EllenFork

Decorative Gourds and Other Fall Ephemera: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Some very attractive decorative gourds

It's Fall in San Francisco, the land of eternal Autumn and an average of 56 degrees F. Really, this is my first true fall here in the city, after moving to the Bay Area in January 2010. Last year I was in the midst of my culinary externship in New Orleans, romping around in the relief of tolerably cooler weather and dressing up as a toddler from Toddlers and Tiaras for Halloween. There is no better place to spend Halloween than New Orleans, specifically Frenchman Street, where dancing in the street with costumed strangers goes laaaaate into the night.

This year things are a little different around here...as in I have graduated from culinary school, gotten married and am expecting a little girl in January! Yes, an actual human baby that is an as-yet unnamed girl!! So, no rampant boozing in ridiculous costumes for me this fall. As restitution, I am eating more cake-related items. Yeah yeah, pregnancy cliché... but I'm actually ok with a pumpkin whoopie pie instead of a glass of wine (for now) so that's what this post going to cover. Also, I'm going to just tra-la-la-la waltz right into a blog post about whoopie pies and telling you all that I'm graduated, pregnant and married and act like it's completely normal to just drop that kind of information on people. So, deal with it.

As for the whoopie pies... they are just straight up delicious y'all.There is something about the texture of these lil guys that is addictive. It's like a cupcake and a cookie had a baby and then that baby got slathered in delicious cream cheese frosting... yep. And, it's fall so of course it's time for some pumpkin flavored goodies! If you aren't ravenously consuming squash-flavored desserts and coffee beverages, you better get your shit TOGETHER. ASAP. These kinds of things have a limited shelf life! After Thanksgiving it's gonna be all "peppermint and hot chocolate" and you're going to wish you'd taken more time to relish all the brown-orangey goods that are currently so prevalent. Haven't you been looking at Pinterest, an online world dedicated to the glorification of seasonal crafts and snacks?! And on that note, I want to share something really special with you, my devoted readers. It's an essay from the online publication McSweeney's, and I feel it really encapsulates the spirit of autumn, with an ode to Decorative Gourd Season. I read it faithfully each year, with great reverence. Please enjoy, preferably with a pumpkin whoopie pie in hand!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit, October 2009

Yield: 18 cakes

Ingredients

Cream Cheese Filling

1 ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted
½  cup unsalted butter, room temperature
16 oz cream cheese
1 Tbsp Vanilla extract
2 Tbsp Maple syrup

Cakes

3 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 ½  tsp baking powder
1 ½  tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
Dash ground cardamom
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾  cup (packed) golden brown sugar
¾  cup sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
½  cup milk
Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Filling:

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat sugar, butter and cream cheese until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract and maple syrup and beat until blended. Let stand at room temperature.

Cakes:

Sift together the first 7 ingredients into a large bowl. In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until fully blended. (This recipe calls for more spices than the original- it would’ve been quite bland without at least this much of each spice, but I thought there was room for even more… add to your taste!)

Pouring in a thin stream, beat in oil. Add eggs (these should be room temperature) 1 at a time, making sure they are fully incorporated before adding the next.  Beat in pumpkin. Add half of dry ingredients, then milk, then the rest of the dry ingredients, beating to completely blend with each addition and scraping sides of the bowl. Chill batter for at least 1 hour. (I ended up using some of the batter the day I made it and using the rest the next day and it worked great).

In a cold oven, arrange 1 rack in bottom third of oven and 1 rack in top third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment; spray lightly with nonstick spray. (I highly recommend using two sheets at a time, or else you’ll be baking mini cakes all day). Spoon batter onto baking sheet to form cakes (about 3 level tablespoons each; about 12 per baking sheet), spacing apart. Let stand 10 minutes- this allows it to warm up a bit.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into centers comes out clean, which should take about 20 min. Rotate about halfway through baking. Cool cakes completely on baking sheets on rack. Using a small offset spatula, spread about 2 tablespoons filling on flat side of 1 cake. Top with another cake, flat side down (duh). Repeat with remaining cakes and filling.

Consume.

Happy Fall!

