Sesame Seed Breadsticks

Welcoming, comfort-food cooking is what we all need right now. The new book from Joey Campanaro of Little Owl in New York, Big Love Cooking: 75 Recipes for Satisfying, Shareable Comfort Food, delivers just that. I recently received a review copy. He writes in the introduction: “There is nothing fragile or careful about these recipes. They are not a peck on the cheek. They are a warm embrace.” How timely is that? I was intrigued to see that Calvin Trillin had written the Foreward. I finally, after having the book for ages, actually read his The Tummy Trilogy earlier this year. Little Owl opened in 2006 half a block from Trilin’s home in Greenwich Village, and it was a dream come true for him. He sings the praises of the gravy meatball sliders and how despite Campanaro’s experience at fine dining restaurants he chose to put this dish served to him by his grandmother in South Philly on the menu. His mother and grandmother are two sources of inspiration for the Little Owl menu and for the recipes in this book. The chapters cover Brunch, Soups and Salads, Pasta, Meat and Poultry, Fish and Seafood, Sunday Supper, and Desserts. And, it’s not all strictly Italian-American food. You’ll find Cinnamon Sugar Beignets, Sesame Green Beans, and Citrus and Palm Hearts Salad among other chosen dishes. Campanaro didn’t want to be restricted to solely Italian-American fare at the restaurant, and the name of the business allows room to offer a broader array. The Baked Ricotta Crespelle caught my eye as soon as I opened the book. I can’t wait to attempt making the crepes and filling them. Next, I made the quick and easy Monday Baked Ziti, but since I didn’t have Sunday gravy handy I made a simple marinara for the sauce. And, the Sesame Seed Breadsticks looked irresistible. I had to try them next. 

One other book I want to mention today is Perilous Bounty: The Looming Collapse of American Farming and How We Can Prevent It by Tom Philpott whom I’ve had the pleasure of meeting here in Austin. I received a review copy of this book as well. This is a critical look at American agriculture and how reliant we are on California’s Central Valley and the Midwest. The vast majority of our vegetables, fruits, and nuts come from California where water sources and weather generally have a frighteningly uncertain future. The Midwest is now wall-to-wall monocrops of corn and soybeans with a variety of problems related to soil, seed sourcing, chemicals, federal policies, and demand for these crops. A large part of the harvests from Midwestern fields is fed to factory-farmed cattle and hogs, and the meat industry brings a plethora of its own problems to the mix. The book presents some grim realities but also ideas for positive changes in agriculture processes in both regions. And, one very actionable way forward is to start relying more on other regions of the country for food supply whenever possible. Buying from local and regional farms and ranches takes some burden off those over-worked areas of the country. I’m always happy to support our local food system however I can. For instance, for these breadsticks, I used locally-milled flour from Texas wheat growers. 

A few pages before this recipe in the book, there’s a recipe for the meatball slider buns. For that bread dough, roasted garlic is mashed and mixed into it. I loved that idea and added it to the breadsticks recipe. Mixing the dough and letting is rise is a straightforward process. Then, the dough was rolled into a large rectangle and transferred to a baking sheet. The breadsticks were cut from the rectangle and moved apart. The baking sheet was very full, and I think next time I might split the dough in half and use two sheets for more space to separate them. They were brushed with egg wash and sprinkled with sesame seeds before baking. And, they were as delicious as expected. We couldn’t stop eating them. I’m looking forward to cooking a lot more comforting foods during this holiday season. Wishing you all very happy holidays! 

Sesame Seed Breadsticks 

Reprinted from Big Love Cooking: 75 Recipes for Satisfying, Shareable Comfort Food by Joey Campanaro with permission by Chronicle Books, 2020 

The place to be for bread on Sundays in South Philly was Sarcone’s Bakery on South Ninth Street—a fifth-generation Italian bakery that is still as great today as when I was a kid. Our family’s Sunday supper table wasn’t complete without their sesame seed bread that my grandmother would pick up and tote home in a paper bag. If I was with her, that bread never made it home intact—it was just too good to resist eating off the heel (or more) before we’d reach the door. My mother would have some things to say about it that I can’t repeat. The slider bun recipe makes terrific Sarcone’s Bakery– inspired breadsticks, just eliminate the garlic and the second rise. 

Makes 18 Breadsticks 

1 Tbsp olive oil 

1 Tbsp molasses 

1 1/8 tsp active dry yeast 

2 1/4 cups [315 g] all-purpose flour 

1 tsp kosher salt 

1 egg white, beaten 

1/4 cup [35 g] toasted sesame seeds 

Prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Brush the inside of a medium mixing bowl with olive oil and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine 1 cup [240 ml] of warm water, the olive oil, molasses, and yeast. Mix on low speed to incorporate. Slowly add the flour and salt and mix at low speed first, so that the flour doesn’t fly everywhere, then increase to medium speed, mixing until it comes together as a sticky dough mixture, 2 minutes. Transfer the dough ball to the prepared bowl and double wrap it all around like a tight package (so tight that you can bounce a quarter off the top) and set in a warm place or at room temperature until the dough is doubled in size and becomes soft and elastic, about 1 hour. 

Midway through the 1 hour rise, preheat the oven to 400°F [200°C]. Lightly flour a work surface and turn the dough out. Using a rolling pin, roll it out to a ¼ in [6 mm] thick rectangle or oblong shape roughly 9 in by 13 in [23 cm by 33 cm] in size. The beauty of an oblong shape is that the sticks on the end are shorter than the ones in the middle—a little something for everyone. 

Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into about 18 breadsticks that are about the width of your pointer finger (just eyeball the width as best you can so that they bake evenly). Be sure to separate the sticks a bit so that they don’t stick together when they expand in the oven. Use a pastry brush or a flat rubber spatula to lightly brush the tops of the breadsticks with the egg wash and sprinkle the sesame seeds over them to coat them completely. Bake until golden brown and crispy, 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

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Radish and Cucumber Salad with Chipotle Peanuts

