Bretzel
In Alsace, the bretzel is the traditional accompaniment of beers.
- 500g Stronghold flour
- 10g Salt
- 50g Yeast
- 50g Butter
- 20cl Milk
- 1 Egg yolk
- Some Sea salt and cumin seeds (caraway seeds)
Mix well the flour and the salt and separately mix the milk and the yeast. Form a dough with the flour, melted butter and the yeast flour mixture.
Knead on a floured board for 10 to 15 minutes. Cover with a clean kitchen cloth and let proof for 1 hour.
Knead the risen dough for another 5 minutes. Take some of the dough and form a cylinder about 12 inches long. Tie a knot to give the bretzel its traditional shape (see picture). Repeat until all the dough has been used.
The next step is to poach them in simmering salted water for 2 minutes. Place them to dry on a clean kitchen cloth. It is not the easiest part of the job!
Place your bretzel on tray, brush with some egg wash. Set aside to rest for an another hour.
Sprinkle with the sea salt and cumin seeds and bake at 200 degrees Centigrade for 15 minutes. Let cool down on a pastry rack.
Finally I would like to put a stop to the whole Bretzel VS Pretzel war that is going on. The only difference between these two is: a letter. They are the same thing. But, as I am a firm believer of the respect of the original definition of a traditional recipes I have to say that I am a little bit irritated with the Pretzel. But hey! Everybody is entitled to his/ her own opinion!
"How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?"
Charles De Gaulle
Nut free
Soda Cackers
Recipe for 100 crackers:- 3 cups Stronghold flour
- 1/2 ts Salt
- 2 ts Baking powder
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup Melted butter
Into a medium bowl measure the flour, salt and baking powder. In a small bowl, emulsify with a fork, the water and melted butter. Combine the liquid and dry ingredients well with a fork, then let the dough rest to absorb moisture.
Lightly flour a rolling pin. Roll the dough out into a 22- by 14-inch rectangle, about 1/16-inch thick. Using a fork, prick the dough all over to release trapped air and keep the dough flat. With a pizza wheel or sharp knife, cut the dough into 2-inch squares or other shapes, or cut shapes with a 2-inch cookie cutter.
Using a spatula, transfer the crackers to the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the crackers are light brown and firm to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes, switching the positions of the sheets halfway through the baking time. When the first two sheets are finished, remove them, and bake the third one as directed. Cool completely.
Make it gluten free with quinoa flour, Vegetarian, Nut freeEnglish Muffin
The English muffin were originally eaten by the "downstairs" servants in England's Victorian society, the English muffin surfaced and rose to prominence in Great Britain when members of all classes of society became aware of its goodness. The family baker made English muffins from leftover bread and biscuit dough scraps and mashed potatoes. He fried the batter on a hot griddle, creating light, crusty muffins for the servants. Once members of the "upstairs" family tasted these rich muffins, they began to request them for themselves - especially during teatime.
As a result of the English muffin becoming the "most fancied" bread on the isle, English muffin factories sprang up all over England. Muffin men could be heard in the streets selling their muffins from wooden trays slung around their necks. For teatime in private homes and clubs, the English muffins would be split and toasted over an open fire and served in a covered sterling dish alongside tea. The prominence of the muffin men in English society was evident when "Oh, do you know the muffin man" became a popular children's nursery rhyme. The popularity of the English muffin reached its zenith in Great Britain during the years preceding World War I.
Recipe for 12 muffins:
- 450 grams (3 cups) Untreated Bread Flour
- 2 teaspoons Dry active Yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Natural bread Improver (not necessary)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 350 milliliters warm water
Nut free, Dairy free, Vegetarian, VeganNaan Bread
- 1 (0.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk (works well with soya milk too)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.
At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.
Vegetarian and vegan if use soya milk, Nut free, replace the flour with quinoa flour to make it gluten free.Injera
Ingredients: - 1/4 cup teff flour
- 3/4 cup stronghold flour
- 1 cup water
- a pinch of salt
- peanut or vegetable oil
Teff, ergragostis in Latin, is believed to have originated in Ethiopia between 4000 and 1000 BC. Teff seeds were discovered in a pyramid thought to date back to 3359 BC. This grain has been widely cultivated and used in Ethiopia, India and Australia. Teff is grown primarily as a cereal crop in Ethiopia where it is ground into flour, fermented for three days then made into enjera. It is also used in porridge and used as an ingredient in home-brewed alcoholic drinks. The grass is grown as forage for cattle and is also used as a component in adobe construction in Ethiopia.
The word teff is thought to have been derived from the Amharic word teffa which means "lost," due to its small size it is easily is lost if dropped. It is the smallest grain in the world, measuring only about 1/32 of an inch in diameter. It takes 150 grains of teff to make the weight of a grain of wheat. The common English names for teff are teff, lovegrass, and annual bunch grass. Teff is free of gluten.
Now the recipe:
Put the teff flour in bowl and sift in the stronghold flour and the salt.
Slowly add the water, stirring to avoid lumps.
Heat a nonstick pan or lightly oiled cast-iron skillet until a water drop dances on the surface. Make sure the surface of the pan is smooth: Otherwise, your injera might fall apart when you try to remove it.
Coat the pan with a thin layer of batter. Injera should be thicker than a crêpe, but not as thick as a pancake. It will rise slightly when it heats.Cook until holes appear on the surface of the bread. Once the surface is dry, remove the bread from the pan and let it cool.
"An empty belly is the best cook."
Estonian Proverb
Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy free
Egyptian Pita Breads
There are 3 traditioanl Egyptian recipe for pita bread.Recipe for Egyptian "Aesh Baladi", serves 8:
- 2 teaspoons dry yeast.
- 1 cup warm water.
- 1 teaspoon salt.
- 3 cups flour.
Dissolve the yeast in 1 cup warm water. Sift together the flour and salt and mix the yeast and water. Work the mixture into a dough and knead for several minutes.
Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it proof in a warm place for 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 350°. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions and roll into balls. With either your hand or a rolling pin, pat and press each ball of dough into a 5-inch circle about 1/2-inch thick. Place on a sheet of greaseproof paper and bake for 10 minutes, or until the pita are light golden brown.
The next two pita bread recipe are made in a same way, the only difference is in the composition. So, follow the recipe below for both.
Aash Baladi bread
- 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour.
- 7 oz. water.
- 1/2 tsp. salt.
- 1/4 oz. Dry Yeast.
Aash Makamar
- 4 C bread flour
- 1 Tb active dry yeast
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp of sugar
- 2 C of warm water
Mix the yeast and the water. Mix the dry ingredients and water using by hand or a kitchen mixer for 7 minutes to develop the gluten matrice in the dough. When it is finished it should be the same texture than a pizza dough. Cut the dough to small pieces , flatten them by hand or rolling pin. Cover .and let it proof for 15 minutes Pre-heat your oven to 500 F
Bake in the middle rack on a plate one at the time. Cook until it puffs up and reach a nice golden brown color.
