Hibernating for the Month of August

Aug 01, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose in Announcements

I'll be reviewing the copy editing of the huge manuscript where there are no sirens or noises other than birds and crickets to disturb my concentration!

I'll try to answer questions as time allows but will be back in Sept. if any remain unanswered by our fellow bloggers or myself.

Best rest of the summer,

Rose

Between Books She Cooks

Aug 02, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose in Special Stories

I met Nancy Weber when we both were judging the final exams at the French Culinary Institute, now known as the New International Culinary Center. They are oral exams which means we have to taste many dishes prepared by the graduating students. I know it sounds like fun but not for the reason one might think. For one thing, the dishes come fast and furious and the evaluation sheet has several categories. For another, the judges have to comment directly to the students which is sometimes a little uncomfortable. Mostly the results are highly impressive but we are there to give guidance and help from our perspective of having worked in the food world for several decades not to mention having eaten our way around the world itself.

And there was Nancy, (graduate of FCI) offering her honest evaluation and critique with such enchanting charm and warmth it took away the slight sting of truth. I don’t know if I ever encountered eyes so alight with joie de vivre and compassion. At the end of the evening I had to go up to her and compliment her. It turned out that just that very day she had used my book (the Cake Bible) to do a wedding cake. Also, she told me she named her only daughter Rose. We exchanged cards but more often than not good intentions never materialize, especially between writers always on deadline. But some rare things are destined to be despite the odds.

We started our friendship by exchanging e-mail notes. Then I came up with the inspired idea that we should exchange books. Nancy chose the Bread Bible and I chose Swapping Lives Yes, she predated the life swap reality shows by many many years. We met at my favorite local Bistro Blue Ribbon Bakery, and over French onion soup (previously posted on the blog) we got to know each other better. The most amazing thing for both of us was to discover that she had written an article 40 years ago that I had read and never forgotten. (It was in Cosmopolitan Magazine and the concept was making oneself attractive by decorating the soles of one’s feet or toes when going into surgery so the surgeon pays more attention that there is an actual human life on the table.) This was just a glimpse into the extraordinarily creative imagination of Nancy Weber. The novel Swapping Lives is the documentation of Nancy’s experience temporarily trading lives with another woman, written both from her perspective and the other woman’s. She wanted to see if it were possible to shed one’s skin and slip into that of another’s. If anyone could manage it Nancy could and did. I realized I would come up way short worrying more about how the other person was treating all my special baking equipment perhaps even more than how she was treating my special husband! It was an extraordinary leap on Nancy’s part and I couldn’t tear myself away from the book. This past month a Canadian documentary was filmed on Nancy and her reflections on the experience.

The meaning behind Nancy’s business name www.betweenbooksshecooks is quite literal. Between novels she caters and runs a bed and breakfast in her enchanting 1845 house in Chelsea. I was dying to see her house and get to know Nancy better so I cooked up the idea that we should do a collaborative dinner there as my apartment has been, still is, and probably always will be a warehouse of equipment and ingredients. (Note I’ve never done this before.) Over the course of many e-mails we decided the menu. Nancy gave me the challenge of choosing my favorite thing that I don’t get to have often and offering the best thing I’ve ever made in the dessert department. Fortunately she suggested the possibility of bisteeya which I adore but stipulated it must be made with pigeon. I needn’t have as she had every intention of pigeon plus made a special expedition to Poseidon to get the only fillo she finds acceptable, apologizing for not making varka herself. I assured her I’ve only seen it made once and would never even think of going that far! As for what dessert that was shear torture over which I agonized for weeks. For starters, it had to be something highly transportable and also harmonious with the rest of the meal.

Continue reading "Between Books She Cooks" »

Back Yard Bugs & Boys

Aug 09, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose in Special Stories

Elizabeth Karmel and family and I missed our traditional Christmas cookie lesson for her nephews this year due to her upcoming book deadline. When Alexander, her middle nephew confided in her that Christmas was a disappointment and listed as one of the main reasons that “Aunt Rose” didn’t come for the cookie class, I knew we would have to reschedule at our earliest opportunity and between both our book production deadlines. We planned several months ahead which gave me time to put together a fun surprise. Instead of cookies it was cake, or should I say cakes as I found the most delightful pan from Nordicware called “Back Yard Bugs.” I knew the boys would love it but I also knew I’d want one too! Their mom, Elizabeth’s sister Mary Pat (aka MP) thought it was so cute she said she was going to make the ‘bugs’ for a dinner party that week.

