Not pain à l'ancienne, but pain ordinaire

So yesterday, after lusting over the thought of a fresh loaf of pain à l'ancienne, from The Bread Baker's Apprentice, I dived straight into the book a bit hastily and made the starter for regular old pain ordinaire.

Oh, gee, what a shame, right? Ha! Even the most ordinaire of pains ordinaires is probably light-years away from any other white bread out there.

I can hardly wait for this to be done. :)

However, I have managed to restrain myself and follow the author's suggestion to let the pre-ferment, or pâte fermentée, sit in the fridge overnight instead of using it right away. Letting it sit longer allows it to develop a more complex flavor, so if you're as crazy about bread as I am, the result is worth the extra effort and wait.

When I took it out of the fridge, the starter was nicely puffy, a good 1½ times larger than it was when it had gone in the fridge.






I was worried yesterday when I was putting the pâte fermentée together, because the recipe directions indicated that the water should be at room temperature. Ok, but what does "room temperature," really mean?

I live in a drafty old house with deplorable insulation. This morning, the air temperature outside was in the single-digits; in my kitchen, it was 56°F. So, whatever temperature constitutes "room temperature," I can bet it's not a mere 10 degrees warmer than the inside of my fridge! I saw in the book that Peter Reinhart made casual mention of a scenario where room temperature was 73°F.

That's a long way from 56°F! I ended up turning on the oven to warm up the kitchen a bit, bringing it up to the mid-to-lower 60°s.

The dough for pain ordinaire is now resting nicely in an oiled bowl next to the stove, covered in plastic wrap, where it can rise in warmth for the next two hours before shaping.






With luck, in 2 hours it will have grown to twice this size.


Edit (2:30): The baguettes have been shaped and are in the final proofing stage before being baked. They need to rise to 1½ times this size before I put them into a scorching-hot, moist oven.

I use a roasting pan of hot water in the bottom quadrant of the oven to create the necessary moist interior to attempt to mimic the conditions in a bread oven of a professional bakery.

Here are the two baguettes on their final rise:

Closer view:

Edit (5:00): When I took the baguettes out of the oven, they looked great. Nicely golden and crisp on the outside:






And with a lovely crumb on the inside:





Great. But how does it taste?


I sliced off a thick piece, slathered it with good salted butter and... *sigh* ... heaven.

Then I had to taste it, just the bread, to get a sense of it. The crust was sharp and crispy, but inside it was soft, not over-done. It wasn't tangy like a sourdough; it was creamy and smooth. Once I chewed it, there was a subtle "something else" just lingering on the palate, something slightly nutty, and wholly satisfying in that umami way.

The only disappointment was that the spots on the crust where I scored the dough hadn't bloomed properly. I think I need a razor to make the slashes next time. Also, I think I may have to shape them in a canvas couche to support the sides to that the baguette seems rounder in cross-section instead of the sides sloping down.

Still, it tastes phenomenal, so I'd say that it's a very successful first attempt.

:) Tweet

The Sauerbraten Sagas - Part III: Menu Revision & Food Prep

The Sauerbraten Sagas - Part I: The Menu
The Sauerbraten Sagas - Part II: Shopping and Initial Food Prep

D-day (dinner day) fast approaches and my to-do list has not really shrunk any. The first thing I do this close to food prep is change the menu somewhat.

Part I- The Revised Menu:

Appetizer:

Kartoffelpuffer

I found a recipe that looks promising!

My SIL is bringing her homemade applesauce, too. Excellent.

Meal:

Sauerbraten

It is marinating away nicely, and I've pretty much decided to go with the crockpot. My only question now is whether to cook it for 11-12 hours on a really long, low simmer or 5-6 hours on high. Slower might be better, even if it means I'm in the kitchen at 5:30 browning that beast in the dutch oven.

Oh yes, I've decided to give that Martha Stewart dutch oven a whirl. We'll see how the enamel holds up.

6 am Update: I've decided to give it a go in the crockpot on high.

Accompaniments:

• Spätzle: check.
  

  You bet your ass there will be spätzle. I'll make a triple batch if I have to!

  
  


• Red cabbage slaw: check.
  

  SIL is bringing it.

  
  


• Green Beans in walnut vinaigrette - check.
  

  I have to rummage up my vinaigrette recipe and hope like hell I still have walnut oil. I forgot to check.
  
  Also, I bought some beets. I thought that I could roast them and toss them in with the green beans. Yes? Maybe?
  
  Otherwise I fond a really cool roast beet goat cheese appetizer that would make a nice amuse bouche.

  
  


• Braised Leeks with Chestnuts - nope.
  

  I couldn't find the recipe for braised leeks, but I did dredge up this, which I think could be adapted by adding some leeks to it. Roasted Onions with Gruyere Croutons

  
  


• Cauliflower gratin - check.
  