"Everything I eat has been proved by some doctor or other to be a deadly poison, and everything I don't eat has been proved to be indispensable for life. But I go marching on."
George Bernard Shaw
Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy free, Nut free.
Baladi
There is a recipe for the Egyptian traditonal bread: the Baladi. It used as a pocket bread for various types of sandwiches, kebabs, etc.
Recipe for 6 to 8 baladis:
- 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
- 7 oz. water
- 1/2 tsp. salt.
- 1/4 oz. Dry Yeast.
Put flour and salt in an over sized bowl. Mix the dry yeast with the water. Slowly add water in the flour-salt mix and work this mix until you get a dough. Then, knead the dough for 20 minutes.
Spread some flour on a clean, flat surface. Divide the dough into small balls. Form balls into flat round shapes or triangles. Cover with a cloth and proof for one to two hours.
Bake the bread on a greaseproof paper for 30 minutes at 350 Degrees Centigrade.
"If you're going to America, bring your own food."
Fran Lebowitz
Vegetarin, Vegan, Dairy Free, Nut Free
Pizza Dough
This recipe is for two pizza bases:
- 500gr Flour Type 00
- 325gr water
- 20gr salt
- 3gr active dry yeast or 10gr of baker's yeast
- 10 cl Extra virgin olive oil
Mix the yeast with the water. Using a stand mixer, put the flour, salt and olive oil, set it on slow and add the water-yeast mix gradually and let it work for two minutes. Then set the mixer on fast for 5 minutes, and slow again for another 2 minutes.
Cover the dough and let it rise for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, or until it doubles in size. Punch it down and knead for 5 to 10 minutes. Form a ball, then cut it into 4-5 equal pieces.
Gently roll your dough into a small flat disc. Dust your pizza balls with flour, and store them under a damp towel, in a proofing tray, or under plastic wrap. This will prevent the outside of the ball from drying out and creating a crust, and becoming difficult to work with. The top of the pizza disc should be soft and silky.
Your pizza balls will need to rest for about an hour to become soft and elastic, so that they can be easily stretched into a thin crust pizza.
If you don't need your dough for more than an hour, refrigerate it until you are ready to start.
Rice is born in water and must die in wine.
Italian Proverb
Vegetarian, Vegan, Nut free, Dairy free
Focaccia
- 7 1/2 cups (750 g) unbleached stronghold flour
- 2 ounces (50 g) active yeast
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salt, both finely and coarsely ground
Dissolve the yeast in warm water. Make a mound of flour on your work surface, scoop a well into the middle of it, and pour in the yeast mixture together with 5 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 healthy pinches of fine salt.
Knead the mixture, adding small amounts of warm water as necessary, until you obtain a fairly firm, homogeneous dough. Put it in a bowl, cover it with a damp cloth, and let it rise for 2 hours.
Preheat your oven to 400 F (200 C).
Grease a baking sheet and dust it well with finely ground salt. Take the risen dough, flatten it out, and spread it enough to completely cover the baking sheet, dimpling the surface by pressing down on it with a spoon. Take the remaining oil and beat it lightly with a little water to make an emulsion; brush this emulsion over the focaccia and sprinkle it with coarse sea salt. Bake the focaccia until it is a lively golden brown, then remove it and let it cool. Don't let it over brown.
A couple of tips: Put a bowl of water in the oven with the focaccia, to keep it from drying out too much as it bakes.
Vegetarian, Vegan, Nut free, Daity freeSangak
To Bake 6 loaves:
- 1 tablespoon Dry yeast
- 2 1/2 cups Warm water
- 3 cups Whole wheat flour (sifted)
- 1 cup Strong white flour
- 4 tablespoons Sesame seeds
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- cooking and peanut oil, as needed
Naan-e Sangak or Noon-e Sangak is a favourite Iranian bread, usually made in bakeries using hot gravel stones (sang means stone). You may bake the bread without using any stones if you wish, although the special flavor and shape of the bread does come from using stones.
Mix the yeast and 1/4 cup of warm water in a bowl. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes and then add salt and 1 1/2 cups of warm water. Let this stand for 10 minutes. Slowly add the rest of the warm water, and flour while mixing until it becomes smooth and consistent. Use a new bowl that has been lined with 2 tablespoons of regular cooking oil. Put the dough in the bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave in a warm, dark place overnight. The dough will have a chance to rise in this manner.
Warm the baking stone in the lower level of the oven at 500° F for approximately 15 minutes. Knead the dough with well-oiled hands for 15 minutes. Use an oiled surface to divide the dough into 6 pieces. Flatten the pieces to be 1/2 an inch thick. Sprinkle some flour on the baker's peel and place the dough on one end of the peel. Using wet fingers, perforate the top of the loaf and sprinkle it with sesame seeds. You may also use poppy or nigella seeds or a mixture of all three kinds of seeds to taste.
Brush the oven rack with some peanut oil. Transfer the loaf onto the hot stone and return the rack to the oven. Bake for 1 minute and then press down the dough with the baker's peel. Bake for an additional 3 minutes, turn over and bake for 2 minutes. Using the baker's peel, remove the bread from the stone. Cover the bread to keep it warm. Repeat this procedure for all remaining loaves. Sangak bread is best served hot. You may keep the Sangak hot in the oven on a low temperature. You can also use clean towels to wrap before serving, and you may freeze the Sangak bread and reuse when needed.
Recipe thanks to: The Persian Mirror Magazine.
Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy free, 
Contains Peanuts oil
Tortilla
- 2 cups un-sifted Bread Flour or wholemeal flour or quinoa flour*
- 3 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 cup Lard, chilled
- 3/4 cup Warm Water
Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Add the lard and mix in with your fingers until you have completely crumbled it in. Slowly add the warm water and mix with a large spoon. Take the ball out and put on a "floured" board and knead 3-5 minutes-until elastic. Store in a warm place inside an oiled, plastic bag for 1 hour.
Pinch off pieces of dough about the size of a golf ball (1 inch) and let rest 15 minutes. Roll the balls into circles approximately 7 inches in size. Cook on a HOT (450-degrees) griddle turning only once. Remove to a basket lined with a cloth towel or put between a towel until cool. After the tortillas have cooled completely, store them in a plastic bag.
TIP: tortillas are best eaten hot right off the griddle (comal). You can refrigerate and freeze them as well. To freeze tortillas: wrap tightly in a plastic wrap and place inside a ziplock bag. When ready to use: thaw at room temperature, remove plastic wrap, rewrap in foil with a moist paper towel inserted, place in a 250 degree oven for 15 minutes.
Corn Tortilla
We are all familiar with both the corn and flour tortillas, but the original ones were of the native corn only, and except in Northern Mexico, corn tortillas remain the staple.