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Another Cake Bible Success

Aug 11, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose in Special Stories

I am SO proud of Patricia's stunning work I want to share it with all of you!

Dearest Rose,

I just wanted to send a quick photo of the wedding cake I made yesterday (this was my 3rd wedding cake). Of course it was made completely from your recipes - your white butter cake, filled with strawberry mousseline, and covered with vanilla mousseline. Everyone absolutely loved the way it tasted - I got so many compliments on how moist and tender the cake was, and how absolutely delicious it tasted - many guests had more than one piece. Thank you again for your amazing Cake Bible - I can't wait to try the new recipes in your upcoming book.

Sincerely,
Patricia

Adding Old Starter to Bread Dough

Aug 12, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose in Bread

Several of my recipes I've offered on this blog give an option for adding old unfreshed stiff sour dough starter when making bread dough. I do this to add depth of flavor, moistness, and longer shelf life. I always have left over starter after the weekly feeding of my sourdough starter so I freeze it exactly for this use.

I would not want to add it to a soft bread dough such as a soft white sandwich loaf or brioche because it makes the texture slightly firmer. But I do add it to most other doughs and I do add it to challah because it makes the dough more stretchy and easier to braid.

You need to keep in mind that there is no salt in this starter so you need to add extra salt to balance the flour and water. You may also need to use a slightly larger pan or cut off the equivalent amount or weight of dough and bake it as a roll.

If you retard the dough overnight, it will not rise quite as high so you can then use the same size bread pan as the one you would use without the starter. A bread that rises to 5 inches for example will rise to only about 4 1/2 inches if retarded for 8 to 12 hours.

Of course you will need to make or purchase a sour dough starter and add enough flour to it to make it the consistency of soft bread dough.

To determine how much starter to use in the dough, multiply the weight of the flour in the dough by 16% and that will be the weight of the starter.

For every 75 grams/2.6 ounces of starter add 1/8 teaspoon salt to the recipe.

I like to soften the starter by cutting or tearing it in pieces and soaking it in the water used for the dough for 30 minutes before adding the other ingredients. This helps to distribute it more evenly throughout the dough.

I am so devoted to this technique I may never write another bread book because it presupposes people will have or make or buy a starter and I feel it would be a serious compromise to omit this! The alternative would be to give the recipe with and without added starter the way I do for recipes on this blog...hmmmmmm

The Ultimate BLT

Aug 13, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose in Bread

Every summer, when the Jersey tomatoes are in full swing, I start thinking BLT. But this summer, it wasn't the juicy beefsteak tomatoes that drove me as much as the new technique suggested by my dear friend Elizabeth Karmel, author of Taming the Flame, and my grilling goddess, for grilling the bacon. Wow! Why did I never think of this before? It is so quick, effective, and mess-less. With a gas grill, preheat the grill and then turn the middle burners to low. Place the bacon on top and grill for about 2 minutes a side, watching carefully so that it crisps to the degree of your preference without burning, though a few char spots add extra slightly smoky flavor.

The BLT in this photo is on the 50% wholewheat bread, previously posted. I recommend toasting it very lightly as too crisp a toast hurts the palate.

Ah the combination of wheaty bread, a gilding of mayo, a suggestion of crisp lettuce, juicy tomato that threatens to run down your wrist, and my favorite bacon which more often than not is Harrington's from Vermont (it's smoked over corn husks). It's been my favorite since I first tasted it almost a half century ago (I kid you not!)

Book Production Phase 10

Aug 15, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose in Special Stories

Copy Editing Revisited

I’m lucky! My wonderful production editor Ava Wilder was willing to send me an advance copy of the revised copy editing with all of Debbie’s new queries in green (and there were many).

