Category: Misc.

Daring Bakers Make Sweet and Savory Tuiles

This month’s challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.

I don’t know if it was coming down from a hectic December or just being to busy, but Glamah did not rise to the occasion with creativity on this challenge. With so much going on and Certain Someone away, I was grateful I had a savory option with this months challenge. I choose to use the savory recipe by Thomas Keller from his French Laundry Cookbook. The only substitutions I made to this was add a touch of turmeric for color. One day I hope Certain Someone will whisk me off to French Laundry but in the meanwhile I have my savory tuiles. Judging by the labor and almost burnt fingers rolling these babies in a hot open oven, I can see why Mr. Keller charges an arm and a leg for his outstanding cuisine. Personally,I wouldn’t want that job to be in charge of the coronet shaped tulies. I didn’t have metal coronets so I fashioned some out of parchment paper. The baking tuiles wouldn’t keep their shape . I then then improvised with mini metal tartlette pans. Not perfect , but getting a shape. I sprinkled the tuiles with Nigella seeds that made a nice contrast with the turmeric yellow color. The filling was smoked salmon bits that I pureed with lime,onion, and avocado and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper. It was actually pretty tasty. The buttery tuiles reminded me of a high end crispy potato chip. I will probably go to foodie hell saying that. Is this something I would make again. Maybe. I appreciate learning a new technique but for me this just didn’t hold my attention as other challenges have. I realize its a tough job to host these challenges each month and you cant please the thousand of Daring Bakers, Hopefully next month I will get more in the spirit. Please be sure to visit our wonderful hosts and other members to see their creative interpretations of tuiles.

You can find the printable version of all the recipes here .

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Yumm… Stromboli

First of all, do you like my new look? Its amazing what you can get up to when your snowed in on the weekend. I’m rather proud of it myself.
This weekend I craved the zest of tomato sauce , but didn’t want pasta. So I thought of pizza and decide to take it a step further. Stromboli.I’m talking the food item, not the place.From what I gather Stromboli is an American invention through and through. Don’t we love our pockets, burritos, and such.Pure comfort and bliss.I started off with Peter Reinhardt’s pizza dough. However I skipped the long ferment and mixed the ingredients of :
4 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp instant yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3/4 cups ice cold water
1 tbsp sugar
all to let rise at room temp for approx 3 hours until double. This recipe which you can find in its entirety here, yields 6 dough balls. The excess dough makes for great freezing at a later time.


Now here what you do to make Stromboli. Roll out a small dough ball( enough for an individual size pizza) into a rectangle approx 10-11 inches long and 5 inches across.


Pre heat oven to 450 degrees.
Brush your dough lightly with tomato sauce( optional) or oil if you prefer. Sprinkle some herbs, crushed pepper. Fill sparingly with topping s of your choice. I used sliced onions, ham , pepperoni, mozzarella,olives. The choice is yours.Roll carefully lengthwise, lifting carefully as you roll to encompass the ingredients. Brush with a beaten egg and very lightly sprinkle with more cheese( Parmesan works great too).
Sprinkle your cast iron pan or pizza stone with cornmeal. I confess, I was out and used flour. Lay your Stromboli down and bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Take out and let rest a few minutes.

Slice and serve. I like to dip mine in tomato sauce. These would be a great idea with different variations to serve for a Super Bowl party.

I have made a commitment this year to bake my my own breads with several other bakers. We call this BYOB. We do this for nutrition concerns, to know what we eat, and to save money on overpriced baked goods. Nothing is more satisfying than Baking you own bread.

A Glimpse of Germany at Christmas

I have always imagined what a German Christmas would be like. Earliest origins of the use of Christmas trees can be traced back to Germany. The most famous ambassador of the tree was the German Prince Albert who was married to Queen Victoria. My fascination of German Christmas has been fueled even more through the years with the local Christkindle Market in Chicago. This year Certain Someone took me home for Christmas. To spend ten days in Germany. Home is in the North Rhine –Westphalia region of Germany in a city called Essen. When most think of Germany we associate it with stereotypical images of Bavaria, and Heidelberg with lots of beer drinking, sausage, lederhosen, and blondes with Heidi-esque braids. Or, maybe even pre war Berlin a la Cabaret. Most is exaggerated except for the sausages and beer.
Essen is an industrial town that was known primarily for coal, steel, and the Krupp family. The Krupp family for centuries forged iron and later went into arms manufacturing that supplied Germany and countless other countries with arms and ammunition for destruction. The family home is one of the town landmarks called Villa Hugel and the stories of its inhabitants and visitors make for interesting historical reading. After the war the heir Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach was tried and imprisoned for war crimes(forced slave labor and other crimes against humanity) in Nuremburg(later to be grounded amnesty).Alfrieds sole heir Arndt was later forced to renounce his claims on the fortune and family name, and die at 48 severely in debt ending a 400 year old dynasty. Today the company is now known as Thyssen Krupp the fifth largest company in Germany and largest steel manufacturer.The monies Arndt forfeited were used to set up a foundation. Today Essen is a modern industrial and cultural center.A lot of the city was bombed out during the war, and an interesting fact is one of the older landmarks is the Alt Synagogue which survived intact. An interesting fact is that the owners of the Aldi Supermarket chains are from Essen .
The people of Essen struck me as hard working no nonsense types. Family and tradition are big. Certain Someone’s family has been there for generations and he is really to first to branch out of the city. One of the first things we did upon arrival was tend to the families graves. His parents dutifully go a few times of week to landscape and place candles.