 

 

 

A Gnocchi Amendment

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you might remember this post about gnocchi. Well, my friends, that was a while ago. I am still not Italian, nor am I your Grandmother, but I don't think those are reasons I shouldn't be able to make some tasty potato dumplings and share them with you on the interwebs. Since that post I've been around the culinary block a few more times (okay fine, like once) and have a new method that works quite well. The following account is from a few months ago, during my culinary "externship" at an amazing restaurant. Don't be confused- I am no longer there, but in fact back in St. Helena, CA finishing up school. The five months I spent on my externship were amazing, and I learned an incredible amount about food and working in the restaurant industry. So, without further ado, my thoughts on gnocchi:

I am currently working the "Pasta Station" at work, which means that I spend all day making pasta that the restaurant will use during lunch and dinner, as well as for our private parties.

I arrive at 7 am (or 9 am weekends) and begin my set-up in the pastry kitchen upstairs. It's dark and quiet when I arrive, before I flip on the many machines that provide a constant whirring background noise. I throw pots on the stove, set up my equipment and set to peeling a mound of potatoes for gnocchi. We go through hundreds thousands of gnocchi every week, and it is a constant task keeping us stocked with the little bastards. There is a special wooden table in the pastry kitchen for pasta, an oasis in the midst of stainless steel surfaces. Working pasta can be tedious and a bit isolated since there is usually only one dedicated person, but it has it's own benefits. I enjoy the benefit of focusing on one area of expertise and really having the chance to make it right, even through a bit of trial and error. I will freely admit that my first batch (and the many that immediately followed) was not very beautiful... in fact, they were kind of fat and tough. Every batch of gnocchi has improved since I started- it's one of those things in which practice truly does make perfect. You can use a basic foundation of "the right way" to get started, but in the end it's all about the senses. Exactly how the dough feels, the color of the dough, the taste of the potatoes, the salt in the cooking water- the understanding of the right texture, etc all truly come through the taste and touch of a few dozen batches of gnocchi.

In my previous post (and above) I admitted that I was not an Italian grandmother. Looking back I feel the need to explain why I felt self-conscious about those particular attributes. An Italian grandmother has presumably looked at, tasted and touched gnocchi for many decades. With her eyes closed she can whip out a few batches of fluffy, flavorful and perfectly shaped little potato dumplings because she knows what the cooked potatoes should feel like and exactly how the dough feels when it has received enough flour. By an internal clock and a quick taste, she knows when the gnocchi have cooked long enough in the water that has been salted by muscle memory. It's repetition, repetition, repetition that has cemented this knowledge in her very being. In a restaurant, or even our own home kitchens, it is hard to come by enough time and need to repeatedly produce something like gnocchi- the menu changes or you have ninety million other things to do and so someone else does it, or whatever the case may be. So, for the time being I'm enjoying the opportunity to put gnocchi into the old muscle memory bank for years to come.

Potato Gnocchi

2.5 lbs yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered

3.4 oz butter, softened to room temperature

5 egg yolks

7-10 oz "00" flour (buy it here if you can't find it in your market)

Ground nutmeg to taste

Sea salt to taste

White pepper to taste

First, peel and quarter your potatoes. Place them in a pot of cold water, covered by a couple inches. Salt the water lightly. Bring to a boil, until potatoes are tender throughout. Don't overcook- you're not making mashed potatoes. While the potatoes are cooking, set up the rest of your equipment. You need a pot of salty, boiling water to cook the gnocchi in and an ice bath for when you take them out. Also, you want your butter to be room temp- stir it up until it is about the consistency of aoli. Mix in yolks, nutmeg, salt and white pepper.  Set aside. 