- 4 cups masa harina (Corn Flour)
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 21/2 cups hot but not boiling water
Place the masa harina and salt in a large bowl. Add the water and mix with your hands to make a dough that comes together in a soft ball. Continue mixing and kneading until the dough is elastic enough to hold together without cracking, about 3 minutes. If using right away, divide the dough into 18 equal portions and cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. If making ahead for later use, wrap the whole ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 day and then divide.
To form the tortillas, place a portion of dough between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Press with a tortilla press or roll out with a rolling pin into a circle 6 or 7 inches in diameter. Use your fingers to smooth any raggedy edges. Continue with the remaining portions until the dough is used up.
To cook the tortillas, heat a heavy skillet, griddle or comal over high heat until it begins to smoke. Peel the plastic wrap off a tortilla and place the tortilla in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook for 30 seconds. Turn and cook on the other side for 1 minute. Turn again, and cook until the tortilla puffs a bit but is still pliable, not crisp, about 30 seconds more. Remove and continue until all the tortillas are cooked.
Serve right away as this is when they are the best.
* Quinoa tortilla recipe: http://foodlorists.blogspot.com/2007/01/there-is-simple-recipe-that-is-suitable.html
"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."
Oscar Wilde
Nut free, Dairy free, Second recipe only Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten free
Puri or Golegappa
For 10 to 12 Puri breads:
- 1 cup fine semolina
- A pinch of baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1 tbs. oil
- Luke warm water
- Oil for deep frying
- Wooden fork or chopsticks for turning gol-gappas over
Measure all ingredients for the dough, and make a medium firm dough by hand or in a food processor, adding water a little at the time.
Cover the dough with a wet cloth (J cloth) and rest for 30 minutes.
Break off pieces of the dough and roll between palms to make smooth, 2-3 inch in diameter balls.
Keep covered with a moist, thin muslin cloth (or J cloth).
On a floured or greased board, roll out each ball thinly, 2 millimetres thick approximately.
Cut into a 3-4 cm. circles using a small biscuit or pastry cutter. Each round should be a single mouthful size because it is eaten as a whole, without breaking.
Cover the circles with a moist cloth until you are ready to fry them. It is important that each batch is covered with a moist cloth for a while before frying, to allow them to 'prove'. This helps them to puff up. I roll out 2 batches of 8-10, to start with, and then roll a fresh batch out while the last one is frying. If you are a beginner, it might be worth rolling out all golegappas first, but do remember that they must be kept covered with a moist cloth, until you are ready to fry or they will dry out. Get someone to help you, if you can. It is easier for two people to make them.
Fry in low-medium hot oil by turning them gently with a wooden chop stick. This helps to puff them up. In India, the Chaat-wallas use twigs from trees instead of chopsticks. Keep turning a few times, until light brown on all sides and crisp. If the oil is too hot and they are cooked too quickly, they will become soft and soggy.
Take out using a slotted spatula onto a kitchen paper or on a newspaper and allow them to cool. When completely cold, they can be stored in air tight boxes for a few weeks.
Dairy free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Nut free
Paratha
- 185 g Atta flour
- 185 g roti flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 tablespoon Ghee at room temperature
- 250 ml Water
- 185 ml Melted and cooled ghee
Sift both kinds of flour with the salt into a large bowl and rub in the tablespoon of ghee.
Add water and knead for at least 10 minutes.
Form into a smooth ball, cover with cling film and let it rest for at least 1 hour.
Divide the dough into 10 to 12 equal portions and roll each into a smooth ball without any surface cracks.
Roll out on a lightly floured board to a circle the size of a plate.
Spread 2 teaspoons of the melted ghee, taking it right to the edges.
It is best to spread this with the hand, as a brush would just soak up the ghee.
With a knife, cut a straight line from the center of the circle to the edge.
Starting at the cut edge, roll the circle of dough very closely into a cone shape.
Pick it up and with the base of the cone sitting on one palm, press the apex down towards the base and flatten slightly.
Now roll out this ball of dough again on a floured surface, using a floured rolling pin, but this time roll very gently and not as thinly as before- the aim is not to let the air out at the edges - rather like making shortcrust.
Try to keep the parathas as round as possible.
Repeat with the rest of the dough and when all are rolled for the second time, start cooking.
Heat a heavy griddle or frying pan and spread about 2 teaspoons of melted ghee on it.
Put the paratha on the hot pan and while the first side is cooking, spread another teaspoonful of ghee on the top side.
Serve warm, or cool completely before wrapping in foil for freezing.
The rich would have to eat money if the poor did not provide food
Russian proverb
Vegetarian, Vegan, Nut free
Phulka
- 2 cups Atta (Whole wheat flour)
- 1/8 teaspoon Salt
- ¾ Cup Warm water (near 100ºF)
- Melted Ghee for basting
- Some Flour for dusting and rolling
Mix salt and flour. Make a mound with a well in the center. Add warm water and start mixing dough and knead. If the dough is too sticky, add about 1 Table spoon of flour. If the dough is too hard, add up to one Tablespoon of water (one teaspoon at a time) to get the right consistency.
Gather dough in to a ball. Cover with damp kitchen towel or a plastic film. Let it rest 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature.
Roll the dough out to form a 6" diameter disc about the thickness of a Nickel (5¢ coin) for Roti or Chapati. For Phulka, you need to roll the dough out to form a 5" diameter disc about the thickness of a Dime (10¢ coin). The way you roll the dough will also determine whether the bread will puff up evenly or not.
Pinch dough to make one bread and form it into a ball. Now flatten it to form a patty about 2" to 3" round. This will guide you in maintaining the round shape when using the rolling pin. Always apply the rolling pin from the middle of the patty towards the edge. It takes practice to roll out a round disc. If you are a novice, use a lid of a tin of coffee and a sharp knife to form the round disc.
Always use the rolling pin on one side of the dough. Do NOT turn the dough over and roll again, it is called re-rolling. Avoid re-rolling. If you look at the cross-section of a finished puffed flat bread, you will notice one side is thicker than the other side. The thinner side corresponds to the side which was in contact with the rolling pin. We will call it the skin surface.
Heat the griddle (Tawa). Put a test bread about the thickness of a Dime (10¢ coin) on the Tawa. If the bread sticks to griddle, you need to increase the heat. If the bread gets brown spots too quickly, it is too hot. It should develop brown spots on the underside in 30 seconds. The bread is cooked in three steps.
Put the rolled bread on the griddle with skin surface down. Cook for 45 seconds. Use a palet knife to lift a corner to see that the underside has a few brown spots.
Turn it over and let it cook for a minute this time. You will notice a steam bubble trapped in the dough. Again using a pallet knife to lift a corner to see that the underside has a brown spots.
Turn it over. Press with a clean dry kitchen cloth as the steam bubble will get larger and larger to encircle the whole area.
Brush the the skin surface with melted Ghee
The more you eat, the less flavor; the less you eat, the more flavor.
