Notes: More later...
2010-01-30
2010-01-27
2010-01-22
Lemon Pound Cake with Grapefruit-Vanilla Curd
Notes: More later
2010-01-20
2010-01-03
Anadama Bread
Notes: I read recently that a signature Reinhart recipe technique is soaking grains, and sure enough, this cornmeal-based bread requires an overnight soak of the coarse cornmeal. I've made it before many years ago, and remember that it makes excellent toast. The large quantity of molasses gives this bread a distinctive taste and colour. Tackiness is a quality of the kneaded bread dough, but it will eventually become easier to handle. I ended up with three loaves: one 8×4", and two 8½×4½" ones. A nice everyday bread, with a tasty cornmeal crunch.
Red Navel Orange Marmalade
Notes: On our way back from Florida, we bought a travel pack (25 lbs or so) of citrus from the Cushman's store in West Palm Beach. We took home Honeybell's (a tangerine-grapefruit cross also known as Minneola), red navel oranges, tangerines and pink grapefruit. There is no problem bringing these back to Toronto. You just check the box at baggage, and they'll have it waiting in the oversize luggage area at Pearson on arrival. Incidentally, we could not find any pick-your-own citrus groves in the Palm Beach area. The closest ones were in Orlando, three hours away.
Using the standard orange marmalade recipe included with the pectin box, I made a red navel orange marmalade, using the suggested fruit. I found the easiest way to cut up the oranges was to cut the tops and bottoms off, cut the peel deeply from pole to pole, then use a sharp knife to take out each segment without the surrounding membrane. The pith was easy to scrape off with a spoon but it was a time-consuming process. Pomona's directions are pretty easy to follow, the only thing extra to do is to simmer the cut-up fruit and peel in a pot with water. I used the minimum amount of sugar, two cups.
After processing and resting for 24 hours, I found the room-temperature marmalade was quite soft. In the refrigerator, it firmed up a little bit. This is fine wtih me as I like my jam softer and less sweet than the store-bought versions. A very successful experiment, and one I'll probably repeat using all grapefruit.
2009-12-19
Chocolate-Dipped Pistachio Shortbread
Notes: As a delicious treat to bring down to Dr. S' parents in Florida, I made this cookie recipe from the latest CI issue. It is easily made using food processor (to grind the oatmeal) and mixer (to make the dough). The use of the springform collar didn't seem to make much difference for me, as the cookie dough never spread right to the edge. After the drying period in the turned-off oven, the cookies were very, very crumbly and broke apart easily. Make sure you score deeply enough so that separating the fingers is easier.
I made another batch of this as well, using ground hazelnuts. Unless you or your eaters have nut allergies, I really recommend this addition. A fine holiday cookie that's not too much work.
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