So once again I have gone through the close to 800 pages, answering her queries on post-its as I will need to transfer them to the “pre-pages” for the typesetter Lisa Story (isn’t THAT a perfect name)! I also checked all the changes Debbie made to the manuscript to ensure that they were in keeping with what I had intended. Debbie is most meticulous and has done a totally brilliant job of finding inconsistencies and moving things around to suit the design and make the recipe easier to follow. But there ARE over 30 changes I need to adjust which have to do with leveling batter in the cake pan. In most cases a small offset spatula works best but not when there is a center tube—you bakers out there will get the idea!

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Cooking for Dad's 94th Birthday Week

Aug 16, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose in Special Stories

This year we were able to time it so that Dad’s week here in Hope coincided with his 94th birthday!
He’s been working in his barn and in better shape than I’ve seen him in years, in fact I only remember seeing him without a belly in photos. This predictably changed in the course of his one week stay and I gained the same 2 pounds as last visit.

Here’s the complete rundown:

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Eating Crispy Cumulous Clouds

Aug 19, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose in Savory Cooking

That’s what they look like to me—those little implosions of corn kernels.

There is a child-like magic when watching the hard little yellow kernels pop and change form and color. It makes me think of all the great things that come in small packages that hide beautiful things within like buds that overnight become leaves or flowers, eggs that in moments crack open to reveal little baby birds. And in the Cuisinart popcorn popper you can witness the miracle through a clear plastic container. At first the simple wire device on the stirring plate moves the kernels slowly around and at about 3 minutes the first kernels start popping. They all pop in less than 7 minutes. If you don’t finish all the popcorn in one sitting, it can be recrisped in a 350ºF/17ºC. oven for about 10 minutes and it’s just like fresh-popped.

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Bare Bone Baking Essentials for Cake Baking

Aug 23, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose in Equipment

Years ago, when I had a cooking school, one of my colleagues who took my classes said that she had to question her commitment to baking because when she returned to Japan she didn't have room in her small apartment for all the equipment that seemed necessary.

More recently, Nicole Martella who works at William Morrow, publishing home of The Cake Bible, expressed the same sentiment. So I decided to list the absolute essentials for baking most cakes. And there really aren't many nor do they take up a lot of space.

Those of you familiar with this blog and my work know how devoted I am to weighing. And a scale takes up about the same space as the alternative of measuring cups for solid and liquid ingredients.

I didn't list things like wooden toothpicks for cake testing and parchment to line cake pans which I consider to be staples.

A hand held mixer
A scale (preferably My Weigh: Model number KD7000 My Weigh KD 8000 Digital Weighing Scale
or
A set of measuring cups (preferably pourfect)POURfect® MEASURING CUP SET 9 PC (SATIN COPPER)

A cup for measuring liquids (preferably pourfect beaker)Pourfect 4 Cup Beaker

A set of measuring spoons (preferably pourfect)Pourfect 12-Piece Plus Leveler Measuring Spoon Set, Empire Red

A sifter or strainer
A 9 inch by 2 inch cake pan (preferably Chicago Metallic)Chicago Metallic Non Stick 9-Inch Round Cake Pan

A 10 cup fluted tube pan (preferably Nordicware) Nordic Ware Pro Cast Original Bundt Pan

Two wire cooling racks, preferably Combrichon
An instant read thermometer such as a ThermapenSplash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen - Instant Read Thermometer, Perfect for Barbecue, Home and Professional Cooking
or CDN CDN ProAccurate Quick-Read Pocket Thermometer

A silicone spatula reserved for baking
A reliable recipe
A baking spray containing flour, preferably Baker's Joy

Special for Whole Wheat Wimps

Aug 30, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose in Bread

26 Percent Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

For those of you who pefer less than 50% whole wheat bread, here’s my modification for the Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread posted a few months ago.

Decrease the water and the honey each by 1 tablespoon. Use 2 1/3 cups/12.3 ounces/352 grams Gold Medal Harvest King/Better for Bread flour, 1 cup 5 ounces/142 grams whole wheat flour.

The resulting bread will be higher and lighter both in color and texture than the 50% version. Mine was 5 ¼ inches high and looked like this:

The Bread Baking