Drain potatoes in a colander and spread onto a sheet tray. Put them in a warm oven, about 350 degrees. At this point you just want the extra water in the potatoes to evaporate, you're not trying to cook them any more. Take them out after a few minutes and stir them around to release some steam and throw 'em back in for a few more minutes. When they are dry to the touch, take them out and run them through a food mill or potato ricer. In a large bowl, mix together the potatoes with your yolks/butter/spices and add about a third of the flour. Begin to knead the dough, adding the rest of the flour as you go. You'll know when it has enough when the dough down't sort of slouch over on it's own, it can stand up without moving. Cut the dough into seven pieces and roll them into little snakes about 3/4 diameter. This depends on how big you want your gnocchi to be- bigger snakes equal bigger gnocchi. Cut the snakes into about 1/4-1/2 inch long pieces. Here enters the gnocchi board. I love this tool. It's simply a small wooden paddle with grooves carved in it, specifically designed for rolling gnocchi. This is what it looks like:

To achieve that shape, roll the gnocchi from the end with the handle torads the open end with your thumb, applying gentle pressure. It will create that distinctive grooved look and a divot in the center to catch sauce and help it to cook evenly.

Using a bench scraper or other flat tool, scoop the gnocchi into a pot of boiling, salted water. When they pop up to the surface they are almost done- give them about 30 seconds to one minute more time in the water and test them to make sure they are firm. They should be firm but giving- no mushy gnocchi! Shock them in ice water, drain and set aside. They are now ready for whatever use you can dream up for them (but are best when used as soon as possible). Saute them in brown butter, or pesto; briefly simmer them in a creamy sauce with herbs and cheese; brown them in oil until they are a little crispy on the outside and pair them with a pork chop and brussels sprouts. The possibilities are endless!

Times Are Changing

My partner-in-crime looking into the Pacific Ocean in Muir Beach, CA

One year ago, I was living in the Washington, DC area. I had just quit my advertising job and was working at a restaurant in order to get enough restaurant experience to enroll in culinary school. Since then, I have enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America- Greystone, which is in Napa Valley in California.  My boyfriend and I sold his condo, packed and moved all of our belongings across the country into an apartment in San Francisco, and some of my belongings to a dorm room in Saint Helena, CA (down the street from school). I got a part-time job in the tasting room of a fantastic winery. I have completed two semesters of school and am now in New Orleans completing my culinary externship at a big, beautiful, fabulous restaurant, and I will be here til the end of January. I’ve gone from daydreaming and cooking at home to working my ass off in a demanding restaurant, a place that is a different experience than simply enjoying the act of cooking. It’s about speed and efficiency, problem solving and working under the gun. But it’s also about learning how to make the best food you possibly can, no exceptions. Being here is a challenge, but it is very rewarding.

So, there’s that. I’ve missed you my darling blog, and readers. I wonder if any of you still come around? If you do come by, only to be confronted with an obscenely out of date post on the Day of the Dead, I offer you my apologies. But, as you can see I have had a few things going on lately. And they are the kind of things that, if all goes well, will result in many more awesome and exciting posts about food. Perhaps I will have a chance to share something I’ve learned with you on my next day off…when and if that happens soon. I may have to break from my typical blog format of a recipe and photo in order to share some of the amazing things that have been going on in school with you... so stay tuned! For now, I must run to work.

 

Dead Bread

Well, Halloween has FINALLY passed. Everyone gets so whipped into a frenzy over cocktails with eyeballs in them, cookies in the shape of dismembered digits and cupcakes with brain-colored frosting- it's kind of a relief when we can get back to enjoying delicious, non-themed fall food! However before we get entangled in the typical Thanksgiving frenzy, I would like to tell you about another November celebration that I love.

Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican celebration that happens to coincide with the American celebration of Halloween, but has a more "down-to-earth" feel about it (get it?).... On this day, families gather together to pray for the souls of family and friends who have died. The celebration occurs on November 2, which is the Catholic holiday "All Souls Day". On this day families visit cemetaries to clean the graves of loved ones, and build altars to honor the dead. These altars can also be found in many homes, as an incentive to souls to visit and hear the prayers of their families. Altars, or ofrendas, typically include favorite foods of the deceased, including various fruits, beverages such as beer and tequila, marigolds, sugar skulls, candied pumpkin and Pan de Muertos. All of these are gifts to welcome the deceased home, but are also eaten by the living participants. This day is not meant to be a day of mourning, but rather a celebration of life and the return of loved ones- feasting and partying accompanies the praying. (If you'd like to learn more, go here.)

