Kitchen Mishaps

I have had a busy weekend in the kitchen! Saturday delivered results that were so-so. It started with me making french toast from a recipe that I found on Orangette. However, I found myself short on some of the called-for ingredients, so I will reproduce what I did here:


Challah French Toast
(adapted from Molly Wizenberg)

1 cup 2% milk
4 large eggs
2 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs. brown sugar (use this brown sugar and the extra tablespoon of sugar if no vanilla is available to you--I would much rather use vanilla, though)
¼ tsp salt
cooking spray
6 slices challah, about ¾ inch thick
Powdered Sugar


Whisk together the first five ingredients in a wide, shallow bowl.

Place a large skillet, preferably cast-iron (I have a cast-iron grill pan, so that's what I used), over low to medium heat, and add enough cooking spray to cover the bottom of the skillet. You will probably need to go through this process several times.

Two at a time, add the bread slices to the egg mixture in the bowl, allowing them to rest for a minute on each side. They should feel heavy and thoroughly saturated, but they should not be falling apart (Optional: allow the slices to rest for a minute on a plate. This will allow the bread to absorb the egg mixture. However, if you don't like your french toast to be very eggy inside, skip this step). When the oil is hot, place the slices in the skillet. Cook until the underside of each slice is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn the bread, and cook until the second side is golden, another 2 minutes or so. Remove the bread from the skillet to a plate lined with a paper towel, allow to rest for 30 seconds or so.
When the heat is off, place the slices back onto the cast-iron skillet. This will allow the outsides to crisp up a bit without burning. Serve immediately with powdered sugar or other toppings of your choice.

Yield: 6 slices, serving 2 or 3.

The french toast turned out pretty well. However, if you are using a cast-iron pan, I do not recommend using a grill pan, as it can leave a charred flavor to it. I plan to try the recipe again, using a different pan. I also recommend the second crisping stage to prevent the outside from being too soft. I used this technique on my last three pieces, and it really improved the results. The other pieces were far too soggy.

In the afternoon, I attempted to make the pizza dough that I had promised two weeks ago. I followed this recipe for the dough, planning to split up the dough into six individual crusts and freeze them.
The initial mixing stage turned out well; it was really easy and the mixture smelled good. I used yeast from a jar instead of packets, so that is one level tablespoon per yeast packet called for.



Greenhorn that I am, I took Chef Oliver's advice and made a well of flour and other dry ingredients directly on my counter top.




Few home kitchens really have the space for this type of process, as I learned the second I poured the yeast mixture into the well. Yeast-water ran everywhere, threatening the life of my precious computer that sat on the stool next to me. It also nearly ran off the ledge, and into the adjacent living room (I know, it was stupid of me to choose this particular surface. Really stupid. But it offered the most space). As you can imagine, there was no time for me to photograph this disaster, so you will just have to use your imagination. Allow me to have made this mistake for you,readers. Do not try the straight-on-counter-top well technique!
After cleaning up the mess and kneading the dough, I was left with a dough that was crumbly and dry. Not being sure what to do, I called my dad, who enjoys making his own pizza dough and breads. He has been doing this type of thing for about ten years, I believe, so he is certainly the person to ask. You might ask, "why didn't you go to him for advice before?" Because I don't always like to admit that father often does know best. At least, mine does. Sometimes I like to try my own thing.
He recommended to me that I add some extra water from the faucet, not very cold, but not hot, either. Adding some extra flour, I should knead the dough until it gets soft, and then place in a bowl and cover with a towel. I then should let it sit for an hour or so. If the dough fails to rise, it is ruined. He also mentioned that perhaps I should purchase a bowl large enough to mix dough ingredients together, and abandon the counter-top method. I directly purchased said bowl.
In the end, my dough did rise, fortunately. I tried to knead the dough as little as possible, so it wouldn't become tough. I then froze the result in smaller balls, as planned. Because the dough is very floury, I covered the dough balls with plastic wrap and placed them in individual zip-lock bags. When I use the dough to make pizza, I will let you know how it turns out.
One exciting thing that came out of this experience is that my dad will be guest posting on Sugar & Spice to talk more about the proper way for home cooks to make pizza dough!
Sunday has been far more successful in terms of my food preparation (weather-wise, it has been rainy, but it is April, after all). I will look forward all day to posting about this tomorrow!

The Feast

As promised, I am here to report on Easter dinner. Easter is one of my favorite holidays, because it is food and family (or friend) based, without much blatant commercialism and feelings of obligation. Thanksgiving is more food oriented, of course, but there is some dictation on what you will make, if you are something of a traditionalist, like me.

There is just so much more room for creativity on Easter. Sean and I went to my sister's house, where we feasted on red snapper, potatoes and asparagus. I made an appetizer of goat cheese truffles, which I found here on the lovely blog Chocolate and Zucchini.

Per Clotilde's suggestions, I used herbes de provence, fresh chives, fresh basil, chopped hazelnuts, and toasted sesame seeds. I also used a lemon-pepper flavored garlic salt that Sean found in the spice section of the local Giant Eagle (the major grocery store chain in Pittsburgh). These selections were all delicious, and I was able to mix and match. Personally, I found the herbes de provence a little too dry, but my brother-in-law liked it.