Chinese Proverb
Vegetarian, Nut free
Chapati
- 375 g Atta flour or roti flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 tablespoon Ghee or oil
- 250 ml / 1 cup Lukewarm water
Put the flour in a large mixing bowl, setting aside about half a cup for rolling down the chapatis.
Stir the salt through the flour, then add the ghee or oil and rub with your fingertips, like for shortcrust pastry.
Add the measured water all at once, moisten all the flour and mix to a firm dough.
Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Since there is no leavening agent in these breads, kneading is used to develop lightness.
Gather the dough into a ball, put into a small bowl and cover tightly with some cling film.
Leave for 1 hour or longer. This resting period is also vital to obtain a light and tender bread.
Divide the dough into balls of even size, about the size of a walnut. Roll out on a lightly floured board, lightly dusting the board and rolling pin with the reserved flour and keeping the shape as round as possible.
Start cooking those which were rolled first, since the short rest between rolling and cooking makes the chapatis lighter.
Heat a tawa, griddle or heavy frying pan, put the first chapati on the hot pan and leave for 1 minute on medium heat.
Turn it over.
After another minute of cooking, press lightly around the edges of the chapati with a folded tea towel to encourage the disc of bread to puff up and bubble. Do not overcook them or the chapatis will become crisp and dry instead of pliable and tender.
Wrap the cooked chapatis in a tea towel.
Serve warm with butter, curry or other dishes.
Tibetan Barley Bread
For 8 to 10 Tibetan flatbreads:
- 2 cup Tsampa, tibetan roast barley Flour
- 4 cups whole wheat Flour
- 1/2 cup Millet or roasted Sunflower Seeds or roasted Sesame Seeds
- 1/2 teaspoons Salt
- 2 tablespoons sesame Oil
- 2 tablespoons vegetable Oil
- 3 1/2 cups boiling Water
It may not work 1st time, so try to bake at 350 deg. for 1 1/2 hours
Bannocks
For 6 to 8 Bannocks
- 4 oz (125g) medium oatmeal
- 2 teaspoons melted lard or olive oil for the vegetarian and vegans
- 2 pinches of bicarbonate of soda
- Pinch of salt
- 3/4 tablespoons hot water
- Additional oatmeal for kneading
Mix the oatmeal, salt and bicarbonate and pour in the melted fat into the centre of the mixture. Stir well, using a porridge stick if you have one and add enough water to make into a stiff paste. Cover a surface in oatmeal and turn the mixture onto this. Work quickly as the paste is difficult to work if it cools.
Divide into two and roll one half into a ball and knead with hands covered in oatmeal to stop it sticking. Roll out to around quarter inch thick. Put a plate which is slightly smaller than the size of your pan over the flattened mixture and cut round to leave a circular oatcake. Cut into quarters (also called farls) and place in a heated pan which has been lightly greased. Cook for about 3 minutes until the edges curl slightly, turn, and cook the other side. Get ready with another oatcake while the first is being cooked.
An alternative method of cooking is to bake them in an oven at Gas5/375F/190C for about 30 minutes or until brown at the edges. The quantities above will be enough for two bannocks about the size of a dessert plate. If you want more, do them in batches rather than making larger quantities of mixture. Store in a tin and reheat in a moderate oven when required.
Lefse
For 10 to 12 lefse:
- 2 lb of floury potatoes
- salt
- Pinch sugar
- 2 -3 Table spoon of whipped cream
- 2 Table spoon of butter
- 2 cups of plain flour
Step 1:
Peel and cut potatoes in half and then quartered. Put them into large pot of salted water and boil until fork tender. You should be able to pierce potatoes with a fork easily. If you're looking to make a nice small batch of lefse 1.5lb to 2lb of potatoes will give you approx 4 cups mashed potatoes.
Step 2:
When potatoes are done boiling, drain into a large colander. Be sure they are well drained. Scoop potatoes while they are still piping hot into your food mill and mash them into your empty pot you used for boiling or a large bowl. I only do that to save washing more dishes. Rice all your potatoes and then measure out 4 cups into another large bowl. Ideally the mash potatoes should be warm for the next step.
To your 4 cups add 1/4 cup butter in pats so it melts in nice and evenly. Stir a few times to get the butter mixed in well. At this point I just let the potatoes sit until they reach room temperature.
Step 4:
Once potatoes are at room temperature, add the whipped cream, salt, sugar and flour. Stir until all the flour is mixed in evenly. When everything is mixed your dough should have a lumpy texture . Try not to over mix it.
Step 5:
Make some small patties. About 1/3 cup lightly packed will make a ten inch round and should give you about 12 sheets. . I do suggest using a measuring cup so that you get fairly consistent size sheets. To prevent cracking on the edges of your sheet when rolling, be sure that the edges on your patties are smooth. Line up your patties on a sheet of greaseproof paper.
Step 6:
Turn your griddle on, at 500 degrees Centigrade. Roll down your patties on a clean cloth sprinkled with some flour. Work your patty from the center towards the edges. Lefse doesn't need to be perfectly round.
Step 7:
Transfer the "pancake"from the pastry cloth to the griddle. When transferring lefse to the grill be sure to move quickly to allow them to cook evenly.
Step 8:
Cook them for 30 seconds on each side. Your sheet should bubble up and have nice golden brown color.Set them aside to cool. Dust off your griddle after cooking each sheet to avoid burnt flour on your next sheet.
Carta di musica
For 12 parchment breads:
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup fine semolina flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- about 1 1/4 cups water
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F at least 40 minutes before baking.
In a large bowl combine flours and salt and mix ingredients thoroughly. Slowly add water, stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a soft dough (you many not need to add all the water.) With your hands, work the dough into a ball. Place on a clean, floured work surface and knead for about a minute. The dough should be firm and pliable, not sticky.
Divide the dough evenly into 12 balls. Place the balls on a lightly floured surface. Flatten each ball into a thick 4-inch pancake. Generously flour the work surface and with with a heavy-duty rolling pin roll each portion of the dough as thin as possible into an 8" to 9" round. These breads are meant to be roughly shaped. Thinness is more important than the shape. The dough should be thin enough to see your hand through it.
Place several rounds of dough on an ungreased baking sheet and place in the oven or place on a baking stone with a baker's peel. Bake until the top of the bread is firm and lightly browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Baking time will vary and will also depend on the number of breads placed in the oven. With tongs or your fingers, turn the bread over and bake until the other side is slightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes more. (The bread should be rather bumpy, puffy, and irregular, with occasional pockets full of air.) Transfer the bread to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining rounds of dough.
The bread cools quickly and can be served immediately.
Lavash
- 1 pkg. yeast
- 1 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 4 1/2 cup stronghold flour (t55)
- 1 tablespooon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon toasted
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
Coat a large bowl with oil. Set aside. In a measuring cup, combine yeast, water and sugar. Mix until yeast is dissolved. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Add yeast water mixture and form a dough.