I have to admit, the new Ottolenghi Flavor cookbook, of which I received a review copy, took me by surprise. It is, of course, focused on developing big flavors in every dish, but some of those flavors are a bit of a departure from what we’ve come to expect from Ottolenghi recipes. It’s particularly fun to see more chiles being used with inspiration from Mexican cuisine. This book expands on Plenty and Plenty More by continuing the vegetarian theme, and all the recipes can easily be made vegan if preferred. The goal here was to distinguish each vegetable with cooking techniques and paired ingredients to maximize flavor potential. There are three sections that focus on Process, Pairing, and Produce, and all three are filled with exciting dishes I want to try. One example is the White Bean Mash with Garlic Aioli. At first glance, this looks like a fun take on hummus made with white beans and topped with aioli, whole white beans, herbs, and oil. But reading through the recipe reveals that the aioli is a nontraditional version made from cooked and softened garlic, cooked white beans, Dijon, anchovies if you wish, and lemon juice. I’m already making plans for some cooked cannellini beans I have stored in the freezer. Another is the Lime and Coconut Potato Gratin that looks like a typical potato gratin but is completely vegan with coconut cream and bright-flavored with lime, chiles, ginger, and green onion. Vegetables take on deep flavor from slow roasting in some cases and smoky char from grilling in others. A whole roasted celery root is sliced into steaks and topped with Café de Paris Sauce. Eggplant is charred for a soup with lots of herbs that looks delightful. And, Smoked Cascabel Oil sounds like something I want to drizzle on everything. There really are too many things I want to try to mention them all, but Tofu Meatball Korma, Olive Oil Flatbreads with Three-Garlic Butter, and Udon Noodles with Fried Tofu and Orange Nam Jim are at the top of my list. Right away, I had to try the Stuffed Eggplant in Curry and Coconut Dal, and it did not disappoint. And before that, I made the Radish and Cucumber Salad with Chipotle Peanuts. 

For this salad you start by making the spiced peanuts, and I highly recommend making more than the suggested amount. They make a terrific snack and disappear quickly while working the remaining ingredients. A dried chipotle was ground to a powder in a spice grinder. Some of that was combined with peanuts, cayenne, maple syrup, salt, lime juice, and olive oil in a saute pan in which the mixture was cooked while stirring until the peanuts were coated. The mixture was then transferred to a baking sheet and allowed to cool before being broken into pieces. For the salad, sliced cucumber, daikon, and cilantro leaves were tossed with a dressing made from minced garlic, jalapeno, cumin, lime zest, lime juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper. The salad was served on a platter topped with the spiced peanuts. 

This salad was big on texture and flavor. I had cucumber, purple daikon, and jalapeno from local farms to use here. The freshness of the vegetables and spicy kick from the dressing and peanuts made for a great combination. It reminded me of a Thai salad I’ve made before that also brought together cucumber, chiles, and peanuts, but here the smoked chipotle and jalapeno took it in a new direction. I can't wait to taste all the other new directions found in dishes throughout the book.

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Willa Jean Cornbread

In case there could be any doubt as to the credence of The Good Book of Southern Baking: A Revival of Biscuits, Cakes, and Cornbread, there are no fewer than seven biscuit recipes. That even includes one dog biscuit. I received a review copy of this new book by Kelly Fields of Willa Jean bakery in New Orleans. This cookbook is written specifically for the home cook and for baking the best versions of several well-loved recipes. It is definitely not a pastry chef’s ego trip. Through anecdotes and asides shared throughout, you get a sense of Fields’ extensive experience and capabilities, but the recipes shared are for straightforward baking in a home kitchen. And, right away, I learned a few game-changer tips while baking from it. Yes, I’m showing you cornbread today, but it’s not just any cornbread. This cornbread involved one of those game-changers. It is hands-down the best cornbread I have ever made. I also have to tell you a bit about the chocolate chip cookie recipe in the book. I was introduced to a type of chocolate I had never encountered before but will now be using often. 

For the Willa Jean Chocolate Chip Cookies, Fields experimented with ingredients to arrive at a cookie that’s “chewy, crispy, and crunchy with ample chocolate in every bite.” There are three kinds of chocolate used in the dough: Valrhona Caramelia, Valrhona Dulcey, and Valrhona Guanaja. The Caramelia and Dulcey are both made with pre-caramelized sugars that lend a lovely depth to the sweetness. I wasn’t able to find Dulcey locally, so I used more of the Caramelia and had to work hard not to eat it all out of hand before it went into the cookie dough. I bought feves of both the Caramelia and Guanaja, which are a little big for cookies, and cut them all in half. The cookie dough was mixed, portioned into big rounds, and placed on a baking sheet that went into the freezer. The frozen-solid dough was then sprinkled with flaky salt and baked at a lower oven temperature for a little longer than usual. They were magnificent. And, you can bake just what you need as you need it and have more in the freezer for later. 

Some other recipes I have my eye on from the book include the Glazed Lemon-Cornmeal Muffins, the Sweet Potato Biscuits, the Moon Pies, and the Spiced Rum Bundt Cake. I should point out there’s a primer on hand pies with several filling options in addition to turnovers. And, thinking ahead to Thanksgiving, I’m already considering the Sweet Potato and Toasted Honey Marshmallow Pie or the Pumpkin Pie with Roasted White Chocolate Cream. 

But, back to the cornbread. It’s made with corn flour (not cornstarch but corn flour) and cornmeal. Both are pre-soaked in buttermilk overnight before mixing the batter. The corn flour and cornmeal become fully hydrated and bring about an incredibly tender crumb. Regarding the issue of sugar, I disagree with Fields on this point. She likes her cornbread a bit sweet, and I do not. I omitted the granulated and brown sugars in the recipe and added just a bit of the honey. The cornbread baked in a cast-iron skillet until golden. 

First, the texture of this cornbread is unlike any other I’ve made. It’s crumbly from the cornmeal but tender and not at all dry. It was delicious the day it was baked and the next day and the day after that. It was a treat with a pat of butter and better than some cakes I’ve had with a dollop of jam. It’s clearly a keeper of a recipe, and I look forward to getting just as hooked on others from this book. 

Willa Jean Cornbread 

Recipe reprinted with publisher’s permission from The Good Book of Southern Baking: A Revival of Biscuits, Cakes, and Cornbread.

Makes one 10-inch round or one 9 by 5-inch loaf 

3⁄4 cup corn flour (I like using Bob’s Red Mill) 

3⁄4 cup coarse cornmeal 

2 1⁄3 cups buttermilk, at room temperature 

3 tablespoons plus 

1 1⁄2 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted 

2 1⁄3 cups all-purpose flour 

4 teaspoons baking powder 

1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda 

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar 

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar 

4 eggs, at room temperature 

2 1⁄2 tablespoons honey 

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt 

Butter for serving 

Cane syrup for serving (optional) 

This cornbread recipe is a testament to what happens when multiple folks put their heads together and collaborate on a seemingly simple project. The fantastic team at Willa Jean and I dissected cornbread—what we love about it and what we don’t—and became absolutely maniacal about creating a version that spoke to all the different things we imagined the perfect cornbread to be. First and foremost, it’s about achieving great corn flavor. But almost equally important is texture—we hate dry cornbread. This version—the best version ever—blurs the lines between the texture of traditional cornbread and that of a tender quick bread. Then there’s the issue of sweetness, about which there is an ongoing decades-long debate. Some folks believe that cornbread is just cake if you add sugar to it. Folks in the South are real serious about their position on this. I can tell you that I’ve debated it a hundred times over (and often with the same folks over and over again), and I will l stand behind and defend my stance: I like a little sugar in my cornbread. But in truth, I believe there is room in this world for all the cornbreads! 

