I Love Pumpkin Bread

Yep, that's right. And, I think Ms Iz does, too (that's my daughter, in case you didn't know).

I made a gluten-free (happens to also be dairy-free) pumpkin bread yesterday, which I have to say beats the pants off my old version. I don't bake a lot, so it's very nice to find a recipe that comes together easily and has little to no mess (but a few dishes to clean up afterward).

The original recipe is from Noteworthy: A Collection of Recipes from the Ravinia Festival, which is a book I received as a wedding gift. Many years (almost 15) and life changes (had a kid, got out of my marriage) later, I still return to this recipe every Thanksgiving. I love pumpkin pie, but can't really eat the crust, and being a novice baker, muffins and breads like this are much more in my comfort zone.

Even though butter and I are best friends, using vegetable oil here makes the bread moist and the batter silky. I changed up some of the spices, though. I didn't have everything on hand, so used cinnamon, cloves and ground ginger. Adding the walnuts just before baking gave the bread a nice crunch, but didn't mess with the interior texture. Oh, and of course, I used a gluten-free mix of flour instead of the traditional white flour the recipe calls for. I bought a pre-mixed flour this time, but you can go here to find a great recipe for your own mix.

I had intended to make muffins this year, but as always happens, I had no liners for the tray. Once I bought the liners, I realized I only had a mini muffin tray, so the liners were too big. I spotted the mini springform pans in the back of the cabinet. Adding a little oil and some parchment paper made the breads a snap to remove from the pans.

Pumpkin Bread

makes 5 small loaves

Recipe adapted from Noteworthy: A Collection of Recipes from the Ravinia Festival

Ingredients:

• 1 2/3 cup sifted gluten-free flour (use a mix or make your own)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/ 1/4 cups canned pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs lightly beaten

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and ginger in a large bowl.
• Mix together vegetable oil, orange juice, pumpkin puree and eggs in another large bowl.
• Combine the dry and wet ingredients. Make sure to mix completely to incorporate everything.
• Lightly oil the pans. Line your baking pans with parchment.
• Pour the mixture into the pans.
• Add nuts to the top.
• Bake for 30 minutes. Insert a cake tester or toothpick into the center and if it comes out clean, the bread is ready. If not, bake for another 5 minutes.

No-Cook Cranberry Relish...Woo Hoo!

I don't really like cranberry sauce.

But wait, that was before I found this excellent no-cook cranberry relish.

Well, it was back in 2001, I believe, when Gourmet (R.I.P.) published this very simple no-cook cranberry relish. I was dead set against it. In 2002, my friend and co-worker at the time, Heidi, said she had made this and was thrilled with the results. The taste, said Heidi, was tart and the texture was crunchy, not soggy.

I sat down and thought through the pros and cons of cranberries. It occurred to me that I've been drinking cranberry juice for years and loved it. The thought also crossed my mind, though, that all other ways that cranberries were ever presented to me did nothing for me, and even turned me against this particular berry.

But, I promised Heidi I'd make it. She was right. The relish is nothing like the canned cranberry (or fresh cranberry) sauce I'd previously eaten. And, so, this has become a standard in my Thanksgiving repertoire.

Wait, wait, there's even more. Every year, I get the ingredients to make this, and somehow have convinced myself of a few things from the previous year:

1. There are shallots and fresh ginger in the original recipe (there are not, but they are now featured in my version).
2. You have to cook this recipe. (Nope, just pop everything in the food processor and that's it!)
3. Everyone at my sister's table loves this relish. (Not so much, but a few of us do love it, while others just want the traditional version).

This relish gets better over a couple of days, so make it today and it will wow your guests on Thanksgiving.

No-Cook Cranberry Orange Relish

Recipe adapted from Epicurious (Gourmet magazine, 2001)

Ingredients:

• 1 navel orange
• 1 (12-oz) bag fresh cranberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 small shallot, chopped coarsley
• 1/8 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Method:

• Finely grate 2 teaspoons zest from orange.
• Cut away and discard peel and pith from orange, then cut sections free from membranes.
• Pulse cranberries with zest, orange sections, sugar, cinnamon, shallots and ginger in a food processor until coarsely chopped.
• Chill, covered, at least 2 hours to allow flavors to develop.

Filet of Sole a la Joe

Last night, I made breaded filet of sole. Since my dad came up with this recipe, we refer to any preparation that involves breading fish or meat as "a-la-Joe". It's such a simple recipe that I make this on weeknights after work.

My daughter requested a gluten-full version, so I made it two ways. My gluten-free version was made by using Glutino brand bread crumbs, which are mostly corn. For this recipe, I don't love the corn, but they work really well for chicken and shrimp. Since I didn't have time to make my own crumbs from leftover rice bread, I used the Glutino ones, which turned out well.

There is an ongoing battle between Gran Fran and Joe as to whether or not you really need to soak the fish in oil before breading it. I think Joe is for the oil, Gran Fran is against. In my book, the more olive oil flavor you can get, the better, so I do soak mine. I'll let them weigh in here with their own opinions on the issue.