I was touched, as you really do not see a lot of that type of devotion here. One wonders if the younger generations will keep these traditions. We mostly stayed put while Certain Someone’s mother provided us three meals. She takes great pride in her cooking and it was fun to see her baby truly enjoy her sturdy food. Breakfasts began with various wursts, bread, Mett (similar to steak tartar but made with pork), some cheese, soft-boiled eggs, etc. I admit it was hard for me to adjust to eating like that each morning and I just cannot wrap my head around Mett. Lunches were the big meals and she presented my favorites like Leberkasse (a type of meatloaf which ironically does not have liver in it), stuffed cabbage roulades in kraut, goose, and tons of potato dishes. Who knew all those versions of potato salads could exist and some even with more wursts! Certain Someone’s mothers likes to bake cakes and make puddings too. Normally he does not eat my sweets but again it was fun to see him lap up the puddings. All of this, washed down with tons of coffee drinking and beer .The kitchen was off limits to me and her sole domain . Unfortunately, I did not get to see or learn how to make her wonderful cookies.Rich marzipan and buttery confections. She also is a gifted needle pointer and the house was filed with all her decorated table linens, and ornaments with her signature needlework. In another time and place I can see her giving Martha Stewart a run for her money in the crafts and cooking departments. Certain Someone and I visited some of his childhood friends as well while in Essen. I am not used to a place virtually shutting down for days. Christmas is celebrated over days. First, the opening of the presents on the Eve, Christmas Day, and then Zweiter Weihnachts Tag (the second day). Strangely, church going is not big in Germany except for perhaps Christmas. We did manage to leave the house and walk along the beautiful Ruhr River. Certain Someone entertained me with visits to both Cologne and Dusseldorf as well, both about an hour by train from Essen. We made it the famous Christmas market in Cologne, one of Germany’s oldest cities. The market is right under the Cathedral, which houses the bones of the Magi as well as many knights, kings, and princes. The cathedral dates back fro centuries and is always in a state of repair and renovation. We breaked for lunch at a traditional Brau Haus (brewery) for good German food and Kolsh (the beer Cologne is famous for). I loved these sort of places where one takes a table and may share it with others eating good simple food. I always claim German food is the Soul Food of Europe. I devoured with Certain Someone’s help a delicious Ham shank. Overall, I liked Cologne except for the maddening Christmas crowds. It was a bit overwhelming at that time of year, but hopefully one day I will be back when it is calmer. I searched high and low for Springerele molds for next years cookies but could not find any. It is a lost art it seems. After Christmas, Certain Someone whisked me off to Düsseldorf. While Cologne is known for media, carnivals, arts and culture, and being called ‘the gayest city ‘ in Germany, is its rival in fashion, more media, banking, and its Alt Beer. I think I am more a Dusseldorf kind of girl myself. I loved walking by the Rhine and strolling down the Kö( Königsalle/ Kings Alley) taking in the fashionable designer shops and jewelers. I tried to show Certain Someone some baubles priced at around 20,000 euros but he was not having it. You know how men wait outside while you look. Although he stopped in a few stores to check out his passion, watches. We visited another Brau House to sample Düsseldorf’s Alt Beer (old beer) . I liked this one more because it was darker. We both had dishes with Spatzle and another memorable lunch before heading back to Essen. If I ever had to live in Germany Dusseldorf would be more to my liking. And alas, the trip was over. Ten days of eating, drinking, and a lot of contemplation. I have a new understanding of Germany and hopefully will get to explore more of it one day.