At the end of the day, I think the real jewel is the cornbread that you can and will eat all by itself for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and that you are equally happy crumbling on top of things like red beans and chili. The trick to this perfect cornbread is letting the cornmeal, corn flour, and buttermilk sit overnight; this allows the corn flour to fully hydrate, while the acid from the buttermilk tenderizes the cornmeal, helping to create a tender, almost cakey bread that still retains that slightly gritty texture you expect. The beauty of this cornbread is that you can leave the fully prepared batter in the refrigerator for 2 days before baking it. 

1. In a medium bowl, using a wooden spoon, stir the corn flour and cornmeal with the buttermilk until there are no dry pockets remaining. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or for as little as 1 hour if you want to make the cornbread right now). 

2. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Coat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with the 1 1⁄2 teaspoons butter. In another medium bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour with the baking powder and baking soda. In a large bowl, whisk the granulated sugar and brown sugar with the eggs, honey, and salt. Whisk in the cornmeal mixture until well combined. Add the flour mixture, stirring just until combined, and then stir in 3 tablespoons of the butter. 

3. Pour the batter in to the prepared skillet or pan. Bake for about 35 minutes, if using a skillet, or 50 to 55 minutes if using a loaf pan, rotating the skillet or pan after 25 minutes, until the cornbread is golden and irresistible and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. 

4. Slather with butter and cane syrup, if using, cut, and enjoy immediately. Store leftovers loosely wrapped in foil at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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Anchovy Dip

With most cookbooks, there are chapters that just aren’t for me since I don’t eat red meat. I like reading cookbooks all the way through to see what new things I learn, but I don’t end up using the meat recipes unless there’s a sauce that I repurpose with a different protein. It’s a completely different experience when I read a cookbook focused on fish. I received a review copy of Foolproof Fish: Modern Recipes for Everyone, Everywhere from America’s Test Kitchen and quickly fell for this book filled with recipe after recipe that I wanted to try. As is customary with America’s Test Kitchen, you can rest assured that every technique in every recipe has been investigated to arrive at the best procedure for each dish. There are instructions for everything from removing bones and skin to properly flipping delicate fillets in the pan. Each recipe begins with a description of “Why this recipe works.” One of the first recipes in the book, the Miso-Marinated Salmon, caught my eye because the “why it works” description explained how the miso cures the salmon if you marinate it long enough. I also realized that other miso salmon recipes I used in the past never recommended scraping the marinade off the fish before cooking. Right away, I realized what a better approach that is. After enough time marinating, the flavor has been absorbed by the salmon, and the excess ingredients will be too thick for a nicely lacquered finish. And, then I just wanted to make everything as I turned the pages of the book. Baked Halibut with Cherry Tomatoes and Chickpeas and Israeli Couscous with Clams Leeks and Tomatoes are two examples of quick, one-pot meals but there are several. I loved the idea of poaching cod fillets in a Thai-inspired coconut broth with lemongrass and ginger. There’s also a Hot-and-Sour Soup with Shrimp and Rice Vermicelli that sounds delicious. Classics abound like a lobster roll, shrimp po’ boy, gumbo, crab cakes, and clam chowder. I got distracted by the Peruvian Ceviche with Oranges and Radishes but then started cooking from the book by making the Shrimp Burgers topped with classic tartar sauce before I set about making the Anchovy Dip. 

When I announced I was making anchovy dip, Kurt was uncertain. He likes anchovies; he just wasn’t sure that making a dip of them would be a good idea. I, on the other hand, knew it would be good. I had the gall to make a couple of small changes to the recipe despite the testing it had already undergone. The recipe calls for blanched almonds, but I used raw cashews because I had them on hand. And, I skipped the suggested raisins for sweetness. To start, the nuts were boiled until soft, about 20 minutes, and then they were drained and rinsed. The nuts along with anchovies that I had soaked and drained and water, lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh garlic, Dijon mustard, pepper, and a pinch of salt were pureed in a food processor until smooth. To go with the dip, I returned to one of my favorite ways of making chips. I slowly baked thin slices of sweet potatoes and Yukon gold potatoes. 

By pairing the anchovy dip with homemade, baked potato chips, the snack became fish and chips. And, the dip was a smooth, savory delight. It was like bagna cauda made thick with the cashew puree. The anchovies gave it lots of great flavor that wasn’t overpowering at all. Whether you’re looking for the best approach to cook your favorite seafood dishes at home or for something new and different, this book has you covered.

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Spinach, Ricotta, and Mushroom Tartlets

I’ve always enjoyed playing with pastry dough. But, crimping the edges of a pie crust, cutting and weaving lattice pieces, or making leaf shapes of pastry for the top of a pumpkin pie is about as far as I’ve taken it. When I received a review copy of The Pastry School: Sweet and Savoury Pies, Tarts and Treats to Bake at Home, I soon realized how much more could be done. These pies and tarts are works of art. For Julie Jones, pastry is her medium of choice, and she’s practiced the skills to produce masterpieces. There are recipes for different types of pastry including shortcrust, puff pastry, choux pastry, gluten-free, and vegan followed by tips for rolling, baking, blind-baking, and decorating. I appreciated the tip for blind-baking a tart shell with overhanging pastry beyond the edge of the tart pan. I’ve seen many pastry shells shrink down below the top edge of tart pans over the years. By leaving extra in place, you’ll have a full height of pastry in the tart pan when you trim the baked excess. And, the suggestion for trimming the edge is to slide a vegetable peeler along it until it’s level with the edge of the tart pan. Such a great idea. Another great tip is to use a pasta rolling machine to get extra smooth, thin pastry. A lot of the decorations are achieved by using very thin sheets of pastry cut and shaped into designs that are then adhered with egg wash to a very thin pastry lid cut to the size of the top needed. So smart. In some cases, the filling becomes part of the design as well. The Apple Rose Tart is made with curled apple slice roses and pretty flower- and leaf-shaped pastry pieces. For the little Mango and Coconut Cream Tartlets, the decorations are very thinly sliced grapes and tiny coriander flowers. The Pistachio Tart with Rhurbarb Tiles, shown on the book cover, is particularly stunning with perfectly lined-up rectangular pieces of rhubarb topped with a pretty profusion of swirling apple slices, blackberries, and pastry pieces. There are also savory pastries, and the Griddled Greens, Cauliflower, and Lemon Triangles made with sheet pastry and baked until shatteringly crisp look delicious. It was the parquet look of the Chicken, Chorizo, and Spinach Pie that I had to try. I decided to limit my first attempt at this type of decorative pastry to smaller tartlets, and I filled mine with a vegetarian mixture. 

