, and salt; Set aside.
2. In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the butter, peanut butter and both sugars.
3. Beat on medium speed until creamy and smooth (about 5 minutes).
4. Add the egg and vanilla extract or vanilla sugar and beat to combine, scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
5. Turn the mixer down to low speed, and slowly add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined.
6. Use a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula to gently fold in the Nutella, try not to over-mix.
7. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour (or longer).
8. Preheat the oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with (unbleached) parchment paper.
9. Measure out a rounded tbsp for each cookie. please note that the dough is rather crumbly and you will have to compact the dough somewhat before baking.
10. Use a fork to make a criss-cross pattern on each cookie (since the dough was so crumbly, I found this to be eassier after the cookies had "pre-baked"  for 3-4 minutes).
11. Bake for 8-9 minutes being careful not to overbake, they seem to turn bitter if left in the oven too long.
12. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for about 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.


Makes about 35-40 cookies.


The kids (and adults) loved these Peanut Butter and Nutella Cookies! They turned out to be the perfect treat for the wonderful first day of our summer vacation. Just one caveat:  try not to overbake them and make sure that you make smaller rather than larger cookies because they will not spread all that much in the oven and simply would not bake properly. And, as I mentioned before, if you like the criss-cross pattern, pre-baking seems like a good idea.



Enjoy!

Nigel Slater's Rhubarb Cinnamon Polenta Cake

The other day I found what must have been the last stalks of rhubarb available anywhere and when I saw them I remembered that I had been planning to bake Nigel Slater´s Rhubarb Cinnamon Polenta Cake one more time before all of the rhubarb has completely disappeared from the markets and I have to wait until next spring to be able to buy some more.

Rhubarb Cinnamon Polenta Cake
(as adapted from Nigel Slater's column in The Observer Magazine and “Ripe: A Cook in the Orchard”, published April 10, 2012)


Ingredients for the Rhubarb Filling
500g (1 pound) rhubarb
50g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
4 tbsp water

Ingredients for the Cake 

125g (1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp) medium or coarse cornmeal/polenta
200g (1 1/3 cups) AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, from Ceylon, if possible
150g (3/4 cup) superfine sugar
grated zest of a small organic orange
150 g (1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp) unsalted butter, diced
1 egg, L
2-4 tbsp milk
1 tbsp coarse sugar mixed together with some pure vanilla sugar

For Serving (optional)
Vanilla ice cream, whipped cream (that´s what the kids liked) or crème fraîche
A dusting of confectioner`s sugar

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F and grease a 20cm / 8in cake pan, preferably loose-bottomed or springform.
2. Trim the rhubarb and cut into pieces a couple of inches long. Put them in a baking dish with the sugar and water and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the rhubarb is soft but still retains its shape.
3. Drain the fruit and set aside. Reserve the juice to serve with the cake.
4. Put the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, cinnamon and sugar in a large bowl, or in the bowl of a food processor.
5. Add the grated orange zest and the butter. If using your hands, rub the butter in as if making pastry - until the mixture resembles large crumbs. If you are using a food processor you just need to process for a few seconds.
6. Break the egg into a small bowl and mix with the milk. Now add slowly to the crumble mix, stopping as soon as everything has come together to form a soft, sticky dough. You may not need all the liquid, or you may need a little more milk to get the right consistency.
7. Press about two thirds of the crumble mixture into the bottom of the cake pan, pushing the dough a bit up the sides of the pan. Place the rhubarb on top, being careful to leave a small rim around the edges uncovered.
8. Crumble the rest of the mixture over the fruit using your fingers - don't worry if the fruit isn't all covered. Scatter over the sugar/vanilla sugar mixture.
9. Bake the cake for about 40 to 45 minutes.
10. Cool the cake a few minutes before removing from the pan.
11. Dust with confectioner´s sugar (optinal).
12. Serve the cake with some whipped cream, crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream and the reserved rhubarb juice.

This simple little cake has a nice crunchy texture and is certainly not overly sweet. The kids liked it with some sweetened whipped cream, my husband and I preferred the crème fraîche/rhubarb juice version. If you like cornmeal and rhubarb, this is a good comfort food style of cake.