I have access to both Dover and Petrale sole out here on the West Coast. I'm not sure if there are other names for this kind of sole elsewhere in the country, but you can use this preparation for any kind of filet that is light in texture, I've used it on tilapia and red snapper before, too.  My daughter prefers the Petrale sole (fancy!), so that's usually what I go with.

This will be a great post-Thanksgiving light dish to serve, to fend off all those extra calories from those turkey legs you all ate.

Breaded Sole a-la-Joe

serves 4 as a main dish

 Ingredients:

• 2 pounds Petrale Sole (or Dover, or whatever filet you'd like to use)
• 1 cup bread crumbs (I use gluten-free for my portion)
• Olive Oil to cover the fish in a shallow pan
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
• 1 tsp Capers, drained

Method:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees, with a baking pan placed in the oven to heat up.
• Place fish filets into a shallow dish and cover with Olive Oil. Set aside for ten minutes.
• While the fish soaks, mix the mustard with the capers and some pepper.
• Place the breadcrumbs on a board or plate and dredge the fish filets through them to coat.
• Working quickly, remove the hot pan from the oven, take some of the fish soaking oil and coat the pan.
• Place filets on the pan and sprinkle some salt and pepper on them.
• Put the pan back in the oven and bake for about 8 minutes, until you see the crumbs start to brown.
• Serve with the mustard caper sauce.

Enjoy!

Pizza In Five

Remember when I told you all about the Foodbuzz Festival? Well, while I was there, I was lucky enough to receive a copy of the book Pizza in Five by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. I made their gluten free pizza crust dough and I certainly was pleased with the results.

It has been really challenging adhering to a gluten-free (and dairy-free) diet this past year, so when I saw their recipe I was excited to try it. There are a lot of ingredients, some of which you just won't have in your pantry, but all of which were well worth purchasing. I found most everything I needed between Whole Foods and Safeway. I also know our local organic co-op sells all of the ingredients in bulk. At the bulk stores you have the option of buying smaller quantities.

The crust had a great chewy quality to it, but it was also crisp, which is something I've been missing with other gluten-free doughs I've experimented with.

Oh, and there are tons of other people cooking from this fantastic book and posting their results to #PizzaPartyIn5 today, so go and check it out!

Herewith, are the step-by-step photos of what I did to make this delicious pizza.  I'll post the recipe and the instructions soon, but was excited to get this up for everyone to enjoy.

Gluten-Free Pizza Dough

from Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day, by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Brown Rice Flour
• 2 cups White Rice Flour
• 2 cups Tapioca Flour (aka Starch)
• 1 1/2 cups Cornmeal
• 2 tbsps Granulated Yeast
• 1-1 1/2 tbsps Kosher Salt (I used Fleur de Sel)
• 2 tbsps Xantham Gum
• 3 1/4 cups Lukewarm Water
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil
• 2 large Eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tbsps Sugar, Honey, Malt Powder or Agave Syrup (I used Honey)

Method:

• Mixing and Storing the dough: Whisk together the flours, cornmeal, yeast, salt, and xantahn gum in a 5 quart bowl, or a lidded, (not airtight) food container.
• Combine all the liquid ingredients with the sweetener and add the mixture to the dry ingredients, using a spoon, 14 cup food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with paddle), until all of the dry ingredients are well incorporated. You may have to  use wet hands to get the last bit of flour to incorporate if you're not using a machine.
• Cover (not airtight), and allow it to rest at room temperature until the dough rises, approximately 2 hours.
• The dough can be used immediately after its initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate it in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 5 days.  Or store the dough for up to 3 weeks in the freezer in 1/2 pound portions.  When using frozen dough, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before use.
• On pizza day, break off a piece of the dough. It will not have any stretchiness like wheat doughs.
• Roll out the dough directly on a pizza peel, (I rolled mine right onto my stainless countertop with flour on it) covered generously with flour and cover the dough with plastic wrap.
• Roll into a 1 1/8 inch thick round.
• As you roll out the dough, use a dough scraper to make sure the dough isn't sticking to the peel (or whatever surface you're using); add more flour if needed.
• Gently pull off the plastic wrap, and top.

Put the Pizza Together and Bake It:

my own interpretation of the method from the book

• Turn oven up to highest setting (mine was 500 degrees).
• Put your pan in the oven to get it as hot as possible.
• Prepare all your ingredients: I used bacon, chanterelle mushrooms, potatoes, tomatoes, pesto,  and egg.
• Roll out the dough as described above.
• Remove the pan from the oven (must do this quickly so the pan doesn't cool down too much). Add some olive oil.
• Using a flat stainless scraper to pick it up and put it on the super hot pan.
• Working quickly, add all your toppings (see photos below, I have them in order of ingredient application).
• Finish with the cracked egg on top, and add a bit of olive oil and spices.

Bake in the hot oven for about 10 minutes, or until the edges are browned and the egg has set.

Enjoy!

Candied Salmon and Poached Egg

Candied salmon makes me happy.

