|
Favorite
Breads
Sourdough Starter
Sourdough Loaf Bread
Favorite
Desserts
Almond Shortcake
Traditional Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberry Shortcake Supreme
Jenni’s Friend Gia’s Biscotti
(Biscotti di Prato)
Oatmeal Lace Cookies
Tarimiso Bravo
Vanilla
Torte
Apricot-Pecan
Torte
Bourbon-Chocolate Torte
Coconut-White
Chocolate Torte
Favorite
Entrées
Caribbean
Grilled Pork
Favorite
Seafood
Fresh grilled
Amberjack Sandwiches
Tarter Sauce
Favorite
Soups
Pumpkin Soup
Favorite
Bread
Sourdough
Starter
After
ten years at The Jefferson Hotel in
St. Louis
,
Missouri
, Great-Grandmother and Great-Grandfather Anna
& Michael Schlosser moved to
Canton
,
Mississippi
, to open a bakery. They used this starter to
bake Sourdough Loaf Bread at Schlosser’s
Bakery from 1916 – 1926.
1
envelope or 1 tablespoon dry yeast
½ cup warm (105° - 120°)
water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups warm (105° - 120°)
water
2 cups bread flour
Sprinkle the dry yeast in ½ cup warm water. Loosely cover
and let stand until the yeast is dissolved and
bubbly. In a large bowl or lidded casserole
dish, mix the remaining ingredients together.
Stir the yeast mixture well and add it. Cover
and let stand for 3 days at room temperature
(78°). Lift the lid and stir the
starter down once daily.
At the end of three days, you have an excellent starter
that can be used in any sourdough recipe. In
order to keep it going, don’t use all of the
starter up at once. Leaving some of the
original starter in the closed-lid container,
place a handful of uncooked bread dough in the
container after you’re through kneading your
first batch. Add one cup of warm water. Let
stand for at least 3 days at room temperature
(78°), stirring once daily. Doing
this each time will create a “heritage”
starter than you can keep going for as many
years as you like. The starter can be
preserved for an extended time by placing it
in the refrigerator for up to 1 month – or
in the freezer indefinitely. Just bring the
starter back to room temperature, add 1 more
tablespoon or envelope of yeast, let stand for
24 hours, and it’s ready to use!
Sourdough
Loaf Bread
Makes
1 loaf.
Lard
is rendered from the fatty tissue of a hog. It
is soft, white and solid. Not many people use
it anymore. My great-grandparents ordered it
from Proctor & Gamble, who began
manufacturing a refined lard around 1870. They
used it in their breads until P & G’s
Crisco vegetable shortening came to the market
in 1911.
1
cup Sourdough Starter (see recipe above)
1 tablespoon melted lard
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
3 – 4 cups bread flour
Mix
starter and melted lard together in a large
bowl, or in the bowl of a standing mixer. Add
sugar and salt. Stir well. Add half the flour
and beat until smooth. Add the remainder of
the flour, one-half cup at a time, until the
dough becomes a shaggy mass that clings
roughly together. Now, depending upon which
kneading method you desire, either insert the
dough hook into your standing mixer OR turn
the dough out onto a floured surface and knead
it until smooth and elastic. (Specific
instructions for kneading are listed under
“How to Knead Bread Dough,” at the
beginning of this chapter.)
Once
kneaded, place the dough in a lightly greased
container, cover with a heavy cloth or plastic
wrap, and let rise until double in a warm,
still area (78°– 85°).
This will normally take about 1 hour and 20
minutes, but if you’re using a quick-rising
yeast, it will take no longer than 30 or 40
minutes. Then punch the dough down, knead five
or six times, and shape into a 9” or 10”
loaf. Place in a greased loaf pan, cover with
a heavy cloth, and let rise until double in
size. It will take a slightly shorter amount
of time to rise the second time than it took
the first time.
Now
bake the bread in a preheated oven at 400°
for 25 - 30 minutes. You know the bread
is done when it is golden on top and slightly
hollow-sounding when you tap it. Now slice it
while warm and enjoy a piece slathered with
sweet cream butter.
Favorite
Desserts
Almond
Shortcake
First,
clean and slice one pint of strawberries.