I have always loved Day of the Dead, ever since I learned about it in some long-ago Spanish class. It's a party to celebrate life, and to keep loved ones with you always- plus there is a lot of feasting and fun that goes along with it! And I love the beautiful, colorful Day of the Dead art, like the sugar skulls that are given as gifts. The colorful little skulls in my altar were purchased at an AMAZING store in Austin, TX that was absolutely filled to the brim with Day of the Dead art. Luckily we flew and I had to carry on, or I would have appropriated a LOT more... Last year SW and I even planned to go as Day of the Dead skeletons for Halloween, until I came down with the plague. We ended up just carving some Day of the Dead themed pumpkins instead. The two on the left are clearly the handiwork of SW, as demonstrated by their superior carvings.

However, this year I went on the hunt for some festive Day of the Dead celebrations in my neck of the woods. It was nigh impossible! No one seems to be celebrating sufficiently in the DC/MD/VA area, and if they are they aren't advertising it. I did manage to find a huge, awesome Day of the Dead altar at the Mexican Cultural Institute. I ran right over there to snap some pictures, interrupted some private tequila tasting on the basis that "I came all the way from Virginia!!", then ran back home to build my own ofrenda and begin my preparations for Pan de Muertos or "Dead Bread" (recipes and photos after the jump).

Summer Taste of Spain

When I arrived in Madrid for my Semester Abroad in late August of 2004, it was sizzlin' hot. I mean, fry an egg on the sidewalk hot. After hours of groggy, confused sleep on my international flight, I stepped out onto the blistering pavement of the Arrivals section at the hazy airport to meet my host mother, Maria Elena. She whisked my roommate and I off into the sprawling urban jungle of Madrid in the tiniest car I'd ever seen, all the while speaking to us in rapid-fire Spanish. We just smiled and nodded, sure that we would never, ever understand anything she said. We whirled through space and time, ending up in a beautiful residential neighborhood near Retiro Park. Now, don't judge, but I'm from Nashville where most people I knew lived in houses with at least a little bit of yard. I was not prepared for the tiny, apartment where I would be spending the next few months. Nor was I prepared for the lack of A/C! Maria Elena escorted us to our tiny quarters and threw open the window to let in some (hot) air. Home sweet home!

Above is the view from our window. We overlooked some kind of recreation facility, and sometimes my afternoon siesta was disturbed the the shouts of some bratty children at this cool looking pool. Jealous, much?

Lucky for me, Maria Elena was not of the ilk of host mothers who timed our showers, or forbade us entry to the kitchen. She was friendly and cute and fun- the smallest, blondest Spaniard I'd met to date, who loved to Flamenco dance and was constantly dieting. One of our first meals prepared by this gracious hostess was Gazpacho. First of all, it was wayyy to hot to fire up the deep fryer (Which she had! There is an amazing amount of fried food eaten in Spain!) and second of all, Gazpacho is "más sano", or healthy. At least three times a week (or more) we would sup upon the cool, refreshing liquid food, always accompanied by bread with salt and olive oil and a simple salad. Maria Elena's version was very simple: tomatoes, cucumber, garlic, olive oil (that her friend in Andalucia sent her by the barrel-full) and salt, whirred to liquid perfection in her crazy efficient blender. I think sometimes she added bread to give it more texture. Unlike the Gazpachos back home, there were no chunks, just a silky smooth concoction. I could eat it every day, forever, pretty much.

So, now that we're in the dog days of August here in exotic Norther Virginia, the tomatoes are plentiful and juicy. It's time for some gazpacho. So yesterday, as I perused the market in search of the right 'maters, I came upon a huge pile of fat, ripe yellow heirlooms, which may have been Lemon Boys (there was no sign). Bam. Fate had determined that my gazpacho would be a beautiful yellow variety. I decided to stay true to the simple nature of Maria Elena's Gazpacho, more or less, with the addition of some vinegar. This is also a traditional ingredient in Spanish Gazpacho, and I'm not sure why Maria Elena never used it. Anyway, I would fly back to Spain right now for a bowl of her version if I could. Hopefully you will enjoy my version, below!