Matzho
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup unsalted matzo meal
5 eggs
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Boil water, margarine and salt in a heavy bottomed pan. Remove from the heat and add the matzo meal stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, like in choux pastry.
Flat breads of the World
- Matzoh: Comes from Israel. It's a very thin bread with a cracker-like texture.
- Lavash: Traditional bread from Armenia. It's paper thin and often dried. Then, it has to be re-hydrated before use.
- Carta di musica: Sardinian bread made with semolina flour. Can also be found under nam of parchment bread or pane carasau. It has a poppadom-like consistency.
- Lefse: Norwegian flat bread made of potato and flour, often butter and cream are added to the dough.
- Bannocks: Scottish flat bread made of oatmeal. It has a texture in between a muffin and cracker.
- Barley Bread: Traditional bread from Tibet made from roasted barley flour: the Tsampa. Shaobing: It is a baked, layered Chinese flat bread usually topped with sesame seeds. They can be either sweet or savoury. They are usually made of flour, water and lard folded and rolled. Sorry no recipe yet!
- Baobing: Another traditional Chinese flat bread often used as a wrapper. They consist of hot water dough which are rolled into very thin pancakes. Sorry no recipe yet!
- Chapati or chapatti: Traditional whole wheat Indian bread which is dry-roasted on a pan.It is also known under name of roti.
- Phulka: This Indian flat bread is very similar to the chapati. Its is also, made of atta (whole wheat flour) and baked on a griddle (tawa). The difference is that the phulka is puffed up directly on hot coal or the fire.
- Paratha: This is an Indian flat bread which is folded with ghee, rolled and layered.
- Puri or golegappa: This a traditional Indian deep-fried, puffed bread used as a shell to be filled with sweet or hot and spicy savoury fillings. It is one of the most popular Indian street food.
- Tortilla: Traditional Mexican flat bread made of maize or wheat flour and cooked on a griddle the comal . It is mainly used as a wrap.
- Injera: Traditional, staple Ethiopian bread made with teff flour. It is similar to a pancake or a crumpet. It is used as a wrapper.
- Potato farl: Traditional Irish flat bread, also known as fadge which is made with some mashed potato with some flour and enriched with some milk. It is serve for breakfast.
- Soda crackers: Traditional American thin, crispy flat bread made of wheat flour dried in the oven.
- Sangak: Traditional and staple flat bread from Iran made of whole wheat flour and baked on hot pebbles.
- Focaccia: Traditional Italian bread, this cousin of the pizza can take various flavours and shapes such as the focaccia salvia, schiacciata in Tuscani. Each region of Italy will have its own local recipe.
- Pizza: Traditional Italian thin bread cooked in a very hot stone oven (to 900 degrees F/ 450 degrees C). It is traditionally topped with tomato sauce, olives and mozzarella cheese.
- Balady: Traditional Egyptian pita bread. It is Either made with wheat flour (Aesh Baladi and Aash Makamar) or whole wheat flour (Aash Baladi ). It is a pocket bread that has various use such as kebab wrap, sandwich bread or as a spoon, etc.
- Naan: Traditional Indian flat bread, enriched with yogurt baked in the traditional Indian oven: the tandoor. It is the usual accompaniment of hot food and is staple food in most of India. There are various variation of the naan such as the Peshwari naan (filled with nuts and raisins), Kema naan (stuffed with minced meat)or kashmiri naan, etc. Recipe:
- English muffin: Traditional English flat bread consisting of a small, thick disc of dough that is pan fried. It can be savoury or sweet and is the people's favourite at tea time.
- Bretzel: Also known as Pretzel in the U.S. It is a knot shaped leavened bread originated from Alsace in the east of France which is proofed then blanched in an alkaline solution (salted water) and dried in the oven. It is the traditional accompaniment of beer in the east of France and Germany.
Note that all these flatbreads can be made into gluten free breads by just replacing the wheat or gluten reach flours used in all the recipes linked to this post by any gluten free flours, such as teff flour, quinoa flour, buckwheatflour, etc.
To be continued
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Chocolate Cools the Mouth!
Dough and Batter part II
In dough and batter part one, I tried to describe the most common ingredients found in baked and pastry products and how they interact with each other. In part 2 I short listed some common dough and batter recipes and summarized their representative compositions.Doughs
- Bread = Flour: 100; Total water: 65; Fat or oil: 3; Milk solids: 3; Eggs: 0; Sugar: 5; Salt: 2.
- Biscuits = Flour: 100; Total water: 70; Fat or oil: 15; Milk solids: 6; Eggs: 0; Sugar 1; Salt: 2.
- Pastry = Flour: 100; Total water: 30; Fat or oil: 65; Milk solids: 0; Eggs: 0; Sugar 1; Salt: 1.
- Cookie = Flour: 100; Total water: 20; Fat or oil: 40; Milk solids: 6; Eggs: 6; Sugar 45; Salt: 1.
- Pasta = Flour: 100; Total water: 25; Fat or oil: 0; Milk solids: 0; Eggs: 5; Sugar: 0; Salt: 1.
- Brioche = Flour: 100; Total water: 60; Fat or oil: 45; Milk solids: 2; Eggs: 75; Sugar: 3; Salt: 1.
- Panettone = Flour: 100; Total water: 40; Fat or oil: 27; Milk solids: 1; Eggs: 15*; Sugar: 28; Salt: 1.
Batters
- Pancake, waffle = Flour: 100; Total water: 150-200; Fat or oil: 20; Milk solids: 10; Eggs: 60; Sugar: 10; Salt: 2.
- Crepes, popover** = Flour: 100; Total water: 230; Fat or oil: 0; Milk solids: 15; Eggs: 60; Sugar: 0; Salt: 2.
- Choux = Flour: 100; Total water: 200; Fat or oil: 100; Milk solids: -; Eggs: 130; Sugar: 1; Salt: 2.
- Sponge cake = Flour: 100; Total water: 75; Fat or oil: 0; Milk solids: 0; Eggs: 100; Sugar: 100; Salt: 1.
- Pound cake = Flour: 100; Total water: 80; Fat or oil: 50; Milk solids: 4; Eggs: 50; Sugar: 100; Salt: 2.
- Layer cake = Flour: 100; Total water: 130; Fat or oil: 40; Milk solids: 7; Eggs: 50; Sugar: 130; Salt: 3.
- Chiffon cake = Flour: 100; Total water: 150; Fat or oil: 40; Milk solids: 0; Eggs: 140; Sugar: 130; Salt: 2.
- Angel cake = Flour: 100; Total water: 220; fat or oil: 0; Milk solids: 0; Eggs: 250***; Sugar: 45; Salt: 3.
*Yolks only; ** Known as Yorkshire pudding on this side of the Atlantic; *** Whites only.
Dough and Batter part I
Flour
- Glutenin: this is a type of protein that forms the interconnected gluten network and makes the dough elastic.
- Gliadin: this is another kind of protein component of the flour that bonds weakly to the glutenin network to make the dough plastic.