Coconut Island Bread For A Great Cause

A while back while I was on vacation,I was approached by SunshineMom if I wouldn’t mind being tagged for the Breadline Africa Charity Project. All you know I am notorious for not following up with tags or memes. It’s not that I don’t appreciate or acknowledge them, It’s just catching up with all and trying to just keep up with the business/hobby of blogging. I feel this is an excellent way to redeem myself. I first heard of this charity from Jeanne.For more information on Breadline Africa click here. I realize we are all pretty much strapped and pressured this holiday season. And in the Food Blog world you will find a lot of appeals , some more established, and some new ones to raise awareness to world hunger.All are excellent and each and every donation is appreciated. Africa is particularly close to my heart , because I am of African origin. My father was Nigerian born. While my fathers family is considered pretty well off and prominent,I still consider my blessings on the advantage of being born here in the United States. There are just so many things we take advantage of here. Whereas in many parts in the continent of Africa , life is a daily struggle. So while I worry about my stack of bills, payments on the German luxury car, debts, mortgage,etc., some are worrying about where their next meal is coming from, medicines, and basic human rights. We all have our struggles , but put in a proper perspective we need to start counting our blessings and imagine how our lives would be in some truly trying conditions. Case in point, look at President Elect Barack Obama, and how the media pulls distant relations from Kenya out of the woodwork. They are quick to show the disparity between his upbringing and opportunity to his half siblings and cousins. A simple twist of fate determines so much.The African diaspora has always done what they can to support their brothers and sisters back home.You cant turn your back to it and yet unfortunately you can’t help everyone and solve all the world problems. But I believe in the small things and giving what you are able to. And giving can be done in so many ways…
“The Blogger Bake Off is an online campaign that challenges bloggers to get involved by baking bread, and then acting by donating to end poverty. And then, challenge their readers and five other bloggers to do the same. With the money raised, we will be supporting grass roots community projects aimed at ending poverty and hunger in Africa. We’ll be placing container kitchens, vegetable gardens and more in poor communities, sending emergency food relief where needed and helping these poor communities to help themselves.The rules for bloggers are outlined below:
If you are tagged, copy and paste the rules into your post.
Bake bread, do something you wouldn’t normally do, and blog about it. Upload your picture and recipe.
Give dough, donate to Breadline Africa and help us end poverty.
Tag five bloggers, and ping us so we know you’ve done so.
The person who raises the most funds will get to name a Breadline Africa community kitchen and win $500 Amazon Vouchers. There are also three minor prizes of $250 Amazon vouchers for people who receive the most votes in the following categories: Most Unusual Recipe; Most Nutritious Recipe and Most Traditional Recipe.”
I created this bread inspired by this recipe. I had been meaning to make it all year. Unfortunately I was out of coconut milk, but had coconut water. So I adapted it , changed it all around, and gave it more of Caribbean flair than South Pacific. I was out of coconut milk, but had coconut water and condensed milk. I was also out of milk, and had to use heavy cream.Coconut water is what you find inside the coconut. Coconut milk is just the water processed with coconut pulp to give it its creamy texture.I still wanted the milk and egg components in this slightly sweet dough. The sweetness comes in from the sauce tipping the dough is basted in while baking. Condensed milk, banana rum,nutmeg, cinnamon,and more coconut water. Time is challenging so I formed my dough and let it slow rise overnight in the refrigerator.The morning of baking , I took the dough out, formed the balls like the style of a monkey bread, and let rise at room temp until doubled again. The dough was a firm, almost rubbery dough in the fridge. But the results baked up beautifully with a wonderful sauce for drizzling. This bread brings a dose of sunshine .
Coconut Island Bread
4 cups all purpose flour
3 tsp fresh yeast
1/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons melted butter and extra for greasing pan and dough balls.
1 egg beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1 11.8 fl oz can of Coconut water( half for bread, and remaining for topping).
topping sauce
Coconut water( remaining half)
1tbsp Banana Rum
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
1 can condensed milk
Warm the heavy cream slightly and dissolve 1 teaspoon of sugar and all of the yeast. Out aside and let start to foam. Sift flour,remaining sugar into bowl of stand mixer. Add melted butter, egg, and yeast cream mixture. Add the 1/2 cup of coconut water. Mix with a dough hook until dough forms a ball and all is Incorporated. Knead in stand mixer with dough hook for a few minutes.If dough is dry add the remaining proportion of allocated coconut water until it is moist, but not sticky. Butter a container with lid and place dough. Cover and allow the dough to rise in the refrigerator overnight or until double in bulk.
Mix the remaining coconut water and can of condensed milk with the banana rum. Set aside. Take the dough and form walnut size balls, Butter your baking dish and dip each dough ball in melted butter. Arrange the balls to cover the dish and put the extra balls on top.Sprinkle with nutmeg and cinnamon.Place in a warm place until double in bulk( about 2 hours) .
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour about 1/3 of the topping sauce on top of dough( or as much as dough can handle) Bake and check periodically. Continue to baste the bread with the remaining sauce until all is absorbed. May take about 3- 4 pours. Cook until deep golden brown approx 50 minutes or so depending on your oven. Let cool. There will be some liquid formed on the bottom. Cut pieces and drizzle the sauce over the bread.