I made the shortcrust pastry and let it chill while working on the filling. I sauteed a mix of mushrooms and set it aside. Next, spinach was sauteed with garlic and allowed to cool. I mixed the spinach with ricotta. Next, I rolled out half of the pastry and cut and filled tartlet pans with overhanging pastry. I cut parchment paper to fit into each pan, and filled them pie weights for blind-baking. After 20 minutes, the pie weights and parchment were removed, and the tartlet shells baked for another 15 minutes. Once cool, the overhanging edges of pastry were trimmed with a vegetable peeler, and the pastry shells were cleaned of crumbs with a pastry brush. For the decorative tartlet tops, I rolled the other half of the pastry through my pasta machine. I cut thin sheets of pastry into circles to fit the tops of the tartlets. Those base tops were chilled to firm them up. Next, I used more of the thin, pasta machine rolled pastry to make tile shapes. I measured and cut the rectangles and then placed them in the parquet design on the chilled thin pastry lids. I worked on top of parchment paper, and flipped the whole assembly over onto another piece of parchment paper so I could trim the tiles to the edge of the bottom layer of pastry. I flipped the whole assembly back to parquet-side-up and chilled the finished tops. While the tops were chilling, I filled the tartlet shells with the ricotta and spinach mixture and topped that with mushrooms. I ended feeling like the day had gotten away from me, and I only topped two tartlets with the parquet effect. The other two received plain pastry lids. The chilled pastry tops were set in place and brushed with egg wash and the tartlets went back into the oven until golden and crisp. 

Let me tell you what I’ll do differently next time: I won’t attempt to do all of these steps on the same day. The pastry can be made in advance and refrigerated. The tartlet shells can be blind-baked and trimmed in advance. The thin pastry lids on which the decorative layer is placed can be cut and chilled in advance. And, of course, the filling can be made in advance. With everything prepped and ready, more time and attention can be focused on the fun, decorative layer. I loved learning these tips for working with pastry; I especially loved all the inspiration for amazing pastry art; and I look forward to getting more practice.

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Flautas de Rajas con Queso with Salsa de Aguacate

As soon as I opened my review copy of Chicano Eats: Recipes from My Mexican-American Kitchen by Esteban Castillo, I knew I was going to have fun cooking from this book. This is a collection of Mexican food and flavors transformed by time and place. Castillo has been inspired by the cooking of his mother while growing up in California and by his grandparents whom he visited as often as he could in Colima, Mexico. And now, he puts his own stamp on family favorite recipes and creates new takes of his own. First, the book has a joyful feel to it from the layout and use of color to the many, richly saturated photos. The recipes start with basics like salsas, beans, rice, and sauces and move on to everything from appetizers to desserts and drinks. There are so many things I want to try; this book will be at my side in the kitchen for the foreseeable future. I fell for the book when I flipped it open to the page with a torta filled with delicata squash seasoned with a spice mix based on chorizo flavors. A few pages later, there’s a Rigatoni with Cilantro Pesto and Sauteed Oyster Mushrooms and then the Shrimp Ceviche Tostadas. Of course, I was hooked. There are a few versions of pozole, lots of options for tacos, and delicious drinks with and without alcohol. In the head note for the BBQ sauces, there’s a mention of grilling quail which I think would be fantastic with the Hibiscus BBQ Sauce. That sauce is also used to marinate the Tequila BBQ Chicken Skewers. I’ll have to try both. I also predict I’ll be trying several options in the Drinks chapter. I’ve never made homemade horchata, but I want to try it. There are three versions here: classic, matcha, and coconut, and all can easily be made dairy-free. And, the aguas frescas all look incredibly refreshing especially the Cherry Lime Chia Agua Fresca and the Strawberry-Jamaica Agua Fresca. The Desserts chapter reminded me that I’ve been meaning try a chocoflan for ages. It’s a layered dessert that’s made with chocolate cake batter topped with flan custard. As it bakes, the layers switch places, and the flan moves to the bottom of the pan. It sounds like magic, and I want to see it happen. To get started cooking, the Flautas de Rajas con Queso looked like a surefire hit, and I had a craving for the accompanying Salsa de Aguacate. 

I don’t know why I had never made avocado salsa before. It’s a perfect mix of guacamole and salsa verde. The day I made it, I declared it was my favorite thing I’d made lately. I keep making it now so it’s always in supply in my refrigerator. It’s a simple puree of avocados, garlic, green onion, tomatillo, cilantro leaves, serrano, lime juice, and salt. It couldn’t be easier. For the flautas, I had some locally-grown poblanos on hand, and they were seeded, sliced, and cooked with chopped crimini mushrooms, and minced onion. Garlic was added, and the mixture was seasoned with salt, pepper, ground coriander, and ground cumin. Then, I strayed from the recipe just a bit. Strips of panela cheese were suggested. With a strip of cheese, you could just add one piece to each tortilla before rolling it up with the filling. I opted for an aged goat cheese that I shredded. Corn tortillas were filled with the rajas and mushroom mixture and some shredded cheese, and my tip is to use a toothpick to hold the rolled tortillas closed. Once they were all filled, they were fried, seam side down with the toothpicks removed, until golden and crispy. I topped them with cilantro leaves, sliced jalapeno, and that delicious salsa. 

I always love bright, spicy, bold flavors like what’s found throughout this book, and the flautas and salsa were two great examples of them. And, I was right. This book is a lot of fun with its mix of traditional and creative approaches. I need to get back to the kitchen. I have lots more cooking to do.

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Spiced Salmon Skewers with Parsley Sauce

Like everybody, I’m a big fan of all the books from Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. So naturally, I was excited to read the latest from Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley which is Falastin: A Cookbook, and I received a review copy. This is a collection of recipes and stories about Palestinian food and culture. Some dishes are classics, some are reconsidered classics, and they all sound like something I want to cook. At the start of the book, I learned that there is no “P” in the Arabic language. Falastin refers to the Palestinian people, the land, the culture, and more. The authors’ goal with this book was to “strike a balance between telling it like it is in Palestine and conveying the upbeat spirit and ambition of the people.” The stories of cooks, farmers, producers, and restaurants that appear among the recipes achieve that goal well. And, the recipes move from breakfast to every course of a meal with one delicious idea after the next. This is straightforward, home-cooking that’s easy and craveable. I stop every time I flip by the photo of the labneh balls rolled in herbs, chile flakes, and za’atar. I have to make those soon. I might even attempt a vegan yogurt version. There’s a chapter for Veggie Sides and Salads, and I don’t know why I’ve marked pages because I want to make everything here. Every single thing. The Roasted Cauliflower and Charred Eggplant with Tomato Sauce; Spiced Chickpeas with lots of herbs and green onion; and Bulgur, Tomato, and Eggplant Pilaf are a few examples. Ordinarily, a Soups chapter may or may not interest me much, but although it’s a small chapter here, it stopped me in my tracks. Butternut Squash and Saffron Soup with Caramelized Pistachios and Herb Oil and Chard, Lentil, and Preserved Lemon Soup with crispy onions are just two options I can’t wait to try. Also, the Sumac Onion and Herb Oil Buns and Za’atar Bread are on my list. The chicken dishes all look delicious, and I’m imagining ways of making the various meatballs and stuffed vegetables with either ground poultry or a mushroom and bean mixture instead of the lamb and beef. I really do want to make everything. That definitely applies to the Fish chapter as well. Fish Kofta with Yogurt, Sumac, and Chile; Roasted Cod with a Cilantro Crust; and Prawn and Tomato Stew with a Cilantro Pesto are all competing for what I’ll cook next. First though, I fired up the grill for Spiced Salmon Skewers with Parsley Oil. 