- Starch: It is a form of complex carbohydrate that will fill the gaps in the gluten network and absorb water during cooking. This will have for effect to tenderize the dough and set its structure during cooking.
Water
- It will allow the the gluten network to form and dilute it. Depending on its quantity the final product will be more or less tender.
Yeast and Leavening Agents
- Composed of live cells in the case of the yeasts or purified chemicals in the case of the baking powder, these ingredients have the role of producing carbon dioxide gas (CO2) in the dough or batter. This has for effect to lighten and tenderize the final products.
The Salt
- It is a purified mineral that has for effect to tighten the gluten network, thus bringing stability to the dough or batter. It make the dough more elastic.
Fats, Oils, Shortenings
- These ingredients are mainly made of lipids. They weaken the gluten network, tenderizing the final products.
Sugar
- Sugar is purely made of carbohydrates. They will have for effect to weaken the gluten network and absorb moisture, making the final products tender and moist.
Eggs
- The egg is essentially made of proteins, fats, natural emulsifiers (like the lecithin) and water. These various components of the egg will have very different, but complementary effects on the dough or batter. The first one, comes from the proteins. As the dough or batter cooks they coagulate and supplement the gluten structure with tender protein coagulum. The fats and emulsifiers weaken the gluten network, tenderizing the final products and slowing down the staling process. The other role taken by the natural emulsifier agents that are contained by the egg yolk, is to stabilize the bubbles of CO2 and the starch during the cooking process.
Milk and Buttermilk
- Essentially made of proteins, fats, natural emulsifiers and hydrogen based molecules (acids) milk or buttermilk weakens the gluten network and stabilizes the Co2 bubbles. The final products will, in effect, be tenderized and stale at slower rate.
To finish this little explanation, I would like to precise what I meant when I used the words plastic and elastic in relation to a dough.
Elastic, or elasticity and plastic, or plasticity are two qualities that are brought to a dough through the presence of gluten in the flour. It is characterized by the capacity of a dough to change shape under pressure, but still resist it and move back towards its original shape when the pressure is removed. This is why kneading bread by hand is not an easy job. I think everybody will agree with me on this! Thanks to this combination of properties, wheat dough can expand to incorporate the carbon dioxide gas produced by yeast or leavening agent, and yet resists enough that its bubble wall will not thin to the breaking point.
If you are interested in the elastic and plastic properties of wheat dough, I recommend you this study made by Dr Salme Taagepera, Lecturer and Academic Coordinator at the
Department of Developmental and Cell Biology at the University of California, Irvine, US. (Copy and paste this link in your browser) http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:DW4Ft0VszEMJ:https://eee.uci.edu/clients/staagepe/bio%25209b/powerpoints/lec15_16%2520dough%2520batter%2520c.ppt+gluten+plasticity+and+elasticity&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=ie
What is the healthier way to cook meat?
Le Salon du Chocolat de Paris
You will find everything imaginable about chocolate. From the cocoa bean production to the chocolate making, chocolate sculptures, even a fashion show with designer clothe made of chocolate and of course chocolate tasting. This year, over 130 chocolate maker from all over the World will be present at the show as well as 400 participants. It will be open every day from 10h until 19h and late night Friday and Saturday, when it will be open until 20h. - Live cooking classes entertained by some of the best pastry chefs and "chocolatiers" in the World.
- Exhibitions about the chocolate through history and cultures, chocolate and ethics and a display of photos on Jorge Amado by Italian photographers Luca Renaldini and Catia Zuchetti.
- The chocolate awards in the "espace cacao", where some of the best chocolate makers in the World will be competing live.
- In the "Chocoland" area, different animations will make children (age 4 to 10 registrations needed) discover the world of chocolate.
- The cacao show area will offer different discussions such as chocolate and your health, is chocolate good for my heart, etc.
- And lots more.
It has everything chocolate lover could ever dream of. Beware of indigestion!
The fashion show 
Loads of chocolate! 
Sculptures
The show will also travel around the World. These are the dates and venues :
- New York, Metropolitan Pavilion and Altman Building, 9-11 November 2007.
- Moscow, Gostini Dvor, 30 Nov- 2 Dec 2007.
- Shanghai, Shanghai International Convention and Exhibitions Center, 18-21 January 2008.
- Tokyo, Isetan Tokyo, 23-28 January 2008.
Culinary Terminology
I cannot count the number of times that my friends and family rang me to ask what means a particular word used in a recipe that they found in a cooking book. This apply too, to restaurant menus. It is true that chefs use professional terminology without thinking that they are not talking to one of his/her colleague.
So there is a list of culinary terms and their definitions. This list is a work in progress, so keep checking as I will be adding terms as they come to my attention.
- To arrange: Aesthetically place meat and garnish on the serving dish.
- To bard: Wrap in a thin layer or sheet of bacon or fatback bacon.
- To bind: Enhance the consistency of a soup, sauce or gravy by the addition of egg yolks, cream, flour, starch or blood.
- To blanch: Immerse certain foods in boiling water, either to part-cook them or to clean them. Either they are dropped into boiling water or put into cold water that is then brought to a boil.
- Bouquet garni: Choice of aromatic plants tied with some kitchen string. It usualy consists of 2-3 sprigs of parsley, a sprig of thyme, 1 or 2 bay leaves, some sage, celery or rosemay can also be used. The lot is wrapped in a couple of leaves of leek before tying it.
- To braise: Slowly cook meats or vegetables in a small quantity of aromatic liquid in a closed utensil.
- To bread: Roll in bread crumb.
- To brown in butter: Cook in butter until lightly colored.
- To brown on the top or gratiner: Put a dish, sauced or not, but often sprinkled with grated cheese, into the oven or under a broiler to obtain a light coloring and sometimes a crispy surface.
- A brunoise: very fine dices of vegetables or cooked meats.
- To butter: Grease a mold, a baking sheet, baking paper. Also means to finish a sauce by whisking in some fresh butter.
- Chaud-froid: means hot-cold, dish that has been prepared hot and served cold.
- Chinois: A fine-meshed cone-shaped strainer.(Fig 1)
- Clarified butter: melted butter in which the whey and all the solid elements have been discarded to only leave the oil (pure fat). Such butter will resist better to high heat. It is used to prepare sauces such as the bearnaise sauce and hollandaise sauce.
- To coat: Cover with sauce. In confectionery, cover with icing or meringue.
- To color: Get a light golden color on all the faces of meats or vegetables in some fat.
- Compote: preparation of fresh or dried fruits slowly cooked in a light sweet stock. It also means vegetables (such has onions, red onions, etc) that are slowly cooked with stock and sugar.
- Confit: Slowly and gently cooked in fat. I'd like to make a point here, as at least 90% of my customers will ask for their duck confit crispy. It is not a roast but a parent cooking process to braising, therefor it cannot and should not be served crispy.