I also tried the paprika suggestion. My initial plan was to just use paprika, with nothing to cut the intensity of the flavor. There are some paprika covered truffles in Clotilde's picture, and they looked really nice, and added great color to the plate.

I after I had rolled my first paprika truffle, I began to have doubts. I don't even really like paprika! I tasted it, and it was very strong. It was so strong, in fact, that a chocolate-covered pretzel that I ate about ten minutes later tasted of paprika. So, I don't really recommend the paprika, unless you mixed it with something else, or you really, really like paprika.

Served with fresh bread and sesame wheat crackers, the truffles were a great success. But, in my opinion, the real show-stopper of the evening was the dessert that my sister, Rachel, prepared.

It was not the lemon tiramisu that I had thought she was going to serve, but an Italian lemon and nut cake from Vegetarian Times. Sean described it as a "soft biscotti." With fresh citrus flavor and an agreeable crunchiness, this is a satisfying, but light, dessert that makes a great end for a large meal.

Now that it's the end of a very long week, I am looking forward to a relaxing weekend of being outside and baking. It may be too ambitious, but there will be some baking and breakfast making in the lineup. Hopefully, at least one of my attempts will be something worth sharing with you!

**Photo credit to thedailygreen.com

Bread is the King of the Table...

...and all else is the court that merely surrounds the king.
Louis Bromfield, American novelist (1896-1956)

I have not made the aforementioned chicken and dumplings yet; Thursday was just too nice, weather-wise, and I wouldn't have been able to eat meat yesterday. I am planning on making it soon, however. Maybe this week.
I haven't really been doing much cooking at all, I must admit. Tacos, burritos, sandwiches during happy hour, and some pizza have been my staples of late (I did, however, make the eggs in the photo above. I was breaking in a new pan. Judging by the shape of the eggs, it looks as though more breaking in will follow).
I think most of us fall into this kind of cooking rut, and I have a feeling that I will begin cooking again when I check my bank statement, or am unable to button my pants.
That's not to say that I haven't been thinking about preparing food for myself. I have! With Easter coming up, I can say that I have been busy purchasing food and thinking about what I will make. We are going to my sister's house tomorrow; she will be making most of the food, and I am bringing an appetizer and the wine. I will report more on that later.
I also made an excursion of sorts today. I wanted to try a bakery that I recently heard about: Jean-Marc Chatellier's French Bakery, in the Millvale area of Pittsburgh. I arrived at 1:30, and the bakery closes at 2:00 on Saturdays, so a lot of the delicacies that I imagine must have been there earlier were already sold off. However, there were plenty of luscious looking cakes and various kinds of rolls. If my sister were not making her delicious lemon tiramisu for tomorrow, I would have certainly left with one of these cakes. The pictures on the website don't do them justice.
I was at the bakery for bread, but there was none left. I justified my trip with ordering 2 croissants and one plain and one sweet brioche. I have already broken into the plain brioche roll, and I am quite pleased. Below are some pictures of my spoils.





I think another trip to Millvale will be in order. I want a black forest cake for my birthday!

The Ghost of Pizzas Past

On Sunday, Sean and I made pizza. I had wanted to make the dough from scratch, but I ran out of time. This was a mistake. Since I wanted the crust to taste freshly baked, I didn't buy a Boboli shell, the way I have before. They are rather chewy in texture. This time, I tried Pillsbury pizza crust.
The end result tasted, well, like a Pillsbury roll, and the edges on the bottom turned out black. Fortunately, our choice of toppings saved the pizza.
At my request, we used a mix of cheeses; fontina, romano and mozzarella. Sean suggested using bacon and onion, and I insisted on adding green peppers. We finely chopped the pepper and onions, so that the water coming from them wouldn't make the pizza soggy. We also used some Italian-herb flavored olive oil directly on the crust. For sauce, we added just a minimal amount of Classico Creations Fire Roasted Tomato and Garlic sauce. It was all very tasty! However, I think that time has come for me to grow up, get off the couch, and start making my own pizza dough!
While researching the best recipe for my needs ( I don't own a mixer, so I shy from things that involve the use of one--sad, I know), I realized that I could freeze the dough, and then we could have pizza even more!
I am planning on making this recipe in the very near future. I will be sure to report on how this goes. If I am successful, then the next step will be working on making my own sauce. However, there are plenty of great marinara/ pizza sauce options, so I am in no hurry for that.
Tomorrow, provided that it is still unseasonably chilly outside--a low of nineteen degrees and snow yesterday! I am planning on making some delicious (and simple!) chicken and dumplings! It's perfect for some cozy comfort food.

Nice Spice

On Thursday, as mentioned, I made a Chicken Satay Stir Fry. Click here for the recipe. For extra spice, I added a spoonful of red curry paste and a little Sriracha (the hot, spicy, rooster sauce in the big red bottle at Asian restaurants).