  All systems go on this.

Bread:

No idea. I was thinking of my Maple Wheat dinner rolls, but don't think the flavor will work with everything else. Now I want Parker House rolls, but don't have a go-to recipe for those. I'll just wing it.

Yes, I like to live dangerously.

Dessert:

1. Linzertorte - check.
   
   

   This is definitely happening. I think I need to make it as soon as I get the roast in the crockpot though.



2. Apple Strudel - Nope.
   
   

   I just don't think I'll be able to get this done too if I'm making the strudel dough, and I forgot to get phyllo, and I'll be damned if I'm going back to the grocery store.



3. Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte - I hope like hell YES.
   
   

   Another SIL offered to make one and bring it, provided her cold doesn't get the best of her.
   
   What is not to love about Black Forest Cherry cake, a mess of kirsch-infused chocolate cake with chocolate shavings, sour cherries and cream. Dear God - or perhaps that should read; Lieber Gott!

   
   

Part II - Timing

Timing the events in the kitchen so that everything appears on the table at the same time, and at the perfect temperature, is an intricate dance which includes strategic runs of the dishwasher, the rummaging out of serving platters used once a year, that panicked 11th-hour mini-laundry load when you realized you've forgotten to wash the tablecloth, and copious amounts of wine.

Wine is not merely for saucing the dish but also saucing the chef.

So, I have a very hazy idea of what needs to get done when.

1. Meat.
   
   I have to get to the meat first. I have to take it out of the marinade, pat it dry and then brown it nicely before chucking it back into the crockpot with the strained marinade and some carrots and onions to cook forever.
   
   Something tells me it is going to take a while to brown well. You're not supposed to use these dutch oven on a very high heat on the stovetop. A piece of meat this big over medium-low heat? Yeah, it'll take a while.
   


2. Linzertorte.
   
   Actually, if I still have it in me after I blog this, I could really probably bake this sucker first and then refrigerate it. Barring that, it is the very first thing I'll do once the meat is safely in the crockpot.
   
   Most recipes I've found for it mention that the torte needs to chill a while, even a whole day if possible.
   


3. House Prep
   
   A shitload of cleaning: laundry, sweeping, vacuuming, mopping, putting-away-of-various-items etc.
   
   Lucy has promised that she will be my big helper. She is dying to run the vacuum, although it pains me to watch her vacuum: she misses whole swaths of the carpet. Whatever. I'll let her have her fun.
   


4. Cookies
   
   Yes, damnitall, I ran out of cookies and need to bake some more to send to my MIL & FIL and to the neighbors.
   
   Plus I'm making a little sweet treat to set on the plates, a pre-appetizer snack, if you will. I made a bunch yesterday and they're so easy I'll have the kids work on them. Chocolate Hazelnut Sticks. Stick 4 of them n a cellophane bag and presto. Snack.
   


5. Bread
   
   Whatever rolls I make, I'll need to bake them ahead of time and then warm them up I think I might be able to let them rise in the fridge and stick them in the oven once the meat is resting and I'm making the gravy, but my oven is kind of small. :/
   


6. Table Prep
   
   Get the cat the hell out of the dining room. That will be a job for the kids. Then they'll fluff out the tablecloth and set the table with as little breakage of my fine stoneware (ha!) as possible.
   
   I'll have to have them set the living room coffee table which will serve as the dreaded Kids' Table. Sorry guys, maybe next time I'll have a bigger dining room table! You'll survive.
   


7. Food prep
   
   
   • Wash green beans;
   
   
   • Peel a shit-ton of onions, shallots and clean leeks;
   
   
   • Roast the shit-ton of onions, shallots and leeks;
   
   
   • Roast beets for the green beans or the amuse bouche - still undecided there.
   
   
   • Make the garlic croutons;
   
   
   • Shred gruyere and put it back in the fridge;
   
   
   • Fry up the bacon;
   
   
   • Roast the chestnuts (I can still use them for something);
   
   
   • Pre-steam the cauliflower;
   
   
   • Make the vinaigrette;
   
   
   • Make the topping for the cauliflower;
   
   
   • Drink some wine;
   
   
   • Feed the kids something at some point;
   
   
   • Freak out over some lost ingredient;
   
   
   • Have some more wine;
   
   
   • Feed the cat;
   
   
   • Take a shower;
   
   
   • Assemble the cauliflower and the onion dishes;
   
   
   • Get the assorted vegetable dishes in the oven to heat through - onions/leeks and cauliflower;
   
   
   • Make the spätzle batter;
   
   
   • Steam the green beans;
   
   
   • Assemble the amuse bouche if making, and plate it;
     
   
   
   • Make the gingersnap gravy - this is just about the last thing that needs to be started;
   
   
   • Make the spätzle;
   
   
   • Carve the meat.
   