- To cook in a blanc: Cook vegetables (such as artichoke, Jerusalem artichokes, button mushrooms) or some offal (such as veal head, tongue or lamb feet) that are subjected to oxidation , in a water base in which lemon juice or vinegar and flour have been added. Note that the vegetables or meat are left to cool down in the cooking liquid. The proportion for a litre of cooking liquid is 25g flour, 1/2 lemon or 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 6g of salt.
- Cooking liquid: Any liquid that has been rendered after cooking food. For example, the liquid resulting from cooking mushrooms.
- Duxelle: Minced button mushrooms, shallots and onions sauteed in butter and slowly cooked until all the cooking liquid has evaporated. It is usually used as part of stuffings or dishes called "a la duxelle". The origin of the word seems to either come from a little village of Uzel in the Cotes d'Armor county of Brittany in France or La Varenne chef of the marquis of Uxelles.
- Emulsion: Mixture of two incompatible liquids with droplets of one liquid dispersed in a continuous phase of the other. Oil and vinegar in a dressing for example. The term comes from the Latin word for milk, which is just such a mixture.
- To Decoct: Extract the essence of something by boiling it. Be cooked until very little is left; as of sauces " The sauce should reduce to one cup". Steep in hot water
- To deglaze: Dissolve, by moistening with little liquid, the caramelized juice at the bottom of a saucepan or roasting tray.
- To degrease: Remove all excess fat from stocks, cooking liquids, sauces, etc.
- To dilute: Add a liquid to thin out a sauce or a puree that is too thick; adjust consistency.
- Double-boiler or bain-marie: A bain-marie can be any set-up of utensils where the lower part is filled with simmering water and the upper part, which can be a pan or a bowl, is placed on the top. Allow 2 cm (3/4 inch) space between the two utensils.
- Drum sieve: A sieve whose screen is stretched across a circular band of wood or metal, resembling a drum. (Fig. 2)
- To glaze or glacer: In addition to the literal meaning of the word, this term applies to; first of all basting a cut of meat or other preparation with its own reduced juice and returning it to the oven to give it a glaze. Second meaning to this term is the formation on a sauced dish of a light, shining skin. Finally, in pastry making it means a layer of sugar spread over a pastry.
- A Julienne: Very thin batons of vegetables or cooked meat.
- To knead: to work a dough into a uniform mixture by pressing, folding, and stretching.
- To lard: Thread strips, lardons, of fatback bacon or bacon into a cut of meat with a larding needle (fig. 3).
- Lardon: Small dice of smoked or unsmoked pork belly.
- Liaison: French word meaning close connection, bond. It refers to the act of theckening and the agents of thickening. It was borrowed from the French by the English in the 17th only for its culinary meaning. It is only in the 19th century that the military and romantic liaison came to the English language.
- To line: Arrange slices of bacon, onion, carrot on the bottom and sides of a utensil. Also means, line a mold with dough.
- To line with aspic: Coat the insides of a mold with melted savoury jelly and allow it to harden before filling with the required ingredients.
- To marinate: Soak meat, game or fish in an acidic liquid either to flavor or to tenderize it.
- To melt: Cook thinly sliced, minced, julienned or diced vegetables gently in butter until they become translucent.
- A mirepoix: Rough dice of vegetables added to stocks or bouillon to flavor it.
- To moisten: Add the necessary cooking liquid.
- Oven temperatures: Every oven has its own characteristics and experimentation is the only way to truly comprehend your oven, but there is a general guide:
-Very low 225-275 F or 107-135 C
- Low 285-325 F or 140-163 C
- Medium 350-400 F or 177-205 C
- High 410-450 F or 210-232 C
- Very hot 475-550 F or 246-288 C
- To poach: Simmer in a liquid kept just below point.
- Poaching liquid or bouillon: The liquid in which meat or poultry has been cooked.
- Pre-cooking rice: Put the rice you need in boiling salted-water for a few seconds; then drain in thoroughly and moisten it with milk.
- To purge: Put certain foods, such as brains, sweetbreads, kidneys, offal in general into cold water or milk to flush out impurities and traces of blood. Snails, cucumbers, gherkins, etc are purged with a coating of sea salt.
- To reduce: Simmer a liquid or sauce down to decrease its quantity and make it more concentrated. Be aware: Do not add any salt in this liquid before reducing it as the salt will concentrate thus making the final preparation too salty.
- To refresh: Blanched food is immediately plunged into ice-cold water to remove any foam and fix the chlorophyll in green vegetables.
- Ribbon (to make a.. ) : Consistency required in the making of sponge cake or sabayon sauce. It is obtained by long whisking of an egg and sugar mixture over low heat. The ribbon can be seen by lifting some of the mix and observe its behaviour when it falls on the rest of the mixture in the bowl. It should keep its shape while staying on the top of the rest of the mix see (fig.5).
- Roux: A mixture of flour and butter cooked more or less completely (white, golden or Dark) according to requirements. The usual proportion of flour to fat is 1/1 or 50g of flour for 50g of fat for a liter of liquid.
- To sauté: To fry quickly in a little hot fat. Sauté(adj) Quickly fried in a little hot fat.
- Salpicon: A mixture of several ingredients, cut to the same shape, generally in cubes, to garnish savory pastry shells, interiors of croquettes, rissoles, etc.
- Scant: Falling short of a specific measure: a scant cup of sugar.
- To score: Make some small incisions on the skin of meat or fish to help it to cook.
- To Seethe: Also written seeth. To decoct or prepare for food in hot liquid; to boil; as, to seethe flesh.
- To shrink: When cooking ingredients, having sweat off their moisture and juices, start to contract, they are said to shrink.
- To simmer: Boil very gently and regularly over low heat.
- To skim: Purify a sauce or soup over a very gentle heat, by removing the scum from the top.
- To soak: Applied to bread that must be soaked in soup for an extended period of time and reheated before serving.
- To stew: Cook almost without liquid or without liquid in a closed container.
- To strain: Cook in butter, then strain through a chinois, sieve, cloth or strainer stock, cooking liquid, sauces or force through a drum sieve purees, stuffing, etc. Consomme, syrups and fruit juices are strained through a muslin cloth.
- To stud: Inserting small pieces of fatback bacon near the surface of different cuts of meat, especially game to avoid that they dry out while cooking.
- To sweat off: To cook an ingredient covered over low heat to make it give up its juices.
- Tablespoon: In French cooking a tablespoon (not level) is equal to a soup spoon that holds about 15g (2/3 ounce) of flour or sugar and about 25% more liquid than the imperial tablespoon measure.
- To trim off: To make an ingredient more attractive by cutting away certain parts. For meat, removing excess fat. For potato, the eyes, etc.
- Trimmings: The off-cuts resulting from trimming an ingredient.
- To truss: To retain the shape of poultry, game, roasts, racks and seafood by tying it up with a fine cord, sometimes using needle (Fig. 4).