The head note mentions that these skewers are “a winner with all when served,” and I whole-heartedly agree with that assessment. They were only served to two of us at my house, but the recipe was definitely a winner. After the fish was cut into chunks, it was tossed with a Fish Spice Mix and olive oil and was left to chill for an hour. That part could be done the day before. The spice mix was made with ground coriander, ground cumin, ground turmeric, and paprika with added sumac and salt and pepper. There’s a suggestion to make more of this spice mix than you need since it works so well on so many things, and you should. I want to marinate all things in this spice mix. Now, I have to admit, I took a couple of liberties with the recipe. The idea was to cook quartered onions in olive oil and cool them before stacking them on skewers with the salmon. Since the salmon cooks quickly, this gives the onion a head start. The assembled skewers were to be cooked on a grill pan. I made the onion chunks a bit smaller, added some summer squash, peppers, and cherry tomatoes to the skewers, and seared them on a hot charcoal grill outside. There’s a great tip for making sure the salmon cooks evenly: if you have some thin pieces from the tail end, fold them in half to make a thicker cube on the skewer. For the parsley oil, parsley, garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper were pureed until smooth. The skewers were served with the parsley oil and lemon wedges on the side. 

Let me say, this is something I’ll be making often. The flavors from the spice mix and the punchy parsley oil made the salmon and vegetables addictive. I already had a habit of making lots of skewers for the grill, and now I’ll be making even more. I’ve learned more about Palestine from this book--I’m now trying to find Palestinian olive oil so I can taste how delicious it is--and I’m going to be cooking a lot of great food from it as well.

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Sourdough Brioche Cinnamon Buns

I’ve really liked baking with sourdough since my first attempt years ago. I have a few favorite recipes that I bake often like sourdough bagels, baguettes, and a rye and wheat combo loaf that seems foolproof. I realized that I may have gotten stuck in my habits with sourdough. I’m used to the recipes I’ve made several times, know how the timing will work, and understand when there is flexibility in the scheduling. Dare I say, I’d gotten stuck in a sourdough comfort zone? It was time to try something new, and Modern Sourdough: Sweet and Savoury Recipes from Margot Bakery, of which I received a review copy, by Michelle Eshkeri was great inspiration. These breads from Margot Bakery in North London are varied in origin but all rely on great flavor from sourdough. The book also includes some cakes, cookies, and bars offered at the bakery that are not made with sourdough, but I was intrigued to find Sourdough Rye Brownies, Fennel and Feta Muffins, and Aubergine Einkorn Galettes all made with sourdough in the recipes. The Margot loaf is a round, country-style loaf with Khorasan and white bread flours, and it rests for a long, slow rise in the refrigerator before baking. There’s also Focaccia, Challah, Simit, Beetroot Bread, and even laminated pastry dough all made with no commercial yeast or other leavening. There’s even a version of Rugelach made with that laminated pastry dough that looks delicious. But, it was the brioche that got my attention. I’ve made brioche several times and in different ways in the past. Most recently, my old mixer broke and I ended making a very rich brioche dough by hand with lots of kneading. I’ve made a sourdough brioche before that was used for hamburger buns, but that recipe included some yeast in the dough. Here, the brioche is definitely rich with eggs and butter, but it was all up to the starter to make it rise. I had to give it a try. I was torn between using the dough for a Babka loaf or Cinnamon Buns. Both are made with the same dough and same filling and I’ll eventually come back to try the Babka, but a cinnamon bun craving had to be addressed first.  

The recipe itself was a multi-day process after I had fed my starter for a day to revive it. Stage one just involves feeding a small amount of active starter with the amounts of water and flour listed. Stage two mixes the Stage one starter with more flour and water, and this time a little sugar. Stage three is for mixing the brioche dough with a pause for the autolyse, a long ferment in a warm oven with a bowl of water, and then additional resting in the refrigerator to make the dough easier to handle. Once chilled, the dough was patted into a rectangle and schmeared with a butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon mixture. With every other cinnamon bun recipe I’ve ever made, the dough is always rolled into a log and then sliced into rounds. Here, the dough was cut into strips first and then rolled three strips at a time before being separated into rolls and placed in a baking dish. It prevented the dough from becoming stretched and elongated. Once the rolls were formed, they sat, covered, at room temperature for 16 to 24 hours before baking. At last, the next day, they were baked. I can never resist topping cinnamon buns with cream cheese frosting, and I did that here as well with a coffee-flavored frosting. In the book, a simple syrup is poured over the buns while they’re still warm from the oven for a simpler look. 

To call these cinnamon buns decadent would be an understatement. They are delightfully rich, and all the waiting time was worth it for the flavor it produced. While I have no complaints about these at all, next time I might reduce the amount of filling since it did escape the rolls a bit. But first, I need to try those brownies and the focaccia and the muffins.

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Roasted Tomato and Zucchini Tarts

A trip to France seems especially dreamy right now. Dreamy and impossible. But, it’s a perfect time to transport yourself through food. Melissa Clark’s Dinner in French: My Recipes by Way of France of which I received a review copy, is just the book for that. She was introduced to French food at an early age on trips to France with her parents, and they incorporated that food into meals back at home by using books by Julia Child and Jacques Pepin. She grew up knowing New York food and French food and combinations of the two, and that experience continues to inform her cooking now. This new book is a look at how she cooks today with that mix of influences in mind. I was first struck by the scandalous abundance of cheese, cream, homemade mayonnaise, and eggs in dish after dish, but that kind of richness is a signature part of French cooking. After reading through the recipes, there are plenty of options with a leaner profile too. For a brunch dish described in the head note as “over-the-top rich and creamy,” the Twice-Baked Cheese Souffles made with leeks, herbs, gruyere, parmesan, and cream look like decadent fun. I’d also like to try the Cornmeal and Harissa Souffle with a green salad for dinner. In the Cheese chapter, the Croque Monsieur Casserole sounds like a crowd-pleaser, and latkes are shown with added gruyere in them. You’ll find some lighter fare in the Salads chapter with Classic Salade Nicoise that sticks to the tradition of good canned or jarred tuna and Shaved Zucchini and Melon Salad with Mint and Almonds for a warm weather meal. There are also soups, savory tarts, fish dishes, chicken and other meats, a chapter just for vegetables, and dessert. The Giant Prawns with Preserved Lemon, Herbs, and Brandy is one of those less-rich dishes made with an herby-lemony sauce that will work just as well with shrimp if you can’t get prawns. I’m hoping to find myself with lots of sungold tomatoes soon so I can try the Buttery Crab Pasta with Golden Tomatoes and Chervil, and The Ratatouille Sheet-Pan Chicken will make a perfect dinner for eggplant season. Most of the desserts are simple in nature like the French Yogurt Cake with Cherries and Cardamom and the Raspberry-Lavender Clafouti. I’ve marked the page for the Almond Milk Sorbet and can’t wait to follow the suggestion of dropping a scoop into a glass of cold brewed coffee. But, for now, zucchini and tomato season is in full swing, and I got started on the Roasted Tomato and Zucchini Tarts when I saw them. 

