Peanut Butter & Jelly Bread

I recently bought a new cookbook called My Bread. It boasts a "revolutionary no-work, no-knead method." Now what bread lover could have resisted that? The recipe for Peanut Butter & Jelly Bread caught my eye on the first leafing through. I tried it once with disappointing results. Jelly leaked out during baking and burned on the sides of the loaves and the pan and the baking stone. But the finished product tasted good. Once I got past the burnt jelly. And the burnt peanuts. I vowed to try again in the future, with some modifications to the recipe.

The future came yesterday evening. I mixed the dough so that it could rise 12 hours and be ready to bake this morning. The first modification I made was to omit the peanuts from the dough. I think the peanuts in the dough of the first batch had allowed jelly to break through and burn. The peanuts would still be included in the recipe. Just at a different point. An interesting thing about this recipe is that water and peanut butter are blended and incorporated into the dough.

The next morning the dough had doubled in size and was ready for the next step. I divided it into quarters. (I had quadrupled the recipe). On a lightly floured pastry board, I spread each portion of the dough into a rectangular sheet about 8 inches wide by a foot long. Then I spread seedless black raspberry jam over the rectangle. I was careful this time to heed the warning about leaving an inch edge on all sides so that jelly wouldn't seep out. Now I added the peanuts which had been omitted earlier. I sprinkled them on top of the jelly.

Another modification I made was to leave out the peanuts from the bottom of the pan as well as from the top of the loaf once in the pan. They burned easily and made the egg wash difficult to apply. The sheet was then rolled up, much like a jelly roll. Carefully. Then ends were tucked under and the loaf placed in a oiled loaf pan. An hour more of rising and then into the oven for an hour and a quarter. The results were much better this time around.


Bon appétit!

Upside-Down Pear Chocolate Cake

I bought another cookbook. This one is called Rustic Fruit Desserts and it is a feast for the eyes to skim through. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, tomorrow in fact, I wanted to supplement the dessert spread which usually consists of pies: pumpkin and pecan. The book is organized by seasons. Quite handy. I paid careful attention as I pored through the section devoted to fall fruits. And then I saw it. The Upside-Down Pear Chocolate Cake. It would fit nicely into a Thanksgiving spread. Not too ostentatious, yet elegant nevertheless.

I started by caramelizing water and sugar, then pouring the mixture into a buttered cake pan. Next I fanned sliced pears around the edge. The batter was pretty simple. Melt some butter and dark chocolate then transfer to a mixing bowl to which sugar and eggs were added in succession. Then alternately I added the dried ingredients and some whole milk. C'est tout!

Spread the batter on top of the pears and caramel, then into the oven for 40-45 minutes. Cool on a rack for a quarter hour, then invert onto the serving plate. Five minutes later, carefully remove the pan. Again, c'est tout!

We'll be seeing more from this cookbook. Much much more. Trust me.

Bon appétit!

Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

I was feeling a bit creative. I took a one-pound portion of pork tenderloin and sliced into it, "unwrapping" as I went, so that I was left with a flat sheet of meat. I spread some tomato paste over the surface then positioned reconstituted home-dried tomatoes in a single layer across the sheet. I carefully rolled the tenderloin back into its original shape. Now to the pan. I spread a layer, about a half-inch thick, of pesto mixed with bread crumbs onto a baking pan. This would serve as the bed for the meat. I placed the meat on the pesto bed then used the remained of the pesto-crumb mixture to completely enclose the tenderloin (see photo). Then into the oven for 30 minutes.


I should have used skewers to hold the meat's shape because it kind of came apart during baking. And a few more minutes in the oven would have been better. But, Susie and I both loved the finished product. I served it with falafel that I made from scratch. (I'll save that for another time.) Some lettuce, pico de gallo, hummus, tahini and yogurt finished off the plate.

I learn most effectively from my mistakes, or seeing something I could do differently. This was no exception. But as I said already, it was a delicious meal.


Bon appétit!

Venison Chili

One of my Special Olympics bowlers is a hunter and got a deer this year. He gave me some of the meat. (Thank you Richard). I thought I'd try my hand at venison chili. So I did a quick Google search and as it turned out, decided upon the first recipe that I chanced upon. Who wouldn't have? This one had bacon in it! I picked up the few ingredients I didn't have, on hand, including the bacon, and got to it.

The liquid ingredients, onion, garlic and seasonings went into a pot to reduce. So simple! I diced the bacon and fried it, then sautéd the venison cubes in the bacon fat. (Mmmm!) Here's where I departed from the recipe. I drained the grease and liquids from the meat before adding it to the simmering pot. Half an hour later, it was ready to eat.

Pictures of chili just don't have the aesthetic quality of other foods. But in the interest of full disclosure, I decided to add one anyway.

Bon appétit!

Fusion Cuisine

Does anybody NOT like puff pastry? I didn't think so. I picked up some puff pastry shells on the way home from work today. I was feeling a bit mischievous as well. That's where the filling for the shells comes into play. Puff pastry smacks of fine cuisine. To me at least. And I love dichotomies. Contrasts. Things that might make the casual observer look twice. Or more.

Back to the filling. Delicate pastry, meet the trailer park. Frozen green peas and diced Spam. (I just watched that Monty Python's Flying Circus episode again). Not just plain old Spam either, but Hickory Smoke Spam. Some diced onion as well. Served on a bed of macaroni and cheese. From a box. Not even a national brand. I used a little extra grated cheddar cheese to augment the powdered version that comes in the box.

The side dish, zucchini stuffed with rice, came from a can. It's a product of Bulgaria that I picked up at Foti's Greek Deli in Portland. A great little place to eat as well as a small grocery store where you can pick up a few hard to find items for Greek cooking, such as pastitsio, a straw-shaped pasta. For the record, I had a gyro. I almost always have a gyro when the opportunity presents itself.


Bon appétit!

Fried Green Tomatoes

There were a few tomatoes still on some of the lingering vines. Unlikely that they would ripen at this point. What to do? Fried green tomatoes! Yeah, that's the ticket. I have a wonderful little book called the Too Many Tomatoes Cookbook so I looked up the recipe for the Southern staple. Another incredibly simple recipe! Just like I love 'em. Slice unripe tomatoes into quarter-inch slabs. I used one of those cheap plastic mandolin-type slicers and it was a breeze. Dredge the slices in seasoned crumbs. I just used some store-bought bread crumbs already seasoned. Then fry the slices in vegetable oil on medium-high heat for about four minutes per side, or until nicely browned. Drain on a paper towel and serve with your choice of condiment. We used a little barbecue sauce, though I ate several without anything. Very tasty! I may need to see the movie now.

Bon appétit!