- To whisk or whip: Give volume to a substance, such as egg whites, a sauce, cream, a hollandaise, etc.
Fig. 1 
Fig. 2 
Fig. 3 
Fig. 4 
Fig. 5
Cheese and Buckwheat Scones
There is a quick recipe that I improvised from a traditional scones mix that I was use to use in a hotel in Scotland. I was thinking how to make this a bit more interesting and healthier.
This buckwheat scones make a great accompaniment to smoked salmon or delicatessen or even a poached egg.
So, this is how it goes :
- 150g Strong white organic flour.
- 250g Buckwheat flour.
- 4 Teaspoons of baking powder.
- 100g Gratted Parmesan cheese.
- 80g Gruyere cheese cut in small dices.
- 20g Oat flakes.
- 20g Linseed.
- 4 Eggs.
- 250g Melted butter.
- 8 Tablespoons of soy milk.
In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together. Mix in the melted butter and soy milk. Work energetically that dough for about 5 minutes.
Fill up some darioles moulds, previously buttered and floured, 2/3 up.
Bake in a preheated over for 20 to 30 minutes at 180 degres Celsius.
Eat warm.
Suitable for vegetarians, Replace the cheese with some smoked tofu and use margarin instead of the butter to make it suitable for vegans and dairy free.
Everything I eat has been proved by some doctor or other to be a deadly poison, and everything I don't eat has been proved to be indispensable for life. But I go marching on.
George Bernard Shaw
A Broad Survey of the Beneficial Effects of Chemicals in Fruits and Vegetables
Cancer and Cooking meat
The second type of carcinogenic chemical that can be created while cooking meat is called Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons or PAH. They are created when nearly any organic material, like wood or fat, is heated to their burning point. This is what happens when butter overheats and burns. This is the reason why most food authorities have simply banned the traditional "raie au beurre noir". Back to our meat, PAHs are mainly found on meats that have been cooked over a smoky wood fire that will deposit PAHs on the meat or smokeless charcoal fire which will create PAHs from the fat, if the fat is allowed to fall and burn. Small amounts of PAHs can be produced during high temperature frying. PAHs can be minimized by cooking meats over a wood fire only if it has been reduced to coals, by leaving the grill uncovered, by avoiding fat flareups and by eating smoked meat with moderation. 
Finally, there is our third bad guy. It is known by the name of nitrosamines. They form when nitrogen-containing groups on amino-acids (basic constituents of proteins) and related compounds combine with nitrite, a chemical used for centuries in salt-cured meats and prevent the development of the Clostridium Botulinum responsible for botulism. This reaction happens both in our digestive system and in a hot frying pan. Nitrosamines are well known to be a very powerful DNA- damaging chemicals, despite the lack of evidence that nitrites present in cured meats can increase the risk of developing cancer. Though, it's seems prudent to eat cured meats with moderation and cook them gently. Why do fish stock should not boil?
Well, the first cause may be that the fumet has been cooked for a too long period of time (20 minutes is best). The second is that the fish stock was boiled instead of a steady simmering. Boiling or overcooking have basically the same effect on the liquid. They dissolve calcium salt from the fragile fish bones in the stock. These salts will make the final liquid cloudy and give it a chalky taste.Seasonality of Fish, Crustaceans and Molluscs
Round White FishGrey Mullet : Available from August until February. Low season March until July with a peak in May.
Dogfish : Available all year around.
Flat White Fish
Oil Rich Fish
Molluscs
CrustaceansLobster : All year around. But there is some short period of time when the lobster grows therefor need to change its shell. It is called the molting. There is only one way to know when this event happens is to ask the lobsterman!
Crayfish : All year around.
Brown crab : All year around.
Spider crab : All year around. It is mainly fished in late December and January.
Freezing egg yolks
- Make sure that the eggs come from a refrigerated shelf in the store.
- Make sure that the eggs are extra fresh.
- When breaking them, use gloves and disinfected containers.
- Make sure to use perfectly clean recipient to store them.
Thoroughly mixing the yolk with some either salt, sugar or an acid will prevent the yolk proteins from aggregating, and leave the thawed mixture fluid enough to mix.
To freeze egg yolks add a teaspoon (5 g) salt, a tablespoon (15 g) sugar or 4 tablespoon (60 ml) lemon juice per pint (1/2 l). Blend well then freeze.
To freeze whole eggs, add 1/2 a teaspoon salt (2.5 g), 1/2 tablespoon (7.5 g) sugar or 2 tablespoon (30 ml) lemon juice per pint (1/2 l). Blend well then freeze.
Finally I would like to give you a piece of advice. I have to use frozen eggs in pastry making due to health and safety regulations in place . Don't expect the same results using frozen eggs whether it is egg whites, egg yolks or whole eggs ; they lose some of their foaming agents as well as some of their water and their proteins are also affected by the cold.
Guide to Organic Food
Purple Spouting Broccoli, Cauliflower, Winter Leek.FEBRUARY
Full range of root vegetables, Parsnips, Celeriac, Turnips, Jerusalem Artichoke, Cabbage, Scorsonere, Chard, Dry Nuts Almonds, Hazelnuts, Pecan...MARCH
More or less the same than February, full range of roots and cabbages.APRIL
New season Scallion, Rhubarb, White Turnip, Asparagus (green, purple and white), Spring Lamb, Artichoke, Lambs Lettuce, the First Strawberries (from the south of Europe and north of Africa), Early Lettuces.
All types of Lettuces, first early New Potatoes, Radish, Spring Butter, Fresh Cheeses, Corn Lettuce, Rocket, Lamb, Early Strawberries.JUNE
Carrots, Peas, Broccoli, Spinach, Khol-Rabi, Mangetout, Strawberries (peak of the season), Chives, Parsley, Tarragon, New Potatoes, Cos Lettuce, Morels, Baby Gem.
Beetroot, Broad Beans, French Beans, Runner Beans, Marrow, Radiccio, Iceberg Lettuce, Lollo Rosso, Raspberry, Charentais Melon, Gooseberry, Tayberry, Loganberry, Courgette, Aubergine, Blackcurrant, Cantaloup Melon, Pears.
Swedes, Turnips, Fennel, Kale, Sweetcorn, Chick Pea, Marrow Pea, Peppers, Shallots, Blackberry, Blueberry, Bilberry, Figs, early eating Apple Peaches, Apricots, Tomatoes, Curcumber. 
Parsnips, White Cabbage, Celery, Leeks, Onions, Eating and Cooking Apples, Wild Mushrooms start to pop-up : Cep, Girolle, Trompette des Maures, Bolets, Grappes, Potatoes, Gherkins.OCTOBER
Red Cabbage, Endive, Curly Endive, Chicory, Lambs Lettuce, more Wild Mushroom, Fresh almond, Hazelnut, Chestnut, Dattes.
Brussels Sprouts, Sutsumas, Clementine.
Full range of Root Vegetable and Cabbages, Oranges.
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