Sprinkle 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
over them, seal with plastic wrap or a lid,
and let macerate in the refrigerator for at
least 3 hours.
font-size: 10.0pt">Preheat
oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9-inch bundt
pan with a non-stick cooking spray.
Whisk
these ingredients together in a small bowl and
set aside:
2
large eggs
1/3
cup plain yogurt
1
teaspoon almond extract
1
teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine
these ingredients in a large mixing bowl until
well-blended:
1
½ cup + 1 Tablespoon sifted all-purpose flour
1/3
cup toasted and finely ground almonds
1
cup sugar
½
teaspoon baking powder
½
teaspoon baking soda
½
teaspoon salt
Add
these three ingredients all at once to the dry
ingredients on low speed until the dry
ingredients are moistened:
3
Tablespoons shortening
6
Tablespoons softened butter
1/3
cup sour cream
Beat
for 2 more minutes at a high speed.
Scrape down the sides and add the egg
mixture in two batches, beating for 30 seconds
after each addition.
Scrape the batter into the prepared
bundt pan and smooth the surface.
Bake 35 – 45 minutes, or until a
cake-tester inserted in the center comes out
clean.
Invert the cake as soon as possible
onto a serving plate and seal with plastic
wrap or aluminum foil.
Use this cake to prepare one of the
Strawberry Shortcake desserts below:
Traditional
Strawberry Shortcake
Several
¼” slices of cooled shortcake
Macerated
strawberries and their juice
½
cup heavy whipping cream
2
Tablespoons granulated sugar
Beat
whipping cream until soft peaks form.
Add sugar one tablespoon at a time and
beat until stiff peaks form.
Layer
cake slice, berries, cream, in that order,
until it’s as high as you like.
Drizzle with strawberry juice and
garnish with more whipped cream and a fresh
strawberry and a sprig of mint.
Strawberry
Shortcake Supreme
Warm
Almond Shortcake
Macerated
strawberries and their juice
Your
favorite vanilla ice cream
Sweetened,
whipped heavy cream (as in the recipe for
Traditional Strawberry Shortcake)
While the Sour Cream Almond Cake is
still warm, place a slice on a dessert plate
and top with strawberries macerated and juice.
Place a scoop of ice cream on the side,
a ploof of freshly whipped and sweetened
cream, and drizzle all with strawberry juice.
Enjoy!!
Jenni’s
Friend Gia’s Biscotti
(Biscotti
di Prato)
Biscotti
originated in the
Tuscany
region of
Italy
, in the city of
Prato
, centuries ago as a twice-baked,
finger-shaped cookie. Italians called them
biscotto, meaning
twice (bis) cooked (cotto).
Traditionally, they contained no butter
or lard so that they kept better. In
Prato
, Italian bakers served biscotti to dunk in
dessert wines.
2
cups all-purpose flour
¾
cups sugar
2
teaspoons baking powder
½
teaspoon cinnamon (Jenni adds a little extra.)
¼
teaspoon salt
1½
cups sliced almonds
3
large eggs
1
teaspoon vanilla
½
teaspoon almond extract (You can use 1 tsp if
you like, but Jenni prefers ½ tsp.)
Position rack in center of oven and
preheat to 350°. Line a baking sheet with
baking parchment paper. Set aside.
Put flour, sugar, baking powder,
cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl and stir
with a rubber spatula to mix. Stir in the
almonds.
Whisk the eggs and extracts (Use the
real thing, if you have it. It makes a
difference in this recipe.) together in a
small bowl. Then stir them into the flour
mixture. The dough may seem dry at this point,
but it will come together as it is kneaded.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured
work surface and knead, folding it over onto
itself until it is smooth (1 -2 minutes).
Divide the dough in half and shape each half
into a 12”-long log. Place logs on prepared
baking sheet and gently press down on the logs
to flatten them until they are about 2” wide
and 1” high.
First Baking: Bake the logs for about
30 minutes, or until they are slightly risen
and firm to the touch. Slide the logs,
parchment paper and all, off the baking sheet
and onto a cooling rack. The logs must be
completely cool before you can continue with
the recipe. Since they will take about 30
minutes to cool, you can either turn the oven
off or leave it on for the next step. (You can
bake the biscotti up to this point several
days ahead. Wrap the logs well in plastic and
continue when it’s convenient.)