Otherwise, I think that the Satay sauce is a little bland. I would, however, recommend tasting the sauce to adjust the flavors to your liking.
Since I used chunky peanut butter, I didn't add any peanuts as a condiment, though I added some leftover fresh basil for a nice finish. Sean suggested pouring the satay sauce over the chicken and vegetable mixture and the rice. This worked out well, since he only wanted a little sauce. More spicy, peanutty goodness for me!
The orange-scented jasmine rice is also really good, and it is something that could be used underneath other Asian style dishes. My advice is to buy a big bag of jasmine rice at an Asian grocery store, if that is available to you. Some large supermarkets will also stock some of these brands. They are just so much less money than "luxury import" brands, and they taste just as good, if not better. Having a Microplane takes all the work out of zesting citrus. I use this little tool all the time.
The end result for the satay was almost as delicious as the real thing, which is pretty hard to find in Thai restaurants, at least in Pittsburgh.The only place that I have been able to find a saucy, stir-fry style satay is at a little food truck near the Carnegie Mellon University campus. However, they are only open lunchtime hours, though they are usually open on afternoons during the weekend.
This recipe was already in my rotation (I like to make two or three familiar recipes every week, and then I try something new on the other days), but I think I will be making it more often, it was just so tasty!

On Self-Denial

I have given up desserts for Lent, and I am really starting to miss my almost daily suagr fix. I may be exaggerating, but it's like my idea withdrawal from an addictive substance. However, I am allowing myself a treat on Sundays. Otherwise, I could never make it. To cope during the week, I have been eating blueberry Ego waffles (no syrup or even butter) when I am getting desperate. I kind of feel like the Ego approach is methadone for sugar addicts. I don't really want the waffle, but it keeps me under control. Who knows what would happen if I quit cold-turkey.

Another coping mechanism (or possibly form of torture) is thinking about the desserts I will eat when Lent is over. One part of this sugarless experience that I will take away a better appreciation for what's good. I now realize that I had fallen into the habit of eating junk without even thinking. There are some things that I just don't miss. I can assure you that, from now on, my sweet treat after a long day of work--which is when I need that deliciousness the most--will not include just any factory-made cake or cheap candy bar. There will be more baking in my future!

My list of things I miss the most:
1. Cupcakes from one of those fancy little shops (if you are in the Pittsburgh area, try here and here.
2. Homemade cupcakes!
3. Ice cream from Dave and Andy's(near the University of Pittsburgh). I am devoted to their Birthday Cake flavor.
4. Baklava, especially the baklava from The Istanbul Grille in Shadyside. This is now especially forbidden fruit, since these delicacies are made with pistachios.
5.Lake Champlain dark chocolate.
I could wax on and on about everything that I would like to eat (preferably not all at once, sounds painful), but I think that is enough. I'm off to make a delicious Chicken Satay Stir-Fry. Peanut butter, soy sauce, and chicken (along with a number of other things) are really tasty together!

Gilding the Pig

I found myself with a pork loin to cook for dinner this afternoon (actually, I put it in the freezer last week), but with no ideas for preparing it. I have been getting a little tired of this old stand-by, so I wanted to try a different recipe. Usually, I mix thyme, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and chopped fresh garlic together, apply to the meat, and roast. I decided on a variation today, using this recipe from Epicurious for inspiration.
Now, I don't have an herb garden available for use (yet), nor do I currently have to budget to stock many fresh herbs. I also didn't have any shallots. So, I improvised. I did away with the sauce, which cut out a step. However, if I had wanted, I could have made a gravy with the pan drippings from both the browning process and the roasting itself. But my boyfriend, Sean, doesn't like gravy, and I didn't feel like making any.
After I seasoned with salt and pepper and browned the meat in extra virgin olive oil, I basted the pork with a sauce made from Grey Poupon mustard, extra virgin olive oil, and a little white wine vinegar to thin out the mixture. I also added freshly chopped garlic and herbes de provence (a stand-by in many of my dishes--if you have never used it, I recommend that you give it a try, especially if you enjoy French/continential cooking).
I gave the sauce a little taste, and it was rather tart, in my opinion. Plus, Sean doesn't really like mustard (Sean's numerous dislikes are another common thread in my cooking), so I knew he would agree. So, I added a little honey. Looking back, it's not such a huge leap, but I felt like a crazed, inspired genius at this point. Clearly, I need to start taking more risks in life if honey is making me feel rebellious.
Back to the pork. I then basted this honey mustard mixture (see, not so creative) onto the pork, and put it in the oven. After about fifteen minutes, I added more, and after another fifteen, more. But this time, I also added a combination of herbes de provence and extra virgin olive oil on top of the mustard. I should also add that my pork loin was significantly smaller than the one called for in the original recipe, so I only needed to cook mine for about forty minutes in a 350 degree oven (the usual estimation for pork loin is thirty minutes per pound).
It came out well. While my changes to this recipe were by no means earth-shatteringly innovative, it makes for a similar, though much simpler, version of herb-roasted pork loin.