 

Yellow Gazpacho

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs yellow tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 seedless cucumber, peeled and chopped (reserve a little bit for garnish)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 4 tbsp sherry vinegar (sherry is typical, but I used Banyuls)
• 1 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
• Optional garnish: crumbled pancetta or bacon, slice of fresh mozzarella

First, bring a pot of water to boil. Blanch the tomatoes in the boiling water for 30 seconds or so, to loosen their skins. Cool them in some ice water, then slip off their skins with your fingers (this should be really easy, if it's hard they might need a bit more time in the water). Core and then coarsely chop the tomatoes, making sure to reserve any juice.

Peel the cucumber and reserve enough for a few slices, for garnish. Coarsley chop the rest of the cucumber.

Throw all the tomatoes, cucumber, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and salt into the blender and set to "LIQUIFY"!!! Make sure you yell that when you hit the button, too. Taste it. Add more salt, garlic, vinegar, whatever, until it tastes just the way you like it. I like to be able to discern the vinegar a bit, without a whole lot of salt and with a little garlicky bite. It's hard to mess this up, guys.

At this point, some people would strain the soup, but the tomatoes I used were meaty and juicy, with few seeds so I didn't find it necessary. If your soup is too thick, add some ice water. Chill until ice cold!

When cold, ladle into bowls and add garnish, if you like. For the garnish, I decided to add a little American twist: bacon. I crumbled a bit of bacon over a slice of cucumber and a slice of mozzerella and added it to the soup... it sank to the bottom immediately. Instead, I recommend crumbling a bit of the bacon in the center of the bowl, and adding the mozz/cucumber slice on the side, kind of like a lime on the side of your G&T. Whatever, it's your soup.

Lastly, enjoy! And, imagine yourself at a sidewalk café in Madrid, eating soup and drinking Rioja... or at Maria Elena's kitchen table, talking about the Special K diet and teaching her kids dirty words in English. Your choice.

Salud!

This Pudding Has Nothing to Do with Bill Cosby.

Hi guys. Yeah, it's me. I've come crawling back to you. But I have a little something for you, something that will hopefully distract you from the fact that my last post was monthssss ago...

Since we are now in the throes of summer, tomatoes are both plentiful and ENORMOUS. On a recent visit home, my mother presented me with some incredible looking heirloom 'maters from the Amish. I'm not completely sure where these Amish live in relation to Nashville, but these tomatoes look like they came from the Land of the Lost, seriously. Anyway, when I caught sight of these monstrous beauties, I knew something had to be done. They had to be sliced into a million pieces and consumed, immediately.

Now, you don't need to get all crazy and fancy with tomatoes like these; their natural tastiness should be able to shine through without a lot of extra flavors. Naturally I turned to Judy Rodgers' Zuni Café Cookbook for a recipe that would do these fruits justice (yeah, tomatoes are FRUITS and don't you forget it). And since I was taking this dish to a potluck at a farm (which I wrote about here), I needed it to be as seasonal and fresh as possible, something for which Ms. Rodgers is renowned. The following recipe brings out the freshness of the tomatoes with a delicious acidic vinaigrette and the most pungent, summery scent of all- tons of fresh basil. And, this dish requires NO HOT OVENS!!! So, run out to your farmer's market RIGHT NOW and get some big, ugly ol' heirloom tomatoes! 

Tomato Summer Pudding   from Zuni Café Cookbook by Judy Rodgers

Yields about 6 servings

Ingredients:

• About 8 ounces day-old, peasant style bread (I used about half a baguette), sliced 1/4 thick
• A few cloves of garlic, peeled
• Extra-virgin olive oil (for vinaigrette, so use as much as you think is needed)
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar (I used red wine)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• About 2 1/2 lbs very ripe tomatoes, preferably a few different varieties of heirlooms (I used purple cherokees and a big yellow one whose name I do not know)
• About 1/4 cup fresh basil, parsley or cilantro leaves, very coarsely chopped (obviously I used basil, WHY WOULD YOU USE PARSLEY IN THIS RECIPE?!!??!)
• 1 medium shallot finely diced, or a scant 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion (I used shallot)
• 1/2 small cucumber, peeled and diced
• 1 cup Sweet 100, Sungold, or currant tomatoes, to garnish (I skipped this, but if I'd had a really pretty branch of these lil guys, I might've included it)

Preheat the broiler. Crisp and brown the bread lightly on one side. Rub the crispy side with the raw garlic, then brush the soft side with water. Stack bread and place in plastic bag to steam and soften.

