STIR THE POTS

Do-Nothing Bread

Here's a non-traditional technique where you use a small percentage (one percent - even a half a percent) of sour dough added to a kilo of flour instead of the standard ratios of anywhere from 10-50%. The idea is to give the dough gluten development through the sourdough's enzymatic activity, from its lactic acid bacteria proteolytic/acidification. Within 12-24 hours, the dough is at the same stage of development of a more traditional (and more labour intensive) method.

This method also lends itself to minimal shaping. And the gentle, long fermentation leads to an open crumb, a beautiful dark crust and the emergence of natural flavors of the delicious whole grains (versus white flours) you're using (hopefully). I learned this reading Respectus Pain, a book first introduced to me by Yohan Ferrant, a baker who  uses this masterfully and coined it "do nothing bread." Using it recently, here are some photos of the outcome. 

 

 

Carol Duncan

Carol Duncan is a friend I met from my days lurking around Australian site, sourdough.com. A couple of days ago, Carol tweeted to me, sharing that she would be visiting New York within days. So we met offline. Lovely to transform the world of virtual friendships to granularity of sharing actual real world space. And so we did. She turned up with multiple folks, including husband, sons, and friends, leading to a great evening. 

 

Roscón de reyes

After my wife brought home a store-baked Roscón de reyes, I decided to make one, myself, only using sourdough. I used a formula from David Jorge's food show that featured Iban Yarza. Wary that I'd under-proof it, I gave it extra time to bulk ferment it. The results were amazing. Enriched doughs, especially with sourdough, need more time to ferment from all the additions (e.g. sugar, spices, butter, etc.)  All to say, patience is key so... wait for it.

Kitchen Gadgets

Been to  Bloomingdales 9th floor? It's the kitchen section. Wow, they pushed it up a notch! A few months ago, I ended up going on a shopping binge, coming home with a waffle iron, hand blender, as well as assorted cooking tools. My wife frowned initially, but she had to admit that it was hard to resist - there are just so many cool new cookware products. For now, I'll keep have to be disciplined as the variety could empty your bank account. Particularly interesting are the multi-purpose gadgets like the global phenomenon, Thermomix. From air fryers and slow cookers, primal cooking methods are in for a change.

Refreshingly Minty Milk

The other night at work I took some sugar and fresh mint and threw it in a mixer, then added it to milk for the pleasure of a French refreshment I'd remembered years ago; une boisson fraîche (cold drink). Delicious.  

 

 

Rincon Melania

Rincon Melania is a nine-month-old Ecuadorean restaurant in my New York neighborhood of Sunnyside, Queens. Having walked by it multiple times on my way to the subway, the name befuddled me. Was it a nod to Trump's paramour and future third divorce? Whatever, I don't like him or her, and therefore the name unfairly kept me away. Then Thanksgiving came and I decided for forgiveness. More accurately friends tried it and raved. A good NYTimes didn't hurt either. So how was Melania? Well, their breakfast featured both ceviche and bolon,  fried plantains with pork. The ceviche was outstanding (big portions, freshness, just great), and the bolon wasn't bad. Try Melania. Even if Trump makes your stomach turn, Melania may still deliver hope. At least as a restaurant it delivers great flavor.  

 

Sous Vide Yogurt

My first effort at making yogurt wasn't very satisfying. So I decided to give it a try using a slow cooker. Using low- fat milk made for an excess whey topping. And the slow cooker settings must have been too high. I ended up curdling or scorching the milk. That led me to use my sous vide circulator. Kaboom, so much better. And any excess whey went into my bread baking. I only made a few small jars but they were awfully tasty. I'll be back to make more. 

Méteil Bread

Pain au Méteil is traditional country bread dough  composed of two grains rye and wheat, good mixings for winter. This young starter amazed me as the dough behaved and proofed so well. A mahogany  crust and evenly open crumb abounded. With a tab of cheese, or charcuterie...this is a great loaf of mixed grains.