Category: Misc.

We Bake Gourmet: Cracked- Wheat Topknots

This is my third installment in the We Bake Gourmet series. My fellow bakers have had great luck with this recipe. And I have too, but I had to make some changes due to lack of ingredients and laziness. Nevertheless I am very pleased with the results. The recipe calls for milk, and both whole wheat and all purpose flour. I ran out of milk due to Certain Someone drinking git all before he left, and had to use Nonfat dry powdered milk. I also didn’t realize until mid way that I ran out of all purpose flour! So the recipe has way more wheat flour and about 1 cup of all purpose. Surprisingly the dough turned out well in taste and texture. My flaky sea salt was actually smoked salt which was wonderful.
I have been nibbling on these hearty knots all week.

I’m pressed for time as I have a lot going on this week. You can find the printable version of the recipe here on Gourmets site.
Here are my modifications:
1/2 cup Non Fat dry milk dissolved in 1 1/2 cups of water. Dry Milk is a wonderful tool in baking and helps with the rise. Its also very economical.
3 1/2 cups of Whole Wheat Flour and 1 cup of all purpose.

Don’t forget to watch me on CBS 2 Weekend Morning News on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 10am. This is local, but I will link to the blog afterwards.

We Bake Gourmet: Crusty Cornstalk Rolls

My apologies for posting this weeks bread challenge late. I’m sure you will understand that Certain Someone came home for an all to short week, and I was doing what I love best, spoiling him. I actually baked this bread for Sunday dinner to go along with the Veal roast. What appealed to me about this recipe was the gorgeous rustic appeal. Unfortunately my artistic skills didn’t take hold and craft better looking stalks, but I was satisfied with taste. I must admit the addition of corn meal at first out me off this recipe, but one taste of this while warm with butter is just pure country goodness.Steam creates a crust similar to a baguette. All in all this was pretty simple to put together. I can see this in a heart shape for Valentines if anyone is eating in.

Crusty Cornstalks Rolls adapted by Coco Cooks from Gourmet February 2009

1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

1 1/4 cups warm water

1 tsp of sugar

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour and additional for kneading

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp yellow cornmeal

a spray bottle of water

Stir yeast, 1/4 of the water, and sugar in a large bowl. Set aside and let foam. If the mixture doesn’t foam after 5 minutes , start again.

Mix flour, salt, 1/2 cup of the cornmeal and remaining cup of the water. with a wooden spoon or hands until soft dough forms.

Turn out dough on lightly floured surface. Knead until dough is elastic and smooth for 6-8 minutes.

Place ball of dough in oiled bowl. Cover and seal with plastic wrap and kitchen towel.Let rise in a draft free setting until double in size. 1-1 1/2 hours.

Punch down dough and without kneading fold like a letter into thirds.Roll the dough now into a 12 inch log.

Flour lightly as you need to preventing sticking.

Sprinkle a baking sheet covered with parchment or baking stone with the remaining 2 Tbsp of cornmeal. Place dough diagonally across. With cooking shears cut 3 inch long diagonal cuts alternating sides. Make sure you have a center stalk. Pull and stretch dough to create separate rolls but connected to stalk.

Cover with a clean kitchen towel( not terry) and let rise , draft free for 1 1/2 hours until double.

Preheat oven to 425F with rack in center.

Spray rolls with water bottle, place in oven and spray 3 more times in the first 5 minutes.. This helps form the crust. Bake until golden for 20 min. Let cool on rack for at least 20 minutes. Serve. The rolls can keep 1 month in freezer wrapped. Best eaten on day made.

A Gourmet Bread Challenge:Parmesan Pull Aparts

Last Christmas a group of us got together to bake cookies from Gourmet going back decades in their archives.Despite some hair pulling moments we have decided to get together once more to tackle the February issue of Gourmet magazines bread issue, in a more laid back approach. Once a week for the month of February we will post a bread recipe from the 6 that were published.Sandy, the creator of BYOB extended the invite and I was more than happy to participate.

