STIR THE POTS

Inspired By Thierry Delabre

Last year while visiting Paris, I got to hang out with my talented friend Thierry Delabre in his bakery. Watching him work, he seemed preoccupied  about volume and the quality of his bakes. Since that visit I have been enjoying his Facebook posts of glorious bread and a new  team at his boulangerie. Back home I tried two versions of his loafs. The first was a firm sourdough and lower hydration. It got volume but a tighter crumb, which isn't bad for spreading jam and butter as it delivers a no spills experience. The next loaf was with a more-liquid levain and higher hydration. It was high enough to make mixing difficult, but I decided to retard the dough, 48 hours, in fact. I got a wonderful crumb and crust.... All to say that bread baking is a go-back-and-do-it-again sort of science.

Octopus

Octopus has been a constant rotation on my menu for about four years, proving one of our best selling dishes. I like it grilled, carmelizing the tentacles with brushed balsamic vinegar. This summer I marinated an entire batch with balsamic vinegar, garlic and olive, then rather than grilling it, I slow-cooked the octopus for five hours on the stove. This extra time was worth the tender bite and delicious taste.

Muffuletta

So what's a "muffuletta?" Well, it's certainly not the torpedo-shaped bread I wanted to make. And yet, what I got was much closer to the round, flat Sicilian-inspired sandwich bread known as muffuletta. Working with Sicilian lower protein flours, and maybe some over-proofing, I ended up with what struck me as something inglorious, flat, and round. 

My cat seemed to be impressed but that only made me angry. But then I cut into the crisp crust and soft center, and I was back in love. With the cat and the bread, as it reminded me of the glorious New Orleans sandwiches, namely the muffuletta. Actually, however influenced by the sultry geography of the bayou, the sandwich's real origins are pani ca 'meusa, a Palermo street food classic called "vastedda" that is normally filled with spleen and lung meat. My own simpler rendition  was layered with grilled vegetables, belotta ham  and drizzled with oil. God, I love to bake, eat, and feel the affection of surprise. And my cat. 

Yuca Bread Is Delicious Bread

Pan de yuca is basic bread to make with only a few basic ingredients; flour, eggs, butter and baking powder. A simple mix of wet and dry ingredients and no fermentation, just shape and bake. This is my second time making it. There's another version I want to try in the future, something closer to a pâte à choux. Next time. For now, this!

 

Ramen Burger

The chill of winter. Lunchtime. Why not return to Ramen Pop, my favorite New York-hipster ramen joint. Though I was inclined to slurp some broth and noodles, I ultimately tried their burger with pineapple. Last time I visited this place, the city was suffering a heatwave. Now the chill factor is... well, mighty cold. Maybe the burger reminded me of summer. Anyway, here's what I sampled including deliciously simple sides.

 

Einkorn

Einkorn, is one of the oldest varieties of domesticated and cultivated wheat. It's made a revival with bakers, part of the current renaissance around "ancient grains". Popular in middle European countries, it's also known as enkir and le petit epautre. My own trials with it have been decent. This recent try involved less mixing, no autolyse, and just a single fold to final overnight fermentation in my fridge. The grain is flavorful and you can get a nice crumb even with weak gluten.

Sauerteigbrot - Sixty-Forty Bread

Sauerteigbrot - or 60-40 bread - is my favorite German daily loaf. It has gluten strength and a rye-flavor imbued in every bite. Add in some malzstück to enhance  the equation and you get a juicy crumb and lusty crust,  enjoyed best when fresh-baked and cooling in the morning light! I finally got around to this method. Hoot, it works!

Malzstück (Aromastück©) - Bread Enhancer

If you find your sourdough ryes lacking in flavor and strength trying aromastuck. It is a German bread enhancer similar to tangzhong, a water roux with the addition of malt. Its enzymatic activities improve crumb, flavor and shelf life of breads.

Though it's most often made with rye, other flours or grains . I only recently tried it, myself, having been a bit confused and overwhelmed by its preparation, something that includes time, long stirring and closely gauging its temperature. Jumping in to finally try it, my chosen method was with my sous-vide circulator. Only after finishing did I realize that it should be mixed every 20-minutes over three hours at 149 degrees Fahrenheit. Now to mix some dough!

 

Charcuterie Results

As posted recently, I bought myself a Umaidry kit, a tool to bring professional charcuterie to anyone's kitchen. While my wife complained about the high price, her face broke out in smiles at the delicious results, a bouquet of finely cured meat.

My Sicilian Baking Masters

Hearing that Sicilian miller Filippo Drago and his buddy Renato Flaborea were hanging out at at New York's Gustiamo, I decided to head down to hear their take on ancient grains. They have been traveling America's Eastern seaboard on an education tour. Well, they educated me with a wonderful Pane Nero di Castelvetrano made with various ferments. I'm not sure I will ever get an A in replicating it at home but I sure was inspired to try.