I first discovered this Whole Foods wonder about four years ago. Back then, I ate is as a very tasty sweet snack. Nowadays, as I'm trying to watch my girlish figure, I eat just a little of this golden treat alongside greens and a poached egg.

There are other brands of this lovely delicacy, so try and find some and make yourself a special breakfast.

Poached Eggs ala Gran Fran

Ingredients:

• small saucepan for boiling water
• 2 tsps red or white wine vinegar
• 1 egg

Method:

• Fill saucepan 3/4 of the way full with water
• Add vinegar.
• Set the pan on the stove to boil.
• Crack the egg onto a small plate or saucer, being careful not to break the yolk.
• Once the water is boiling, spin the water around in the center of the pan using a fork to create a whirlpool.
• Quickly and carefully pour the egg into the center of the whirlpool.
• At this point, I use a large metal spoon to help the whites congeal together around the yolk. Just keep on gently pushing the whites toward the yolk and eventually, they attach to each other.
• Remove the egg from the boiling water once the white seems set (it takes a bit of trial and error).
• If the spoon is big enough, keep the egg on there and pour off any extra water onto a paper towel.
• Serve it up with the candied salmon and some greens.

Enjoy!

It's Cold Here: Mashed Potato Time

Okay, I know, we're in San Francisco, and all of you real-season dwellers are guffawing at my being cold in 45 degree and sunny weather. To be fair, I grew up in NY and know what real weather feels like. But, there is something out here that makes me cold from the inside. I wonder if it's just that I'm so used to the temperature hovering around 65 degrees most of the year, that this shift in temperature seems more sudden than the transition from Summer to Fall to Winter in NY.

So a very simple mashed potato was in order as dinner the other night. There is nothing as satisfying or warms you up as well as mashed potatoes.

I made two versions, one with dairy  (for my daughter) and one without (for me). The dairy-free ones are not quite the same, but hey, I have to eat within certain guidelines, so have found a decent work around.

All that's left is for me to find a cashmere jumpsuit to make it through the winter.

Mashed Potatoes

• 6 Russet potatoes, skinned and diced
• 3/4 cup of milk (cow or almond)
• 3 tbsps of butter (or olive oil)
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Boil the potatoes in enough salted water to cover them. They're ready when you can easily put a fork through them.
• Drain the water and return the pan to the stove. Put a high flame under the pan for one to two minutes, to dry out the potatoes.
• Add most of the milk and all of the butter (or oil). Mash with a potato masher.
• Keep adding the milk until the potatoes reach the consistency you'd like.
• Add salt.

Enjoy.

Paper Whites

Gran Fran loves paper whites, also known as narcissus. They're bulbs that bloom into beautiful white flowers.

When I was in college, I worked in every retail store imaginable, one of which was located in SoHo in Manhattan. We sold all sorts of beautiful housewares, furniture and bath items. Around the corner there was another shop that was very rustic, but kind of modern. I would walk over on my lunch break and dreamily go through every inch of the store.

They sold  paper white bulbs along with some lovely smooth black rocks packaged in a brown paper bag with raffia tied around it. Every time I see these, it reminds me of Gran Fran. I found the above specimens at The Gardner in San Francisco this past weekend.

I think I'll bring her some this Thanksgiving.

After I posted this, my friend Jeff gave me the following advice (he's a garden guru, so trust him):

"OMG it is so easy to grow them. glass bowl, fill with rocks. nestle bulbs in rocks. add more rocks so rocks come up to shoulders of bulbs. bulbs shouldn't be touching. add water so water level is about half way up bulbs. every day check water to keep level between base of bulb and half way up bulb. don't add so much water that the whole bulb is submerged, they'll rot. put in room that gets lot of INDIRECT light. watch them grow!"

Sweet Revolution

Dean and Deluca's The Gourmet Food Blog, featured Sweet Revolution caramel's history.I was proud to be the copy editor on this piece.

Shimeji Mushrooms

I came across these mushrooms at Far West Fungi at the San Francisco Ferry Building yesterday. I come to this stall often to get Porcini mushrooms and stock, which I used in my Risotto recipe. The Shimeji mushrooms are beautiful and delicate. Since I usually buy dried mushrooms, I was intrigued by the soft and round quality of them.

Having never used Shimeji mushrooms before, I took a look at Wikipedia and found the following information:

Shimeji should always be cooked: it is not a good mushroom to serve raw due to a somewhat bitter taste, but the bitterness disappears completely upon cooking. The cooked mushroom has a pleasant, firm, slightly crunchy texture and a slightly nutty flavor. Cooking also makes this mushroom easier to digest. In stir-fried foods, as well as with wild game or seafood it is a good mushroom. Also it can be used in soups, stews and in sauces. When cooked alone, Shimeji mushrooms can be sautéed as a whole, including the stem or stalk (only the very end cut off), using a higher temperature or they can be slow roasted on a low temperature with a small amount of butter or cooking oil. Shimeji is used in soups, nabe and takikomi gohan.

I'm very much looking forward to a warm broth-based noodle dish incorporating these mushrooms, which, of course, I will share with you all!