   

OK. That should be just about it, though I'm sure I've forgotten some small detail.

OMG I've lost my fucking mind, haven't I?

It ought to be great. :D Tweet

The Sauerbraten Sagas - Part II: Shopping & Initial Prep

The Sauerbraten Sagas - Part I: The Menu.

So, for the full scope of this saga, we have to back up a few days. Sometime last week I decided to do a Christmas Eve dinner for family, which in this case is an assortment of in-laws (funny story there, I'm actually still on great terms with all of the soon-to-be-ex's family). I sent out a few emails and lo and behold, people can come!

I'd been thinking about Sauerbraten a lot lately, and since the in-laws have a goodly amount of German in them (like me) I figured that a German-ish meal would be ok. Not everyone likes German food. Their loss, IMO. But apparently, this sounds good to the people involved. So, I'd been perusing Sauerbraten recipes for a while and noticed that a lot of them suggested cooking the roast in an enameled dutch oven.

If you know me at all, you know that I've been lusting after an enameled dutch oven like a Le Creuset for a while. When I'm in my right mind, I can not justify a $300 pot during the height of my spending season (A kid's birthday plus the Christmas hoopla? You've got to be kidding me). But last week I noticed that Macy's had an insane sale on Martha Stewart enameled cast iron cookware. I had a coupon for 15% off and thought to myself, "Why not?"

So I did.

Once I got it home I read the reviews.

*sigh*

There's a reason they say, "Act in haste, repent at leisure."

The reviews were evenly split: people either loved them or or hated it. I guess the quality control on some of these Made in China products is sketchy. Yeah ok. but what got me was the card inserted in the box giving tips on maintaining the enamel. One of the tips that caught my eye and caused my jaw to hit the floor was this gem: "Do not cook or store acidic foods in order to preserve enameled surface."

DoubleYoo-Tee-Eff? If you know anything about cast iron enamelware, the entire point to it is to compensate for cast iron's pesky propensity to react with acidic foods. Everything else about cast iron is pretty damn awesome, so they coat it with a layer of enamel so it's no longer reactive and you can basically cook anything in it. Sure, except Martha's pots.

So I was bumming. I thought that I could probably cook the meat in my crock pot because Sauerbraten requires a long slow sort of braise, and what could be more perfect for that than a crock pot, right? So what if it's not 100% traditional, if it produces good results. I posted about it at Chow and heard back from a very content Martha Stewart pot owner, so all may not be lost yet. We shall see.

My next dilemma was finding some of the more exotic ingredients for the marinade, specifically, juniper berries and allspice berries. I swore to myself I would have everything bought for the meal today. Let's see how I did.

Shopping & Prep with Babs:

1. Marshall's
   
   

   I hit this place because I'd read that the Home Store in Marshall's sometimes has Le Creuset pots at deep discounts. What? A girl can still dream!
   
   Result: Nothing bought.




2. Bed, Bath and Beyond
   
   

   I wandered in there to price Le Creusets, but they had none. They had Emerilware and Frontagnac or something. I asked if they had a spaetzle maker, but alas, no. If I want one of my own, I have to drive down to the store in Vestal, near Binghamton. The crazy thing is, that's not too far for me to drive for a cooking gadget. Yes, you may call me a bit of a gadget-whore. My SIL is bringing hers, so no worries.
   
   Result: Nothing bought.




3. Liehs and Steigerwald
   
   

   This is that German deli and butcher ship I'd found online. They prepare their own Sauerbraten spice blend, so I was hoping to get some when I picked up the cut of beef for the roast. Sadly, they only had the spice mixture at the other store, which is closed on Mondays. They did trim up the most beautiful eye of round roast I've seen for me, so not a trip wasted.
   
   Result: a big honking cut of meat.




4. Spice Rack, Inc
   
   

   This place was allegedly on the same road as the German deli. They allegedly sold spices. Who knew, because I could not find them. I drove the block twice and could not find any signage or sight of their store. At this point I despaired of finding allspice berries.
   
   Result: Big, Fat Nothing.




5. Wegman's
   
   

   I'd looked online earlier at their website and saw that they stocked juniper berries (Yay!) but not allspice berries (Boo!) I only had a few things to get there, but when I got there, on a whim, I thought I'd go look for allspice berries anyway. I FOUND THEM! They were hidden in the natural foods spice section, NOT the regular old baking section.
   
   

   *victory dance* <-- I really did that in the spice aisle at the store; what's more people saw me and probably didn't think anything of it.

   Result: VICTORY!




6. Price Chopper
   
   

   I was driving back to Syracuse and realized I'd kill for a Diet Coke and small grinder, so I found myself at yet another freaking grocery store.
   