French Fridays with Dorie - Crunchy Ginger-Pickled Cucumbers

Today's recipe for the French Fridays with Dorie group is "Crunchy Ginger-Pickled Cucumbers". When I read the recipe for the first time, all I could think of was that a recipe for pickled cucumbers reminds me of dishes prepared in the Fifties. I could not shake that "Fifties feeling" for quite some time and that is what inspired my first photo for this post...(the pickled cucumbers on that table were prepared by me and the picture was taken by me at a store).

The recipe for the pickled cucumbers has a short list of ingredients, apart from cucumbers, all you need is some sea salt, ginger, vinegar, sugar, red pepper flakes, and, just before serving, some fresh herbs.

For the cucumbers I chose small and very tasty ones from my favorite organic farmer's market. The rest of the ingredients were in my pantry.

Dorie states in her recipe that one could use either white vinegar or "if you're feeling a bit exotic, seasoned rice vinegar". Since I was not all that crazy about these two choices, I decided to go to a wonderful Oil and Vinegar Store to chose a special vinegar for this dish. The very knowledgeable owner asked me for the ingredient list of the recipe and decided that I should try a few different vinegars that would harmonize well with the cucumbers and the ginger - I cannot say that I ever took part in a vinegar taste test before but it certainly was a fun experience and I learned a lot of about the different vinegars.  I tasted a few drops of vineyard peach vinegar, walnut honey vinegar and riesling vinegar, to name but a few, and finally, with a little bit of prompting, settled on some wonderful fig vinegar (www.acetoria.de).

The cucumbers were so easy to prepare and after I pickled them in the morning, I put them in the fridge for a few hours to let the flavours develop further.

I love serving food in Weck glasses, small ones, big ones, I just adore the way the food-filled canning jars look like and I use my Weck jars quite often not just for canning but also for presentation/serving purposes.

We liked this recipe, the cucumbers tasted fresh and unusual, the ginger lend some bite to this dish, the fig vinegar harmonized wonderfully with the rest of the ingredients and I am glad that I gave this vinegar a try.

The fresh herbs that I added just before serving (dill, chives and Italian parsley) not only added some more flavor but also color to this dish. And just because I liked the way it looked, I also added one fresh bayleaf from my small laurel tree and one small dried chili pepper to one of the jars. I still have a lingering "Fifties Feeling" ...

To see how "exotic" the other Doristas felt when preparing the Crunchy Ginger-Pickled Cucumbers, please click here.

Lemon-Lavender Shortbread

Summertime calls for a different kind of cookie, Lemon-Lavender Shortbread is a perfect example of such a summery cookie. I love the smell of lavender and lemons and the two flavors harmonize so well together.

After a bit of research, I came across a wonderful recipe at Food&Wine. The recipe was contributed by Alison Attenborough, a chef, food stylist, restaurant consultant, recipe developer and author of  “Cooking for Friends”.

The recipe for the Lemon-Lavender Shortbread is easy and and does not require many ingredients. It is important to use high quality dried lavender blossoms and I found some at a local health food store.

Recipe for Lemon-Lavender Shortbread
(as adapted from Food&Wine)

Ingredients

1/3 cup superfine sugar
1 tsp dried organic lavender blossoms, chopped finely
1 tsp finely grated organic lemon zest
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Preparation

1. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar with the chopped lavender and grated lemon zest. To get the most flavor out of the grated zest, mix the zest and sugar together with your fingertips, rubbing the two ingredients together until the sugar is moist, grainy and deliciously fragrant.
2. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat in the butter at moderate speed.
3. At low speed, beat in the flour and salt until a soft dough forms.
4. Transfer the dough to a sheet of wax paper and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
5.. Form the dough into a 4-inch log and chill for at least 45 minutes longer.
6.  Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
7. Slice the shortbread dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds and place the rounds on ungreased baking sheets.and freeze the rounds for 10 minutes
8. Bake the shortbread for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Transfer the baked shortbread to a wire rack to cool completely.


