Friday, September 28, 2012

Jacques Pepin's Easy One-Pot Bread




As shared from the kitchen of Once Upon a Plate by Mari
www.onceuponaplate1.com

Note: It is crucial to use a non-stick pot in order to keep this a one-pot recipe ~ I used a 4-quart saucepan. (Although you could mix up the dough in a bowl, then transfer to a greased baking vessel ~ that would defeat the idea of a simple one-pot bread, yes?)

Here's what you need and how to do it:

Non-stick pot
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups lukewarm water
2 tsp salt
1 tsp yeast
4 cups flour


Method:

In a non-stick pot combine all ingredients with a wooden spoon. Place lid or cover on pot and proof at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes.

Break proofed dough down (deflate), replace lid and place pot in the refrigerator overnight; 10 to 14 hours or so.
 
As Jacques suggests, I mix up the dough about an hour before retiring for the evening, then it's ready to bake in the morning.

When ready to bake, remove lid and place pot in (preheated) 400º(F) oven ~ bake for about 40 minutes until deep golden brown. If you're not sure, an instant read thermometer inserted in the hot-from-the oven bread should read between 190º to 200ºF. 

It's excellent toasted, and you can also vary the recipe by adding herbs of your choice, minced onion, roasted garlic, etc. to the dough while mixing the flour, yeast and water together.


Jacques give a great tutorial for making the bread during 
the first few minutes of this youtube video from his series
on PBS "Fast Food My Way", episode 209:


Hope you enjoy!

Please click HERE to return to Once Upon a Plate.



Tuesday, September 18, 2012



Summer Fruit Cake
As shared from the kitchen of Once Upon a Plate, by Mari
www.onceuponaplate1.com
(My notes are in italics)

Makes 1 single layer 9-inch cake
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2  teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
scant 1 cup sugar*, put 2 tablespoons of this aside for topping
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fruit: Berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries). Pitted apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, pears, cut into wedges or chunks. (I quartered the plums.) If using frozen berries, do not thaw. (The recipe did not indicate the exact amount of fruit to use, next time I'll probably add more plums as they shrunk as they baked, but it was still very good.)
Optional: 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract; I used almond extract instead.

*You may cut the sugar down to 3/4 cup if desired. I used Italian Plums.

Method: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter a 9-inch cake pan, coat with plain breadcrumbs or flour.

In a bowl whisk or stir together the flour, baking powder, salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, with a spatula, cream together the butter and all but 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla (plus extract, if using.)  Note: I found it more effective to use a whisk to incorporate the butter with the rest of the ingredients.

Stir in the flour mixture with a spatula until smooth. Transfer batter to the
prepared pan. Cover the surface of the batter with fruit, pressing fruit slightly into the batter. Sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Note: I tossed the quartered plums with about a tablespoon of sugar mixed with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon before pressing them into batter.

Bake for 10 minutes at 350º, then reduce to 325º and bake until golden
brown and firm to the touch. [Original recipe stated to bake for another 50 to 60 minutes ~ but my cake was done at approximately 35-40 minutes. Perhaps if you really use a lot of fruit you may need to bake longer.]

Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on a rack.  Enjoy!

Recipe posted on www.chowhound.chow.com by Sir Gawain, July 2005/Apparently an adaptation from a Martha Stewart recipe

Click HERE to return to Once Upon a Plate (www.onceuponaplate1.com)


Friday, September 14, 2012

Lemon, White Chocolate and Basil Cookies from Mia's Domain



These are very good cookies; bright with lemon and the fresh basil just adds a nice little flavor nuance in the background. The recipe is from Mia at
www.http://www.miasdomain.com/.  It's a beautiful blog with lots of appealing recipes, stop on by enjoy all the eye candy that Mia creates! 

Mia's Domain: Lemon, White Chocolate and Basil Cookies


Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon zest, finely grated
1 tablespoon basil, finely chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup white chocolate, chips
1 cup superfine sugar
1 egg, room temperature
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, lemon zest, chocolate chips and basil.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, and lemon juice and beat until combined.  With the mixer on low, beat in flour mixture to combine.

Drop teaspoonfuls (about 1" apart) onto two cookie sheets. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked and a golden color. Remove from the oven to cool.

Frosting:
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup powdered/icing sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest

Whisk fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy.  Frost cookies and sprinkle with fresh lemon zest.
My notes: Start with slightly less than 1 tablespoon lemon juice and add more by droplets to get the desired consistency.

Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe Mia! (www.miasdomain.com/)

Please click HERE to return to Once Upon a Plate
www.onceuponaplate1.com


Monday, September 10, 2012

Baked Italian Chicken Breast Recipe ~ One baking pan!



Baked Italian Chicken Breasts
2 servings, but you can very easily multiply this dish to serve your needs.
As shared from the kitchen of Once Upon a Plate, by Mari
www.onceuponaplate1.com

This makes a great dish for entertaining. (Of course predicated on the number of roasting pans you can fit in your oven/ovens.)

The baking of this dish is done in two parts; first you partially roast the tomatoes, pancetta/bacon, oregano and garlic. Then, when they are partially roasted the chicken and olives are added to continue baking until the chicken is tender and cooked through.

Ingredients:
8 ounces tomatoes, halved (see my notes below)
4 ounces of a piece of flat pancetta, or slab bacon, coarsely chopped (see my notes below)
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves (or 2 teaspoons, dried)
8 cloves garlic (separate cloves, but no need to peel)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 7 to 8 ounces each)
1/2 cup flavorful black olives (such as Kalamata)
cracked black pepper
basil leaves and finely grated parmesan for serving.

Method:
Preheat oven (center rack) to 400º(F)/200º(C)
Place the tomato, pancetta, oregano, garlic and oil in a baking pan, 
give ingredients a toss to coat with oil
Bake for 25 minutes*
Add chicken and olives to the dish, nestling them among the other ingredients, sprinkle with freshly ground pepper
Bake for 20 minutes* or until the chicken is tender
Plate up and top with basil and parmesan cheese.

My Notes:

The first time I made this I followed the original recipe which called for "cherry tomatoes", and I also added a few Roma tomatoes (halved) because I was short on the amount of cherry toms called for. (Unfortunately, the cherry tomatoes disintegrated and stuck to the bottom of the pan, and the Romas saved the dish.) 

After watching Donna Hay's video (the originator of this recipe) I realized what are considered "cherry tomatoes" in some countries are a bit larger than what we in the U.S. call cherry tomatoes. So the next time I made the recipe I used tomatoes that were just about golf ball size (halved them) and proceeded with the recipe, except that I reduced the initial roasting time to about 12 to 15 minutes (your oven may be different, so keep an eye on things) ~ the pancetta/bacon should be getting crispy and the tomatoes should be roasting, giving up their juices, and shriveling.)  Then I added the chicken and olives and continued baking for an additional 20-25 minutes until the chicken was tender.

The size/surface area of your baking pan will also make a difference in the cooking time required ~ larger pan = more surface area = less time in the oven. If your pan is crowded, you may need to add a few minutes cooking time for borth initial roasting, and a few minutes extra cooking time after you add the chicken. Just look for the tomatoes to be partially roasted and shrunken,  and pancetta/bacon beginning to cook.

I didn't have slab bacon or flat pancetta on hand so I used salt pork instead, it worked out wonderfully ~ Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Donna Hay. 
Thank you Donna Hay for another GREAT recipe!

Click HERE to return to Once Upon a Plate.




Thursday, September 6, 2012

Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins/Cakes



Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins*
Makes 6 large muffins
As shared from the kitchen of Once Upon a Plate by Mari
(www.onceuponaplate1.com)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries
1 cup chopped white chocolate

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Hatch New Mexican Chile Aioli



Green Chile Aioli
Makes a little over 1 cup
As shared from the kitchen of Once Upon a Plate by Mari
www.Onceuponaplate1.com

This makes a wonderful spread for hamburgers or other sandwiches, or as a sauce for slices of roast pork, grilled chicken or shrimp, on a BLT, or in a chicken salad, etc.  If you cannot find Hatch New Mexican Chiles, you can use any mild roasted chiles.

1 1/4 cup good quality Mayonnaise (Best Foods/Hellmann's®)
2 or 3 roasted, peeled, chiles (stems, seeds and membranes removed)
3 cloves garlic, roasted and mashed
fresh lime juice, to taste

Cut chiles into pieces for more even processing. Add all ingredients, except lime juice, to the bowl of food processor. Pulse until the consistency you like is reached. Add lime juice to taste. 

*My Farmer's market sells fresh roasted Hatch Chiles, but you
can use any large green chile you like. To remove the tough
skin, grill, place over the flame of a gas stovetop burner
or broil the whole chiles, turning once in a while until
they are evenly charred black. Place in a paper or food-safe plastic
bag, seal and allow to cool slightly, the skin will peel off easily
if you've charred them enough.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Border Cookbook


Please click here to return to Once Upon a Plate