For these petite tarts, the crusts are made in a muffin tin. I made the dough by hand, and it was left to test in the refrigerator for an hour before being divided into eight equal pieces. Each piece was rolled into a thin round and fitted into a muffin cup. It was suggested in the recipe that the dough be weighted down while blind baking either with another muffin tin on top or with foil balls. I just docked the dough and pressed it down again when I turned the pan at the halfway point. Once golden, the crusts were left to cool. Chopped zucchini and halved cherry tomatoes were tossed with olive oil, seasoned, and sprinkled with rosemary before roasting. I wouldn’t have thought to reach for rosemary here, but I’m always happy to snip a bit off the shrubs taking over my yard. While the vegetables roasted, ricotta, egg, chopped parsley and chives, and minced garlic were whisked together. I opted for a vegan ricotta since I’ve been eating less dairy lately. It’s not a strict rule for me, and I did use butter in the dough, but just a reduction overall in cow dairy. The ricotta mixture was spooned into the tart shells, the roasted vegetables were added on top, and I added chopped olives for a salty bite rather than parmesan cheese. The muffin pan went back into the oven for another 25 minutes until the filling was bubbly and hot. 

I served the tarts for dinner with arugula salad and then for brunch with eggs, and both meals were delicious. The summery taste of first of the season zucchini, yellow squash, and tomatoes is always so good, and the herbs in both the roasted vegetables and the ricotta filling brought bright flavors to the mix. More virtual travel through meals is definitely on the menu. 

Roasted Tomato and Zucchini Tarts 
Recipe reprinted with publisher’s permission from Dinner in French: My Recipes by Way of France. 

Serves 8 

FOR THE CRUSTS 
3/4 cup (97 grams) all-purpose flour 
1/2 cup (77 grams) whole-wheat flour 
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt 
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks / 141 grams) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes, plus more for greasing 
1 large egg yolk 
2 tablespoons ice water, plus more as needed 
FOR THE FILLING 
1 pound zucchini, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes 
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes 
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves 
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more as needed 
Freshly ground black pepper, as needed 
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
1/2 cup (4 ounces) fresh whole-milk ricotta cheese 
1 egg 
2 tablespoons mixed chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme, and chives 
1 small garlic clove, finely grated or minced 
5 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) finely grated Parmesan cheese 

1. Make the crusts: Using the ingredients listed above, prepare the crust according to the directions on page 117, adding the egg yolk along with the ice water. Gather the dough into a ball and then form it into a disk. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour. (Note that this sticky dough comes together best in the food processor—which distributes the butter and egg more evenly—but you can do it by hand.)  
2. Heat the oven to 375°F. 
3. Grease 8 cups of a standard 12-cup muffin tin, leaving the other 4 cups ungreased (or use two 6-cup pans). Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, shape each one into a golf ball–size sphere, and roll each ball out to form a ⅛-inch-thick round. Press each round into a greased muffin cup and lightly crimp the edges. Nestle a second muffin pan on top of the first to help weight down the crusts. (If you don’t have a second muffin tin, crumple up balls of foil and place them in each doughlined muffin cup instead; the goal here is to keep the pastry from shrinking too much.) Transfer the muffin tin(s) to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the top tin (or foil balls) and continue to bake until the bottom of each crust is just dry to the touch, about 5 minutes more. Transfer the muffin tin to a wire rack to cool.  
4. Prepare the filling: While crusts cool, raise the oven temperature to 400°F.  
5. In a bowl, toss the zucchini and tomatoes with the rosemary, salt, pepper, and oil. Spread the mixture out on a rimmed baking sheet and roast it, tossing the vegetables occasionally, until they are tender and light golden, about 25 minutes.  
6. In a small bowl, whisk together the ricotta, egg, mixed herbs, and garlic. Season with a large pinch each of salt and pepper.  
7. Spoon an equal amount of the ricotta mixture (about a heaping tablespoon) into each cooled crust. Top the ricotta with the roasted vegetables. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the top. Transfer the muffin tin to the oven and bake until the tarts are bubbling and golden, about 25 minutes. Cool slightly before serving. I like to pop these out of the tins with a small offset spatula, but a butter knife also works. 

Thinking Ahead Dough: You can make the tart dough and chill it in the refrigerator up to 2 days in advance. Flatten it into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap before chilling. Tart shells: You can bake the shells up to 1 day in advance before filling them. Store them, uncovered, at room temperature.

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Island Banana Bread

I feel like I’m missing out on some of the quarantine kitchen fads. I already enjoyed baking with sourdough, and I already cooked a lot. So, the newfound popularity of those things isn’t really affecting me. Maybe baking banana bread was an attempt to jump onto a bandwagon, any bandwagon. But, this particular version sounded so good, I had to give it a try. It’s from Toni Tipton-Martin’s new book Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking of which I received a review copy. After the years she spent researching the African American cookbook authors whom she wrote about in The Jemima Code, she next wanted to share a “broadened African American food story.” She writes that this new book “celebrates the enslaved and the free, the working class, the middle class, and the elite. It honors cooking with intentionality and skill, for a purpose and with pleasure.” It reaches beyond stereotypical ideas about soul food or southern food and displays the practiced cooking ability of cooks past and present. Some of the recipes are modern takes on dishes found in historical cookbooks, and those original recipes are included as sidebars for reference. Other dishes are inspired by contemporary chefs and cooks. Tipton-Martin explains the source and her changes for each. There’s a nice focus on hospitality and cooking for friends and family with recipes for everything from appetizers to dessert. The beverages chapter had me craving cocktails with Planter’s Punch with bourbon and Rum Punch. And, although the Calypso Coffee with chocolate and rum is suggested as an after-dinner drink, I’d love it for brunch too. In the breads chapter, I’m fascinated with the Quick Cinnamon Rolls made with a baking powder biscuit-like dough. There are also several versions of cornbread to consider along with muffins, biscuits, and sweet potato bread. Moving through the book, you’ll find gumbos and a crawfish bisque, and a peanut soup that sounds delightfully decadent with butter, cream, peanut butter, and hot sauce. There’s a Sweet Potato Salad with orange-maple dressing and pecans and raisins that sounds light and lovely for a fall meal and an intriguing dish called Beets Etouffee that’s a saute of beet matchsticks with green apple. In the main dishes chapter, the Lamb Curry is a combination of ideas from Alexander Smalls and J.J. Johnson, Marcus Samuelsson, and Dunston Harris. The flavors from green pepper, celery, and garlic plus the spices, rum, and lime sound like a mixture I’d love to try on chicken or tofu or a spoon. There are also several classic desserts. But, I had to flip back to the breads chapter for the Island Banana Bread. It was adapted from a B. Smith recipe and gets great color and flavor from molasses and dates. 