   Result: Diet Coke and a mini-grinder.




7. Salvation Army
   
   

   I am having more people over than I have plates for, so I thought I'd go to Sal's Army and see if I could pick up a decent plate or two for cheap.
   
   Boy, did I luck out. I got 8 Oneida plates and 6 matching bowls for $8. They almost match my current stoneware.
   
   Result: VICTORY!



8. Home
   
   

   When I pulled into my driveway, I smelled skunk-stank. (We have a colony of city-skunks in my neighborhood) and I immediately thought of my cat: small furry 4-legged obnoxious critter = skunk or Cheetah. I realized that I had forgotten cat food and kitty litter.
   
   Result: Back to the store.




9. Price Chopper
   
   

   Got the same cashier surprised to see me back soon.
   
   Result: The damned cat should have no complaints.




10. Home
    
    

    Hung out for a few hours with the kids.When they left to go with their dad, I thought to clean out my fridge in anticipation of sticking 6 pounds of marinating beef in there. I found that the cauliflower had already gone over to the dark side. Much muttered cursing later, I hopped in the car.
    
    Result: Just a quick trip to the store and a cleaned out fridge.




11. Price Chopper
    
    

    Rushed in and got a cauliflower, and some more semi-sweet chocolate morsels and hazelnuts, because you never know, I may decide to whip up another batch of Crisis Brownies tonight.
    
    Result: Success.




12. Home
    
    

    I got home and decided now was the time to make the marinade and get the meat going. I poured the red wine vinegar into my measuring cup only to find that I was 33.3333333% short. By now I have abandoned the muttered cursing and moved straight on to really loud, creative cursing.
    
    Result: Hop back in the car and shoot down the damn hill to the damn store.




13. Price Chopper - the 4th trip that day
    
    

    I stalk in, grab a big bottle of red wine vinegar and get the same cashier who does a double-take and asked me "Forgot something?" "No. More like 'ran out of something!'" We laughed, I paid, I left.
    
    Result: This had better be my last goddamn trip to the store, a store, ANY store today!




14. Home - for the 5th time? Or something, I've lost count.
    
    

    Got the marinade simmering, a glass of wine poured, then the meat marinated and IN THE FRIDGE!!
    
    Result: SUCCESS!

Coming soon: How the meat cooks and the rest of the meal unfolds. Tweet

The Sauerbraten Sagas - Part I: The Menu

If only we still spoke Old English, I could write this like one of the Eddas.

So, Christmas Eve dinner. I'm making a German dinner. That's the plan, anyway. The menu so far, and believe me, this is subject to change pending any kitchen disasters and perilous mood changes, is as follows:


Appetizer:

Kartoffelpuffer - German Potato Pancakes served with applesauce or sour cream.

Here's the thing about these. Most people, when they think of potato pancakes, think of latkes, made with shredded/grated potatoes.

Now those are yummy, but we grew up eating a potato pancake that was made from a batter of pureed potato, flour and egg. They fry up fluffier than the latkes. I have had a bitch of a time finding the recipe, but I'm working on it.

Meal:

Sauerbraten - German marinated pot roast.

I went on about this at length this morning in a status update entitled "Apparently when it comes to Sauerbraten, people have very strong feelings about the gravy and whether or not gingersnaps have any place in it."

Done well, Sauerbraten is sublime: melt-in-your-mouth meat accompanied by a gingersnap-thickened gravy. Really, words can't describe it.

It is accompanied by:

• Spätzle, a cross between a noodle and a dumpling, and coated with lots of butter.


• Red cabbage cole slaw. It works as a salad, and hey, Germans love their cabbage.


• Steamed green beans with a walnut vinaigrette. Ok, so not specifically German, but it's really good. I may toss in some bacon too, just because... say it with me, kids: "Bacon makes everything better."


• Braised leeks with chestnuts. At some point over the past few days, I found a divine-sounding recipe for braised leeks, but hell if I can find it now. it's possible that I only dreamed of finding it. That sort of stuff happens to me all the time. I may just make something up. I have the leeks. I have the chestnuts. I'm feeling sassy.


• Cauliflower gratin. Very simple. Just par-boiled cauliflower covered with a mixture of mayo, whole grain mustard, paprika and freshly grated parm or romano and baked until nicely browned.

Bread:

Haven't thought about this, but I suppose I can make my totally non-German, but completely worth it, Maple Wheat dinner rolls.

Dessert:

• Linzertorte. Who doesn't love Linzertorte?


• Apple Strudel. Maybe. I probably do need another dessert.

To drink:

• Wine


• Beer


• Possibly egg nog.


• Maybe even more mulled wine.

Next installment : Day 1 of shopping and prep!


I need to write about this in order to maintain my sanity. Thanks! Tweet