Combine olive oil, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste, to make a mild vinaigrette.

Core the tomatoes. Cut in half from stem to blossom end, then slice crosswise into slices about 1/4 inches thick. I did this on a plate, rather than the cutting board, in order to capture all the juice. The juice is added to the vinaigrette. Pick out the shoulders and bottoms of the tomatoes and coarsely chop them. Salt lightly and scrape into a strainer. Set this over the vinaigrette, smash ad press the tomato bits with a spoon and leave to drain.

Build the pudding in a soufflé dish, wide bowl, gratin dish, or other comparable vessel that can hold about 1-1/2 quarts and is at least 3 inches deep.  Rub the entire dish with raw garlic. Then, cutting the bread into appropriate shapes, carpet the bottom of the dish with the bread. Try not to overlap the bread, or leave big gaps. Then make a solid double layer of tomatoes. Scatter with a little of the shallot (or red onion) and cucumber and herb.  Whisk, then drizzle a few tablespoons of vi over entire thing. Add another layer of bread and press with a spoon to encourage the tomatoes to release their precious juices. Repeat this a few more times, ending with a top layer of tomatoes. Save leftover vinaigrette for garnish. Poke pudding a few times randomly with a skewer, to allow juices to mingle throughout.

Now cover with plastic wrap and find a flat-bottomed dish that will fit just inside the pudding dish. Place on top and press down, weighting it with something heavy from the kitchen (can of tomatoes? brick?). Set this aside at room temp for an hour or so.

After the hour has passed, Judy recommends checking to see if the pudding is juicy enough, but sliding a knife down the side of the dish and prying the pudding away from the side. If it oozes, its juicy enough. I had absolutely no problem with this pudding being juicy enough, due to the nature of the tomatoes and my liberal drizzling of vinaigrette. Make sure you taste the juice of the pudding, so that you can adjust if it is too oily or acidic. Rewrap and press until ready to serve.

I topped my pudding with more shallot/cuke/basil, because I had some leftover and because it's beautiful in contrast with the color of the tomatoes. This pudding is SO GOOD. It IS summertime, in your mouth. And, at the end of the night, there was absolutely NOTHING LEFT. I left the farm (read about that potluck here) with a dirty dish and a smile.

'

A Half-Baked Serenade

Today was a rainy day in Washington, DC. The air was thick with mist, almost obscuring the buildings in the distance from view. Here on the eighth floor of my apartment building, those buildings usually seem so close, despite their distance of a few miles. Today, they appear worlds away.

And in spite of the “miserable weather”, as I so indifferently referred to it earlier, this day was a reprieve. It was a reprieve from the lively, boisterous birth of flora and fauna that comes along with spring. The noisy act of living and the brassy sunlight that we so desperately and recklessly greet with open windows and bared skin- after the quiet of winter it’s a shock to the system.

So, today was a day for calm, and now that night has fallen, it is a peaceful night. The rain is quietly falling outside and the streets are shrouded in fog, faintly glistening in the orange glow of the streetlights. Finally after weeks of hot sun, the false starts of summer and the ups and downs of everyday life, I have a moment to breathe. Sometimes we need a “miserable” rainy day to remember why we rejoice so heartily in the warm breezes of spring- to remember where we’ve come from and where we’re going.

Lately I’ve been forced to reflect on just that- where we’ve come from and where we’re going. Birth, life, death- the marching orders to which we must all adhere.  It’s not easy to accept, nor does it become easier as we grow older. With the passing of my grandfather, the lesson that a life well-lived must come to an end did not ease the blow of his absence. Instead, I am busy, busy. Busier than ever, it seems, with the arrangements of death, the care of my family and, now that I am back in D.C., the hectic pace of my own semi-grownup life. And so, in the face of the thousands upon thousands of things I knew I must get done, I began to bake.