I am also submitting this recipe for this months special Royal Food Joust. Its a special joust asking for Caribbean inspired recipes to showcase Cynthia Nelsons My Caribbean Cookbook. As its a crazy time for everyone, and many bloggers I know are over committed, I am asking for at least 5 of you readers to follow this lead and bake for Breadline Africa.If you read this but never comment, come out and bake along!As you bake your holiday creations, think of adapting your post to support to this cause and make a donation. Happy Holidays everyone. I will see you next year.
Please Make a Donation to Project Breadline Africa as I plan to do.

Grand Bahama and Some Pigeon Peas and Rice

Well I’m back. I don’t want make this a wordy post so I’m going to let Certain Someones pictures speak for most of the trip to Grand Bahama. We stayed at the the Westin Our Grand Lucaya. This is a wonderful resort that allowed us to just chill and do nothing. Unfortunately Certain Someone could not escape work and spent the first half of the trip working. But he did manage some beach time and a round of golf on one of their several golf courses. I was amazed at how easily Certain Someone could become a beach bum. I like to see him relax.

Isn’t this beautiful? These are debris from a earlier hurricane . The photo was taken at a beach in the Grand Lucayan National Park. We took these pictures after a visit to underwater caves across to road. If you were a diver you could dive between the cavernous caves which housed Arawak Indian remains.The path to the beach was a lesson in flora and fauna. Who knew walking mangrove could be so beautiful. Reminded me of a tropical vineyard with all the gnarled branches. I was startled by the depth and life down there.But it was nice to come up and take in this beauty. A Victoria Secrets Photo shoot was going on a few miles down the sand bar.
I like this shot Certain Someone took. It doesn’t make me look fat.

After our excursion we went to this lovely sea side restaurant and beach, Banana Bay. I had my first real Bahamian lunch of cracked conch( like fried calamari) and pigeon peas and rice in which I will give you the recipe at the end.Certain Someone regretted his fries and took to my rice. Unfortunately the Bahamas let me down with the food. Cynthia explained its not really the Caribbean because of its close proximity to the United States. And at the resorts its a lot of tourist fare.The Port Lucaya marketplace across the street was the got to place if you didn’t want to pay an arm and a leg for hotel food. Thinks bars, pizza, Greek , Italian , etc.Stuff I can get at home. Conch is huge in the Bahamas. You will find this shell fish in Chowders,fritters,pasta, pizza, fries, steamed, etc. Its on every menu and pretty cheap. I liked it, Certain Someone not so much.Fish Fry’s are big too. Grouper rules, but Barracuda can be found. A local told me not to fear it. A test to see if Barracuda is poisonous is to see if the flies come to it. If so, its good!But the drinks were plentiful and excellent wherever you went.Rum Runners was our favorite hangout. Drinks averaging $5 and great fun staff. I was sure to bring back my allowed liquor allocation. One of our favorite drinks was this retro Bahamian cocktail called a Gully Wash. Its Gin, Coconut Water, Condensed milk, with cinnamon and coconut meat shavings. Its great for the hoildays and even better served up in a coconut and allowed to brew. Its packs a punch for sure.
My final thoughts are of the locals. The dependence on tourism is huge in the Bahamas and the economic hardships we are all facing will really trickle down to to places like this where tourism employs a lot of the island. Even though it was still coming off season, there were a lot of empty tables and shops.I loved that they really thankful for each and every guests business. You don’t get that lot and it makes you feel appreciated. In same token we were conscious of where we spent to be sure to visit everyone. The high season is about to begin and hope it goes better than expected. But as one retailer told me, we are all in this together.
I leave you with this Pigeon Peas and Rice I recreated at home today. Its full of island soul.

1 can Pigeon Peas( 1 lb)

2 cups rice
2 slices salt pork( soaked in water for a few hours and chopped up)
1 small can tomato sauce
1 red bell pepper
1 small onion
3-4 cloves garlic
3 cups water
black pepper to taste
In a large skillet fry up salt pork, onion, pepper for a few minutes. Add chopped garlic. Cook a few more minutes. Add sauce and pigeon peas. Add rice and water. Cover and cook until rice is done. Approx 30 minutes.
*Due to the salt in the salt pork, no extra salt is needed. Bacon is used more commonly.