Second Baking: When the logs have
cooled completely, preheat the oven to 350°,
if necessary. Line two baking sheets with
baking parchment paper. Working with a sharp,
serrated knife, cut the cooked logs diagonally
into ¼” or ½”-thick slices. Place the
sliced cookies, cut side down, on the pans,
and bake for 10 – 15 minutes, or until crisp
and golden. (Jenni bakes hers only 10 minutes
because she doesn’t like them too hard.)
Cool on pans. These will keep up to 1 month
sealed in an airtight container.
Out of all the biscotti recipes I’ve
tried during the past six months, this one
rates best for texture and taste. The only way
to make it better is to dip one side of the
baked biscotti in melted chocolate. That makes
it absolutely superb!
Oatmeal
Lace Cookies
Once
on the prepared cookie sheet, these cookies
bake in just 3 – 5 minutes in a 425° oven.
You must quickly remove them from the cookie
sheet with a buttered metal spatula.
1
stick butter, room temperature
1/3
cup granulated sugar
½
cup dark brown sugar
1
egg
2
tablespoons milk
½
teaspoon vanilla flavoring
1
cup all-purpose flour
½
teaspoon baking powder
½
teaspoon soda
¼
teaspoon salt
1
cup uncooked old-fashioned oats
Cream together butter and sugars. Beat in egg, milk, and
vanilla. Mix flour, soda, and salt together in
a separate bowl. Stir dry ingredients into wet
ingredients until just mixed.
Add oats and stir until
well-incorporated.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a cookie
sheet sprayed generously with non-stick spray.
These are really good with ice cream, too!
This second cookie recipe, below, happened out of my not
having any brown sugar in the house when I
wanted to make some Nestle Tollhouse
Chocolate-Chip cookies. Since brown sugar is
simply less-refined granulated sugar, with
molasses still in it, I substituted molasses
for some of the sugar. The surprise result is
a tastier cookie with a slightly chewier
texture, that my family loves.
I use a bit more baking soda than in the Toll-House recipe,
to account for the heaviness of the molasses
– and a little more flour to provide enough
gluten to bind the coconut and un-chopped nuts
to the dough. If you omit the pecans and
coconut, reduce the flour to 2 ¼ cups.
You’ll also have a thinner, more crispy
cookie, unless you also reduce the baking time
by a couple of minutes.
Tarimiso
Bravo
Zabaglione
(Italian egg custard)
6
egg yolks
1¼
cups granulated sugar
1¼
cups mascarpone cheese
1
Tablespoon cooking sherry
1¾
cups whipping cream, whipped
Beat the egg yolks at a high speed until thick and
lemon-colored. Combine beaten yolks, sherry,
and sugar in the top of a double broiler.
Bring the water to a boil. Reduce heat to
medium. Place a candy thermometer in the
mixture. Cook and stir for about 8 minutes
more or until the mixture reaches 160 degrees.
Pour into a large mixing bowl. Add mascarpone
and beat until smooth. Fold in the whipped
cream. Refrigerate immediately.
Soaking
Sauce
1
cup strong coffee
1
Tablespoon instant coffee granules
1
Tablespoon granulated sugar
2
Tablespoons sweetened Ghirardelli chocolate
powder
1
teaspoon brandy flavoring
Mix ingredients together until the sugar is melted and the
chocolate is incorporated. Set aside.
Open one large frozen Sarah
Lee pound cake and discard the container.
Cut the cake into ½” slices length-wise.
Lay each slice flat and cut into four strips
length-wise. Cut each strip in half so that
you have eight shorter strips.
Now you have to make a decision. If you want a pretty
presentation, line the inside of a 2-quart
serving bowl or trifle bowl with the strips of
cake and douse them with half of the soaking
sauce. A small meat baster works well for
dousing. Then fill with half of the
zabaglione. Layer the remaining cake strips
over it. Douse them with the remainder of the
sauce. Pour the remaining zabaglione over this
layer. Decorate the top with piped whipped
cream, chocolate shavings, and a dusting of
chocolate powder.
If you will be cutting and serving for
yourself or a casual gathering, just line the
sides and bottom of a 13”x9” pan with all
of the cake slices. Douse the cake slices with
the soaking sauce. Pour the zabaglione over
the doused cake. A dusting of chocolate powder
gives a sufficient garnish. Chill for at least
2 hours. Ciao down!