Toasted, chopped pecans and pitted and chopped dates were tossed with a little flour and set aside. Next, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger were whisked together. With a mixer, softened butter, brown sugar, or muscovado as I opted for, were combined until light. Then, eggs were added one at a time. In a third bowl, bananas were mashed with molasses, buttermilk, and vanilla. The flour mixture was mixed into the butter in three additions alternating with the banana mixture. Last, the nuts and dates were folded in. The batter was scraped into a prepared loaf pan and baked for about an hour. 

I don’t make banana bread very often, but it’s nice to have it on hand. Toasted slices slathered with butter made some delicious breakfasts while it lasted. And, flavors from the spices, dates, and molasses were lovely here. I’m going to try those Quick Cinnamon Rolls next, and who knows, they just might become the next big baking fad.

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Black Bean-Chipotle Falafel Mini Burgers

Beans seem to be having their heyday as they’ve been flying off the shelves, and everyone who had never tried Rancho Gordo before is now placing orders. That has made it good timing for a new a cookbook devoted to beans. I was delighted to receive a review copy of Cool Beans: The Ultimate Guide to Cooking with the World's Most Versatile Plant-Based Protein by Joe Yonan. As someone who has always been a fan of beans, I think it’s great there are so many new bean enthusiasts even though it’s made availability a little more challenging right now. My hope is that everyone continues to enjoy them, and supply and variety increase to meet demand. This new book offers a wide array of dishes to use just about every type of bean there is. There are snacks, salads, soups, handhelds, main dishes, and even drinks and desserts. You can choose to cook your own or open a can or two, and there’s a list of what beans are similar and can be substituted for each other. Yonan presents the recipes as entirely plant-based, but ingredient options include dairy-based butter and cheese. I’ve never met a bean dip or spread I didn’t like, so I loved seeing options like Spicy Ethiopian Red Lentil Dip and Garlicky Gigante Bean Spread in addition to several takes on hummus. The salads all look fresh and hearty at the same time. The Charred Zucchini, Corn, and Ayocote Bean Salad seems perfect for summer. And, I can’t wait to get my hands on some sungold cherry tomatoes for a weeknight meal of Quick Sungold Tomatoes, Chickpea, and Greens Curry. The Chickpea and Quinoa Chorizo sounds like something I’d like to have in my refrigerator at all times for use in tacos, especially breakfast tacos, and grain bowls. The Cannellini Cannelloni is fun to say and must be delicious to eat with a creamy bean filling and tomato sauce. The desserts involve sweetened beans and bean purees in inventive combinations and aquafaba, the liquid from canned chickpeas, stands in for eggs. I have my eye on a cocktail made with aquafaba instead of egg white for a foamy top. As soon as I open another can of chickpeas, I’m saving the liquid for the Salty Margarita Sour. First, I wanted to try a new-to-me technique for a bean burger. Rather than making a burger from cooked beans, these were made like falafel with soaked but not cooked beans. It makes all the difference in texture. 

As with falafel, beans, black beans in this case, were soaked overnight. The next day, the drained beans were added to the food processor with chopped onion, garlic, salt, and chipotle and pulsed. Mashed sweet potato was added to the mixture. In the book, the mixture is made into regular-size burgers, but I made mini burgers instead. They were placed on a baking sheet and chilled for a couple of hours before frying. I doctored some store-bought mayonnaise with chopped cilantro, garlic, lime juice, and salt and pepper, and gathered the other toppings including sliced pickled jalapeno, sliced tomato, and chopped lettuce. I served the mini burgers bunless with the toppings on the side. 

The soaked-but-not-cooked-beans concept definitely produces a good result and avoids mushiness. The falafel burgers were crisp on the outside and tender in the middle. Of course, chipotle always adds great flavor too. Next time, I’ll make them regular-size and maybe even use buns. And, there will definitely be a next time for these.

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Hummingbird Cake

Early February seems like a lifetime ago, but that was when I came upon the recipe for this hummingbird cake. I had cut the page from Living magazine years ago and stored it in my magazine recipe files. When I saw this cake again, I decided at that moment that it would be my birthday cake this year. Little did I know that when my birthday arrived in late March, grocery shopping would be a completely different situation than what we all usually experience. I had no idea that I would be lucky to procure a fresh pineapple, canned pineapple, confectioners’ sugar, and even flour. This month, things seem to be settling a bit in availability of groceries. Although, some items are still either difficult to get or hit or miss at best. I am thankful that once upon a time, I made homemade confectioners’ sugar from granulated sugar in the blender just to see what I thought of the result. The result was great. It can be done if I find myself in need of it when there is none at the store. Recently, I’ve made homemade cold-brew coffee and oat milk, and now I wonder why I wasn’t always making those things myself. Both are quick, easy, and involve a lot less packaging when made at home. Scarcity at the stores brought about a positive outcome in those cases. But for this cake, getting all the ingredients wasn’t a sure thing. It felt like winning a prize to finally have everything I needed collected and ready for baking. The photo of this cake in the magazine is one of those food images that has been stuck in my memory since first seeing it. I knew that someday I would attempt the oven-dried pineapple flowers that decorate the top. Surprisingly, they were easier than expected, and I’m glad I went ahead with the project. My birthday this year was a necessarily quiet, little celebration at home, but there was cake! 

I made the pineapple flowers a couple of days in advance. You begin by cutting away the pineapple peel and cutting out the eyes all around. Then, the pineapple was turned on its side and sliced as thinly as possible. The slices were placed on baking sheets and dried in a 225 degree F oven for an hour or a bit longer. After 30 minutes, the slices were flipped, and the baking sheets were rotated. The dried slices can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days. The cake itself is similar to my favorite carrot cake recipe, but there was mashed banana instead of grated carrots. The batter also included cinnamon, crushed pineapple, chopped pecans, and unsweetened shredded coconut. I was able to get canned pineapple chunks but not crushed pineapple. So, I chopped up the chunks until they were similar in size to crushed. The frosting was a simple cream cheese frosting with just vanilla for flavor. I actually only made half the amount of frosting called for in the recipe, and it was plenty for my taste. The best part, of course, was setting the pineapple flowers on top. 

