Saturday, March 12, 2011

sun through the window.

i like light and when available, i like to photograph it.

so behold my light test:
(flickr does a number on my photos)


one.
lighttest21

two.
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three.
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four.
lighttest18

five.
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six.
lighttest16

seven.
lighttest15

eight.
lighttest14

nine.
lighttest13

ten.
lighttest10

eleven.
lighttest11

twelve.
lighttest10

thirteen.
lighttest09_1

fourteen.
lighttest08

fifteen.
lighttest07

sixteen.
lighttest06

seventeen.
lighttest05

eighteen.
lighttest04

nineteen.
lighttest03

twenty.
lighttest02

twenty-one.
lighttest01

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

soft bread

charlie likes soft crust & i like bread. period. 

may i introduce 

soft bread2 soft bread

SOFT ROLL DOUGH

whole milk  6 oz

instant yeast  1 tsp

granulated sugar  1 oz

bread flour  12 oz

yolks  1 oz

salt  1 tsp

butter  1 oz

1. Straight Dough Method - 
 Calculate DDT. 

Add yeast to milk in mixing bowl. Then add everything else.

2. Mix on speed 1 for 2 minutes.
Mix on speed 2 for 6 minutes.

3. Bulk ferment (about 30 minutes)

4. Scale out (I chose to make it all one big round loaf)

5. Bench rest (30 more minutes)

6. De-Gas

7. Shape

8. Proof (approx. 30 minutes)

9.Egg wash

10. Optional - add a topping

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 - 25 minutes.


eat. 

light

how do we shine in a dark world?

flowers3

i cant believe that im so self-centered. 
i want to live in a world that people are concerned about others.

sometimes i feel like i am aimlessly stumbling around in this body with no purpose. 
where is my focus? 

God promises daily renewal - awesome. 

my challenge: walk in the light, renew everyday & project life. 

flowers2


Tuesday, March 8, 2011

bread pudding

this is the real deal folks! 
perfectly heavy & comforting! 

adapted from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc

BANANA BREAD PUDDING

bread pudding

serves 24

This can be made up to 2 days in advance. Vanilla bean paste can be found at select gourmet supply stores. The bananas can be replaced with a similar quantity of dried fruit or omitted altogether. To make clarified butter, melt butter over low heat, skim the milk solids off the top and ladle out the butter without disturbing the remaining milk solids and water at the bottom. Start with 1 cup (2 sticks) butter to get about one-half cup clarified.

2 1/4 cups milk

2 1/4 cups heavy cream

1 cup sugar, divided

1 tablespoon vanilla paste or pure vanilla extract

8 slices of brioche or good-quality white sandwich bread, crusts removed (each slice should be 7 inches long, 3 inches wide and one-half inch thick)

10 eggs

3 ripe bananas

About 1/2 cup clarified butter

1. In a large saucepan, combine the milk, cream, one-half cup of the sugar and the vanilla paste (not extract, if using) and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and if using vanilla extract, stir that in.

2. Toast the slices under a broiler on a baking sheet or in a toaster until both sides are golden-brown.

3. In a large bowl, lightly whisk the eggs. Whisk in the remaining one-half cup sugar. Whisk several ladles of the milk mixture into the yolk mixture, then whisk the yolk mixture back into the milk. Strain through a fine-mesh basket strainer into a bowl and cool the custard, or chill over an ice bath to room temperature.

4. Spread about one-fourth inch of the custard in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.

5. In a separate baking dish, place 2 slices of the bread and pour in enough of the egg mixture to cover. Soak them, turning once, for about 1 minute; do not soak too long, or they will be difficult to move. Carefully place the slices of bread crosswise in the baking pan. Repeat with two more slices so that you have one full layer of soaked bread in the bottom of the baking pan.

6. Cut the bananas in half crosswise, then cut each half lengthwise into 3 slices. Place the banana slices side by side, running lengthwise in the pan, to cover the bread. Soak the remaining 4 pieces of bread in 2 batches and lay them over the bananas. Pour the remaining egg mixture over the top.

7. Cover the bread pudding with a piece of plastic wrap and press down gently. Set aside for 20 minutes to allow the egg mixture to soak into the bread.

8. Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Bring a large saucepan of water to a simmer. Remove the plastic wrap and place a piece of parchment paper over the top of the bread pudding. Cover the pan with aluminum foil.

9. Put the baking pan in a larger pan, such as a roasting pan. Carefully pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come about two-thirds up the sides of the baking pan. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the pudding reaches 180 degrees (a knife inserted in the pudding should come out clean), up to about 2 hours, checking after the first hour. Carefully remove the baking pan from the water bath (using a turkey baster or ladle to remove some of the water from the roasting pan first will make this easier), set on a rack and cool, still covered, to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours; it will keep up to 2 days.

10. Cut the bread pudding into 24 pieces and remove as many as desired from the pan. Trim them as necessary and scrape off any custard from the bottom of the squares.

11. Heat about one-fourth-inch of clarified butter in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add several pieces of the bread pudding, cut side down, without crowding. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, to warm and brown the pieces. Keep warm (in a 275-degree oven) as you continue to brown the remaining pieces.

Each serving: 281 calories; 5 grams protein; 20 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 20 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 162 mg. cholesterol; 11 grams sugar; 69 mg. sodium.

*note: I left out the bananas! 

bread pudding

more bdb

Big Daddy Biscuits



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bigshamrock

Monday, March 7, 2011

brown butter cupcakes w/ chocolate buttercream

i wanted to make something with (a) brown butter and (b) chocolate. there was only one problem, i have no chocolate in my house, only cocoa powder - so it'll just have to do.

these cupcakes are sensuous - the delicate chocolate pairs fervently with the browned butter cake. 

adapted from Whisk Kid





brown butter cupcakes w/ chocolate buttercream light

BROWN BUTTER CUPCAKES
makes two dozen.

1 c (237 g) butter
2 1/2 c (355 g) flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 c (397 g) sugar
4 eggs, room temp
1 c (237 ml) milk, warmed in the microwave for 20 seconds
1 tsp vanilla

Place the two sticks of butter in a pan with tall sides and melt over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until foaming lessens and dark brown flecks form in the bottom of the ban. Continue cooking and stirring until the butter itself has taken on a nice brown hue and smells nutty. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temp. This should result in 3/4 c (177 ml) of browned butter.

Preheat oven to 350F and prepare 2 cupcake tins with liners. Set aside.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat sugar and eggs until thickened, about a minute. Add milk, browned butter, and vanilla, stirring just until combined.

Add half of the dry mixture and beat until just combined. Repeat with the second half.

Divide batter amongst liners and bake for 18-22 minutes, until tops are springy to the touch or a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean.

Cool tins on a rack for 2-3 minutes before carefully removing the cakes.
 Allow to cool completely before frosting. 



CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

1/2 c (118 g) butter, room temp
3 c (468 g) powdered sugar
2 Tbls baking cocoa
4-8 Tbls milk

 Beat the butter until creamy, about a minute. Sift in half of the powdered sugar and all of the baking cocoa, then beat until thickened and mostly combined, adding 2 Tbls of milk to loosen. Add remaining sugar and beat until combined, adding up to 6 Tbls more of milk until desired frosting consistency is reached.
Slowly beat in milk 1TBS at a time until you reach desired consistency.

*note: the original recipe used 5 oz (142 g) good quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, 
melted in a double boiler and then allowed to cool to room temp.


enjoy.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

earth box and plants

Charlie and I are on our way to raising a little garden - 
we bought banana peppers, tomatoes, & cayenne peppers. 

plants

hound

oh...why hello there Suzy. curiosity becomes her.

pottingsoil

Charlie getting the soil ready.

eager

eager to go in.

tomatoes springling

tomatoes.

suzy

plants about to go....oh Suzy....

suzy sad eyes

no no Suzy, come over here while charlie plants...

*clicks the camera a bit more to keep interest*

potted plants

ALL DONE! 

hooray! 

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Spotlight: Big Daddy Biscuits


"Handpressed All Natural And Organic Farm To Table 

Dog Biscuits Made With Human Grade Food"



They're awesome! 

I caught Lauren yesterday working, so whats a girl to do? 
Shoot her of course! ;)

bdb.biscuits1

bdb.hangrolling

bdb.dough

bdb.biscuits

My dog loves these treats, heck I love these treats! 
 
And shes LOCAL!