Parmesan Pull Aparts are described in Gourmet as brioche like but easier to make.These pull apart rolls are made with Parmigiano-Reggiano and are pretty easy to put together. My rise was perfect but I noticed on rolling the balls prior to baking , the texture and surface wasn’t as smooth as I was anticipating. Another thing I found unusual for a bread is the use of paddle attachment, not dough hook, and lack of kneading.A nice egg wash contributed to a deep brown glaze.Upon cooling the texture was a cross a between an biscuit and brioche if that is possible. Nevertheless it was hearty roll rich in cheese flavor. I paired it simply with some Speck Ham and strong German mustard. These Parmesan Pull Aparts will be my lunch sandwich bread for the week, as you can keep them up to a month frozen. This bread did not turn out as I imagined it to, but the flavor has a wonderful strong Parmesan flavor that can stand alone or go with your meal. I would like to try this recipe once more to see if the texture changes for a more smooth presentation.Parmesan Pull Aparts adapted by Coco Cooks from Gourmet February 2009
makes 1 dozen rolls

2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
2/3 cup of warm milk (105-115F), to be divided
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour plus 2 tbsp for sprinkling
1 1/4 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 tsp salt
3 large eggs ( 2 for recipe and 1 for egg wash)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon water( for egg wash)
*A stand mixer is recommended

Mix together yeast, sugar, and 1/3 of the warm milk in mixer bowl of stand mixer.Let stand until foamy for about 5 minutes. If it doesn’t foam start again with new yeast.Whisk flour, salt , and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese . Add this dry mixture to the yeast mixture with the other 1/3 of milk and mix at a low speed with a paddle attachment(not dough hook). Turn up speed to medium and add the 2 eggs, one at a time. Make the sure the egg is beaten well after each addition ans scrape down sides if necessary. Beat for 3 minutes until a soft dough is formed. Beat in butter a little at a time until dough is elastic.2 minutes more. Dough may be sticky. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tbsp of flour over the dough and cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel.Let rise in a draft free warm place for 1 1/2 -2 hours until doubled.

Punch down dough but do not knead.On a lightly floured surface cut dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each into a ball using a cupped hand and pushing it against work surface in a circular motion.Arrange dough ball 1 inch apart in a 9 inch buttered cake pan. Cover again and allow to rise for 1 1/2 -2 hours until doubled.

Preheat oven to 375F with rack placed in the middle.
Whisk remaining egg and water for egg wash. Brush on dough balls.You will need all the wash.Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Loosen from pan using a knife if necessary and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes.
Visit my other baking friends for the Gourmet Bread Challenge.

Miso Hungry… Miso Marinated Skirt Steaks

One of my favorite cuts of beef is skirt steak. Once you get it for cheap, but that’s not the case any longer. Skirt steak is similar to flank steak in that they come for the same region of the cow, between the ribs and hip. Skit steak is commonly used in fajitas and requires just a quick pan fry or grilling.
On of my least favorite ingredients, or let me rephrase that, items I need to explore more , is Miso. I am not a huge fan of using the fermented soybean paste in soups, but I love to use it as glaze or marinade for meat and fish.The only Miso soup I have ever liked is one I made myself.I have a bag of Miso stored away in my fridge from some experiments earlier. Miso lasts quite a long time( 1 year or more) if kept sealed in the fridge and it was still good. But check your dates if the manufacturer puts one on the package. My Miso could probably go a bit further as long is its sealed tightly. The fermentation may cause the product to get stronger.If you are worried about sodium , check the contents as well.Red Miso tends to have higher amounts of sodium.

For this recipe I used a white Miso and made a quick tasty glaze for my skirt steak. I also used the same glaze for salmon steaks later on the week and it worked great. I would love to try this on the grill when summer arrives.
Miso Marinated Skirt Steaks
1 tablespoon Miso (white)
1 lb skirt steak
1 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Sake
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 teaspoon prepared wasabi in tube
In a bowl mix all ingredients . Place skirt steaks in bowl, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.


Take a cast iron skillet or grill and heat on range top. Add a small amount of of oil. Depending on the doneness you desire, grill/fry for at least 3 min on high heat each side for rare. Be careful not to over cook or it will be dry and tough. I prefer mine on the more med to well done side.Allow the steaks to sit for a few minutes before you slice on the diagonal.