As a bonus, my kitchen smelled amazing while the pineapple flowers dried in the oven. And, any extras are delicious with yogurt for breakfast. While this year won’t be remembered as my favorite birthday given the circumstances, this cake might be my favorite birthday cake ever. I hope you’re finding everything you need or overcoming grocery shopping challenges however you can, and I hope you’re still celebrating every occasion in whatever ways are possible.

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Rye Loaf with Currants

My memory is fuzzy on when I became a fan of Poilane. I remember seeing the shop in Paris on a TV show and immediately becoming enamored with the breads and the bakery’s process, but I don’t recall what show that was or when I saw it. I’ve read a lot about this famous bakery over the years, and I recently read more in Apollonia Poilane’s own words. I received a review copy of her new book, Poilane: The Secrets of the World-Famous Bread Bakery. She writes about her grandfather who opened the bakery in 1932 and began making the large sourdough loaves, how her father took the reins in the 1970s and expanded capacity by building La Manufacture Poilane outside of Paris, and the tragic loss of both of her parents in 2002 when she found herself in charge of the business. At the age of eighteen, she was running Poilane while attending college at Harvard. The book explains the changes the bakery has made from one generation to the next and the things that have never changed. The starter is maintained the same way it always has been, the bakers know by feel when the dough is mixed correctly and when it has risen enough, and the ovens are wood-fired as they always have been. The book includes all the information for creating and maintaining a starter just as they do and for baking sourdough loaves, and there are lots of other recipes too. There are other breads like the Black Pepper Pain de Mie and the Rye Loaf with Currants shown here. There are recipes for using bread including one for toast. Of course, Apollonia Poilane has a preferred way of making toast! And, she shares it. She pairs two pieces of bread and toasts them in one toaster slot so one side stays untoasted for texture variation. There are also croissants and brioche and jams for topping them all. One chapter is for main dishes that include bread or croutons or breadcrumbs, and the Savory Pain Perdu topped with chopped tomatoes looks like a great summer lunch. It was interesting to learn more about the Punitions. Those are the little butter cookies left in baskets for customers to nibble while waiting and are also sold by the box. In the bakery, they range in color from just golden to darker brown so each person can choose his/her preference. A generous, fellow food blogger once sent me a box of these cookies from Poilane as a gift. In the box, they were all light golden, and I didn’t know they’re usually intentionally baked to varying degrees of doneness. The recipes also include tarts, quick breads, crepes, and even an oat milk used in a rice pudding that I have to try. But first, let’s get back to the Rye Loaf with Currants. 

This loaf is made with some sourdough starter in addition to commercial yeast. The publisher was not able to provide the recipe and instructions for the sourdough starter, but I can tell you that my starter that I’ve used for ages and maintain at 100% hydration worked fine here. To begin, the currants were soaked in hot water before being strained while reserving that soaking liquid. The starter was mixed with rye flour, and I was fortunate to get some locally-milled rye flour from Barton Springs Mill. Yeast was added, and some of the currant soaking liquid was mixed in a separate bowl with salt before it was added to the flour mixture. The dough was shaped into a ball and left to rest before being shaped again and left to rise. After rising, it went into a loaf pan to proof for about two hours. Just before baking, the top of the loaf was brushed with the remaining currant soaking liquid. 

This is a delightfully easy bread to make once the timing is planned. The slices are delicious toasted and topped with butter, and all those currants make it taste like a sweet treat. I was surprised to read that Apollonia became interested in cornbread while living in the US and went on to develop a Corn-Flour Bread with hazelnuts that’s gluten-free and vegan with corn sourced from the Basque region. I’m looking forward to trying a Texas version of this with local cornmeal and pecans. I think she’d approve. 

Rye Loaf with Currants 
Recipe excerpted from Poilane Copyright 2019 by Apollonia Poilane. Photography Copyright 2019 by Philippe Vaures Santamaria. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved. 

Makes one 9-by-5-inch (23-by-13-cM) loaf 

My father regularly ran home from the bakery before we went to school to drop off a small version of this loaf for our morning snack. He would cut it in half, add a generous pat of butter, and pack it for us to enjoy in his car. Today I still love to have a few slices—buttered or not—for breakfast or as a midmorning treat. We make this in metal loaf pans, but you can also shape it freeform. 

1 1/2 cups (240 g) dried currants 
2 1/2 cups (595 ml) hot water 
230 g (1 1/4 cups) starter  
435 g (3 cups plus 2 tablespoons) rye flour 
3/4 teaspoon (2 g) active dry yeast 
1 1/2 teaspoons (9 g) fine sea salt 
Neutral oil, such as canola or sunflower seed, for the pan 

Put the currants in a medium bowl, add the hot water, and let soak for 10 minutes. 

Set a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl and drain the currants; reserve the soaking liquid. Pat the currants dry with a paper towel and reserve. 

Put the starter in a large bowl. Add the rye flour and yeast. In a small bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups (355 ml) of the reserved soaking liquid (save the rest for brushing the loaf) and the salt, stir to dissolve the salt, and add to the flour mixture, along with the currants. With wet hands, mix and knead the dough in the bowl until it comes together in a smooth, homogeneous mass. Transfer the dough to a work surface and shape into a ball. Return it to the bowl and let rest for 15 minutes. 

Reshape the dough into a round, return to the bowl, cover with a cloth, and let rise for 1 1/2 hours. Brush a 9-by-5-inch (23-by-13-cm)pan with oil. Turn the dough out and, using wet hands to prevent sticking, shape it into a 9-by-4-inch (23-by-10-cm) log. Transfer to the oiled pan. 

Brush a piece of plastic wrap with oil, drape it over the loaf, and let it rise in a warm (72°F to 77°F/22°C to 25°C), draft-free place until it rises about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) above the sides of the pan, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. 

Meanwhile, about 25 minutes before baking, position a rack in the lower third and preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). 

Use a pastry brush to brush the top of the loaf with the reserved currant-soaking liquid. Bake until the loaf is golden and firm, 45 to 50 minutes; if you carefully remove it from the pan, it should feel hollow when you knock on it. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 1 hour. 

Remove the loaf from the pan, return to the rack, and let cool completely before slicing. Stored in a paper bag or wrapped in linen at room temperature, the loaf will keep for up to 1 week. 

NOTE: As with our sourdough, you will either need to have the starter on hand or plan ahead to make it, which takes a couple of days.

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