Vanilla
Torte
This
is my all-time favorite after-Midnight-Mass
dessert. It is rich, yet light on the palette.
You can dress it up or down. See below for
variations. This recipe makes two tortes.
Step
One is to make the cakes:
1/2
cup soft butter
2
oz semi-sweet baking chocolate
1½
cups sour cream
1-1/3
cup sugar
2
eggs
1
teaspoon vanilla
1¾
cup all-purpose flour
1
teaspoon soda
1
teaspoon salt
1
teaspoon baking powder
Grease and flour the bottom of two 8”
round cake pans. Melt chocolate in 2
tablespoons of butter for 10 seconds in a
microwave. In a large mixing bowl, beat
remaining butter, melted chocolate, sour
cream, and sugar together until
well-incorporated. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat
until well-incorporated.
Mix dry ingredients together in a
separate bowl. Add all at once to batter,
beating on a low speed until just mixed in.
Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and
beat the batter at a high speed for 3 minutes
to develop its structure.
Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at
350° for 30 – 35 minutes. Cover tightly and
let cool.
Step
Two is to make the frosting. This is a very
old-fashioned frosting:
2½
tablespoons all-purpose flour
1
cup milk
1
cup soft butter
1
cup sugar
1½
teaspoons vanilla
Combine flour and milk in a saucepan.
Stir over medium heat until thickened and
bubbly. Remove from heat and cool to room
temperature.
Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla in a
large mixing bowl. Slowly pour in cooked milk
mixture until well-incorporated. Scrape down
the sides and beat for 2 or 3 minutes more, or
until fluffy.
Step
Three is to make the filling and then assemble
the tortes. Here goes:
2
cups heavy cream
1
3-oz package instant vanilla pudding mix
1½
cups egg nog
2
tablespoons vanilla
Beat ingredients together at high speed
until mixture thickens. Refrigerate until set
(30 minutes).
Take cooled cakes and split each of
them in two so that you have four thin cakes.
Place the bottoms of the cakes on serving
plates. Spread with ½ of the filling each.
Place the top pieces. Frost, decorate, and
serve the cakes.
Variations
Apricot-Pecan
Torte
When
preparing the filling in Step Three, add the
following ingredients:
1/3
cup apricot preserves
½
cup finely chopped pecans
Decorate
the top with fresh apricots and pecans. Tint
the icing a pale orange color.
Bourbon-Chocolate
Torte
When
preparing the filling in Step Three, use
Bourbon Whiskey instead of vanilla.
Decorate
the top of the cake with shaven chocolate.
Outline the top with cherries.
Coconut-White
Chocolate Torte
When
preparing the icing, replace the milk with
coconut milk. Decorate the top with shredded,
sweetened coconut and shaven white chocolate.
Classic
Christmas Torte
When
preparing the filling, use only Franjelico
(hazelnut liquor) as the flavoring. Decorate
the top with finely chopped hazelnuts,
almonds, walnuts, or pecans – or a mixture
of any or all!
Favorite
Entrée
Caribbean
Grilled Pork
3
-5 lb. pork roast or tenderloin
6
to 8 garlic cloves OR 6 teaspoons minced
garlic
2
bunches of green onions, chopped
3.5-oz.
can chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce
½
cup brown sugar, packed
4
tablespoons ground allspice
1
teaspoon cinnamon
1
teaspoon nutmeg
1
teaspoon salt
Juice
of one lime
Place all of the ingredients into a
food processor. Let process until the mixture
becomes a smooth, thick liquid. The chipotle
peppers give just enough burn that my
ten-year-old can still eat it. But if you like
it spicier, use 4 Scotch Bonnet (habanera)
peppers.
Rub pork roast with sauce, using about
1 tablespoon per pound of meat. Cover and let
marinate overnight. Store the remainder of the
sauce in a zip-lock in the freezer. It will
keep indefinitely there – and will remain
pliable.
Grill the roast over ash-white coals
(low heat) for 30 minutes on one side and then
30 minutes on the other side. The meat will be
very juicy on the inside. Outside, it will be
nice and dark.