 

And as I baked, I began to realize that life is like the brioche that I was baking (it spoke to me when I came across it in the Silver Palate cookbook). It starts with nothing: raw flour, eggs, sugar. With the addition of yeast, it begins to grow. With the addition of flour, the dough takes shape and with time, it rises. Like in life, this recipe calls for the dough to be punched down. But also like in life, it resiliently rises again. Then, it is formed and allowed to rise once more. Finally, the dough is baked in a warm oven until it becomes something else entirely. It becomes bread.

Following the recipe, I kneaded the dough until was smooth and perfect and waited for it to rise for the final time, anticipating the moment when it would be brown and perfect and fluffy, ready for me to eat. But as I waited for that moment, I realized that the stirring and kneading and waiting is what life is about. I mean, isn’t it? Like our lives, bread goes through so much to reach that subliminal stage wherein it is devoured with butter and jam- the realization of the bread’s purpose, the point we are all trying to reach. Whether it’s career or family or status, we are ALL trying to become fully baked, but every moment until that point is just as important as the day we are pulled steaming and perfect from the oven.

Whether or not you agree with my tiny bread-life epiphany, there is something therapeutic and good about making bread. You’re all working together to make something delicious and new- you, the yeasts, the eggs and butter and sugar…it takes time and it pays off. I invite you to make this brioche on a rainy day and feed it to someone you love (or remember someone you love), like I did. Perhaps to you this bread is nothing like life…but I guarantee it will be delicious either way.

Bake on, friends.

 

Brioche

• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 4 tsp salt
• 3 eggs, at room temp
• 8 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil

First, combine milk, butter and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour into a large mixing bowl to cool. When mixture is lukewarm (105-115 F) stir in the yeast. Let it get all yeasty and foamy in there for about 10 minutes. Then, stir in the salt.

Beat eggs thoroughly in a small bowl and add to milk mixture. Stir in 7 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time til the dough becomes sticky. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Now wash and dry the bowl since you'll need it a little bit later.

Sprinkle more flour over the dough and knead it, adding flour as necessary until you achieve a smooth, elastic dough. Silver Palate recommends about 10 minutes of kneading.

Pour about 2 tablespoons vegetable oil into the freshly washed bowl. Put your nice little doughball into the bowl, rolling it around to coat well in the oil. Cover with a towel and set dough aside to rise for about 2 hours, until it has tripled in bulk. Now, punch down the dough, turn onto floured work surface and knead for about 2 more minutes. Return to bowl, cover and let rise again- until doubled this time.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

If you are baking in loaf pans, use 2 pans that have been lightly buttered. For traditional brioche, use buttered muffin tinsor actual brioche molds.

Bake until golden brown about 30-40 minutes. I let my loaf bake for about 35, which seemed to work out well. Cool slightly before turning out of loaf pan, and cool completely before wrapping it up.

 

When it's cooled a bit, slice off a warm, thick slice. Slather it with butter and if you're lucky enough to have some blackberry preserves from the Loveless Cafe on hand, load that baby up and savor every bite.

Taste of the Nation: DC

Almost a week ago (yeah, yeah, I'm late) I had the serious pleasure of attending Taste of the Nation DC, a charity event supporting the eradication of childhood hunger. Originally I had signed up to be a volunteer at the event, but some unforeseen circumstances prevented me from making the mandatory orientation session. At the last minute I entered to win two tickets through Foodbuzz, the online food community (see the ad banners to the right?) and lo and behold, the food gods answered my prayers! I put on my roomiest all black outfit and set out for a night of gluttony in downtown DC, all for a good cause of course....

(pictured below: Georgetown Cupcake cupcakes and Bryan Voltaggio of VOLT)

The event was held at the National Building Museum, which was a very dramatic setting. Huge Corinthian columns set the stage for DC's best restaurants to dole out some extremely flavorful treats. Oh, and let's not forget the beverages- DC's best mixologists were shaking, stirring and pouring up a storm. Below are Rachel Sergi and JP Caceres of Againn, followed by Owen Thomsen and an unidentified member of the DC Bartender's Guild (dedicated to the preservation of classic cocktails).