Make ahead

The cookie-dough log can be frozen for up to one month. Thaw slightly before slicing. The baked shortbread can be stored in an airtight container for up to five days.

The combination of lavender blossoms and lemon zest is wonderful and summery and I loved the delicate floral flavor of these delicious cookies.

Happy 4th of July!

Herr Schlösser & Kaffeerösterei "einbrand"

There is a local coffee roasting company in the City of Bonn (where we live) called “einbrand”. 

The name of the Company refers to the fact that the coffee beans loose some of their weight during the coffee roasting process.
The Company was founded only last year and the founders chose a goat as the symbol for it.

The decision was made with a well-known Myth in mind. According to legend, Kaldi, an Ethiopian goat herder, discovered the coffee plant when he noticed that after his flock of goats had consumed some cherry like berries of a certain bush, the animals became rather energetic.The tired goat herder then tried some of the berries himself, he felt revitalized and so excited about his discovery that he decided to bring some of the berries to a nearby monastery. But the monks disapproved of the berries and threw them into the fire.

After a while a wonderful aroma wafted through the air, the monks collected the roasted berries, ground them up and the first cup of coffee was made.

I must admit that I am quite enamored with the goat design and that I love the fact that the Company´s goat graces everything from the different sized cups and coffee cans...

…to the bags of coffee, the windows and the wall of the Shop.

For the time being and until the custom made coffee roasting machine will be ready for installation in the Shop (in about three months time), you can buy five different kinds of freshly roasted whole bean or ground coffees that carry such names as “einbrand Blend”, “Amazonas Gold” or “Anden Gold” or the wonderful names that were created with  some “local flair” in mind, such as the “Südstadt Gold” (location of the coffee shop ) or the “Rhein Rassig” (which is a nod to the fact that the city of Bonn is located on both sides of the Rhine River).

The Shop is located in a corner house in a beautiful and quiet neighborhood, most of the houses there were built between 1860 and 1915.

The customers can choose to sit at the wooden tables and chairs inside or in front of the lovingly renovated Shop.

And when you order a cup of coffee or tea, the coffee of your choice will be brewed using the Faema E61.

With your coffee, you will also get a slice of homemade cake (such as apricot cake, Linzer torte or marble cake) and a glass of bottled water, on the house!

In addition, there is always a couple of different cakes on the menue as well as juices, mineral water or tea.

"Piaggio Ape 50" meets the goat

The Coffee Shop shares the location with a Wine Shop called “Herr Schlösser – Wein & Genuss” (”Wine & Indulgence”). The Wine Shop has been in the same location for the last four years and has only recently decided to start sharing its location with the coffee roasting company.

The Wine Shop carries a selection of wines from Spain, Italy and Germany as well as assorted grappas, fruit schnaps from Ziegler (www.brennerei-ziegler.de) and different kinds of pesto, chutney and jellies. The owner is always on hand with help and advice for the customers.

So whether you want to enjoy a good cup of coffee with some wonderful cake or buy freshly roasted coffee, ground or whole, or whether you would like to taste and buy some wine or get advice on some of the specialty spirits, or are looking to buy chutneys, jellies or pesto, this Coffee and Wine Shop is the right place to do so!

Wine tasting events for a group of ten to twelve participants also take place on a regular basis. During the events you will get a lot of advice from the owner as well as other wine merchants.

 The owner will also happily organize your birthday or office parties in the Shop!

Kaffeerösterei "einbrand"
(Coffee Roasting Company „einbrand“)
Königstrasse 65
53115 Bonn (Südstadt)
Germany
Phone +49 (0228) 926835-10
Fax     +49 (0228) 926835-54
E-mail: epost@einbrand.com
Website: www.einbrand.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.de/einbrand


Herr Schlösser - Wein & Genuss
(Wine Merchant „Wine & Indulgence“)
Königstrasse 65
53115 Bonn (Südstadt)
Germany
Phone +49 (0228) 6899400
E-mail: weinundgenuss@googlemail.com


Opening hours for both:  Monday -  Friday 11 a.m. until 7 p.m.
                                     and Saturday 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
                                     closed on Sundays