Mashed
Sweet Potatoes
3
medium sweet potatoes
4
- 5 tablespoons butter
1
teaspoon vanilla
3
tablespoons sugar
½
cup chopped pecans (optional)
Steam sweet potatoes and peel while
hot. Place in a mixing bowl and add remaining
ingredients. Whip on high speed until light
and well-blended. Ready to serve! Makes 5
half-cup servings.
Caribbean
Fresh Fruit Salsa
1
medium mango, peeled
2
star fruits, peeled and cut from pith
3
kiwis, peeled
2
tablespoons green onions
1
small poblano pepper, cored
1
8-oz can pineapple tid-bits
1
tablespoon ginger root, finely grated
2
– 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro (optional)
Juice
of half a lime
Dice and chop fruit, onions, and
peppers into a medium mixing bowl. Drain the
pineapple tid-bits (reserving the juice to use
in Mango Reduction). Add to bowl with ginger
root and lime juice. Toss to mix. Serve
immediately, or for more intense flavor, let
marinate for several hours. Will last in
refrigerator for up to 1 week. Makes 2 ½
cups.
Mango
Reduction
Reserved
pineapple juice
1
12-oz can mango nectar
½
teaspoon Chinese 5-spice (McCormick)
Mix ingredients into a small saucepan
and cook over low heat until reduced by half.
Just before ready to use, bring just to a
boil. Let cook for 2 minutes. Remove from
heat. Drizzle over plated pork, potatoes, and
fruit. Makes 4 – 5 tablespoons.
Favorite
Seafood
Fresh grilled
Amberjack Sandwiches
4 Amberjack filets, 8- 10 oz each
¼ cup olive oil
2 lemons
4 Tablespoons sea salt
Cracked pepper, to taste
Four Kaiser buns
Rub the filets with sea salt and cracked pepper until well
coated. I like to use a mixture of black,
white, pink, and green peppercorns for the
fullest flavor. White peppercorns lend an
especially aromatic flavor while pink
peppercorns give a slightly sweet pepperiness.
In a 13x9” dish, mix the juice of one lemon and the olive
oil together. Lay the filets in one at a time,
turning to coat both sides. Let marinate in
the refrigerator while you prepare the grill.
It will take about 45 minutes for the coals to
get white and cool enough. The perfect
temperature is 350 degrees, if you are using a
gas grill.
Place the fish in the fish flipper and cook for 5 - 7
minutes on each side, depending upon the
thickness. If the filets are ¼” or less
thick, turn after only 3 minutes to make sure
you don’t burn them.
Once the filets become fully opaque and flake when lifted
with a fork, they are done. You do not need to
cook dark grill marks into the fish in order
for them to be done. No part of the fish
should be charred.
Cut the other lemon into four pieces. Lightly toast your
buns (the bread, I mean). Kaiser buns are of
the dry, dense family of breads. They work
best because they soak up the succulent
amberjack juices so that you don’t lose a
tasty drop. It also means that you might need
some extra moistness, which is where the
tarter sauce comes in. I can’t eat an
amberjack sandwich without it.
Serve the fish on the toasted buns with a lemon wedge.
Healthy and delicious!
Tarter Sauce
I
know you can buy it, but I’ve never found
any good, store-bought.
1
cup mayonnaise
½
cup sweet or dill pickle relish, well-drained
2
Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Stir
ingredients together until well-mixed. Chill
for at least one hour, until set.
Favorite
Soups
Pumpkin
Soup
1
medium pumpkin OR 1/2 cup canned or cooked,
fresh pumpkin
1
tablespoon olive oil
1
tablespoon butter
½
cup finely chopped onion
15-oz
can chicken broth
¾
cup milk of half n half
nutmeg
salt
and pepper
½
cup of your favorite cheese
Either roast the pumpkin as described in the write-up
above, using the olive oil and salt and pepper
to coat the insides before baking them OR
measure 1 cup of canned or fresh cooked
pumpkin meat.
Sautee the onion and butter for about
20 minutes on low heat. Then add the stock,
milk, pumpkin flesh, and a sprinkling of
nutmeg. Salt and pepper to taste. Let it
simmer gently for about 20 minutes. Either
pour it through a colander to strain it OR
process it until pureed in a food processor.
Pour the soup into either soup bowls or into
the cooked pumpkin shells. Top with grated
cheese and broil until the cheese is bubbly,
if desired. Serve with crackers or croutons.
Lovely nutty, roasted flavor!
|