There were far too many amazing things eaten at an alarming rate for me to fully describe them, but I did take note of some of the highlights of the evening. I think I would be a decent reporter, except when food is involved- unfortunately my notepad and Nikon got way less use than I had intended.I did manage to stalk down a few "cheftestants" from the last season of Top Chef. Bryan Voltaggio of VOLT and Mike Isabella of Zaytinya were both in attendance- Bryan was cooking and Mike seemed to be just hanging out. Either way, their presence was a great way to draw attention to the night and get some press going. Anyway- on to the dishes!

Best Dish of the Night:

Vanilla infused pork belly with date puree and bay leaf crumble from Trummer's on Main

This was the best thing I ate all night. I told the chef that it was my favorite thing and he explained that the belly was braised for 72 hours and injected with vanilla... then I told him it was so good that it hurt my feelings, and he seemed amused and kind of confused. The point is, it was GOOD.

Honorable Mentions:

Meatball with polenta from Central

Beet macaron with foie gras dust and fennel pollen from VOLT (pictured below)

Braised short rib with pickled ramp and porcini puree from Charlie Palmer Steakhouse

Seared scallop with mini spanikopita roll from Kellari Taverna

Rock Shrimp Roll with Saffron Mayo and fennel from Occidental Grill & Seafood

Espellette Spiced Wagyu Flank Steak from BLT Steak

Something amazing with "garlic glass" on top from Vidalia (I believe it was sous vide flank steak?)

Salted Caramel Cupcake from Georgetown Cupcakes

Best Cocktails:

The Buried Life from Chantal Tseng of Tabard Inn

This concoction was a mixture of heradura reposada tequila, black tea soda infused with roasted rosemary, agave syrup, fresh lemon juice and black lava salt. Yeah. Really. It was DELICIOUS.

The Gilded Tigerlilly from Rachel Sergi (and JP Caceres) of Againn

As far as I can tell, this was Plymouth Gin, Chambord, gingerbeer, gingersnap(?) and GOLD DUST. Yeah, GOLD DUST. It tasted expensive, and that's how I like it. Honestly I don't know any more than that, but I don't think this really needs explanation.

Overall, this was a very well-organized event. Stations did not start running out of food until a couple hours in (unlike many similar events I've attended) and there was a great variety of restaurants and cocktails to choose from.Overall, I had a great time- next year I'll buy a ticket and you should too!

For more information about future events in your area, see some of the information below or visit the website at www.tasteofthenation.org

(pictured below: Mike Isabella of Zaytinya and Top Chef and friend...thanks for letting me interrupt your conversation to take this pic. You guys rule!)

From the Press Release:

With nearly 17 million children nationally and 23,887 children in Washington, D.C. struggling
with hunger, Taste of the Nation promotes awareness of Share Our Strength’s efforts. Since
1988, Taste of the Nation has raised more than $73 million for organizations in the United
States, Canada and abroad, including more than $1.5 million in Washington, D.C. Local
beneficiaries include Capital Area Food Bank, D.C. Hunger Solutions and Mary’s Center.

About Taste of the Nation®
Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation® is the nation’s premier culinary benefit
dedicated to making sure no kid grows up hungry. Each spring and summer, the nation's
hottest chefs and mixologists donate their time, talent and passion at nearly 40 events
across the United States and Canada, with one goal in mind: to raise the critical funds
needed to end childhood hunger. Taste of the Nation is nationally sponsored by American
Express, Sysco, Food Network, Brown-Forman Corporation, S.Pellegrino Sparkling Natural
Mineral Water and Stella Artois. Since 1988, Taste of the Nation has raised more than $73
million. Funds raised in 2009 supported 135 organizations in the United States, Canada and
abroad. To purchase tickets or to get involved, visit TasteOfTheNation.org.

About Share Our Strength®
Share Our Strength is a national organization working to make sure no kid in the U.S. grows
up hungry. We weave together a net of community groups, activists and food programs
to catch children at risk of hunger, and surround them with nutritious food where they live,
learn and play. We work with the culinary industry to create engaging, pioneering
programs like Taste of the Nation, The Great American Bake Sale, Operation Frontline and
A Tasteful Pursuit. For more information, please visit Strength.org.