Okay, enough with the inaugural tie-ins. Here's the promised ciabatta video recipe. It came out beyond delicious. It was other-worldly, sublime, ethereal, and several other adjectives I would have to look up before using.
It was the perfect marriage of a crisp, light crust outside, and a chewy, yet tender inside. The no-knead part is just a bonus, and only adds to the perfection of this loaf. As you'll hear in the video, I'm a bit under the weather, but even at half-speed this was a simple and enjoyable task.
All I will say is you really need to make this bread. Pretty soon we'll be thinking of romantic, sexy recipes to seduce our Valentines with. Keep this video in mind, for what could be better than having someone bake you a fresh loaf of Italian bread, then slowly buttering and feeding you a still warm slice?
Sorry, I think I took too much cough medicine. Enjoy!
Ingredients: 4 cups bread flour (I used 3 1/2 cup white and 1/2 cup wheat) *Note: you can use All-purpose flour if you want 1/4 tsp yeast 2 cups water 1 1/2 tsp salt
I'm putting the finishing touches on a crazy-good ciabatta bread video recipe, but wanted to get this post up for the holiday. You know how hard I try to keep this blog free of social issues, politics, religion, and overly good grammar. But, I want to wish everyone a happy MLK day. Below you can watch the end to his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
For you younger foodwishers that haven't seen this before, it's one of the most important speeches ever filmed. By the way, if your parents don't think you should see this, run away from home. Even if you've seen it before, it never fails to inspire, and seem particularly prophetic now. Enjoy!
Peggy sent me a link to a site called obamiconme, where you can do a version of Shepard Fairey's now famous Obama poster. It's kind of fun play around with. Here's the original (on the left, in case you weren't sure), one of me, one of Michele and me, and our cat Nigella. Enjoy!
I have several unpublished blog posts about my picks of the world's all-time top-ten recipes. The reason none have gone live yet is I can never settle on just ten, so I put it away and write something easier. While I may not be able to provide a final list yet, one recipe that will always be in my top ten is cassoulet.
This video recipe for cassoulet shows my version of the iconic French classic (it’s so delicious I meant for that to be redundant). Like America's mac and cheese, Spain's paella, and Italy's lasagna, this French baked bean and meat masterpiece has earned its rightful place in the pantheon of one-dish wonders.
There are hundreds of variations, but the basic formula is always the same; tender white beans, aromatic vegetables, flavorful broth, and fatty meats, all baked under a divinely crisp, garlicky, breadcrumb crust. As you'll see, this topping is usually built in two stages - the first a moist liaison between cassoulet and crust, and the second a crisp golden-brown climax to the world's sexiest casserole. Enjoy!
Note: I've linked to this duck confit recipe video I did a while ago, but most high-end markets sell, or can get duck confit already cooked and ready to use. I actually got mine at Costco.
Also, the panko breadcrumbs, which work so well for this, are now found in the Asian section of every major grocery chain. If you can't find them use plain fresh white breadcrumbs.
Ingredients:
For the beans: 1 pound great northern beans, soaked overnight and drained 1 bay leaf 4 cloves garlic, smashed 1/2 onion 1 whole clove 1/2 tsp dried rosemary 1 tsp dried thyme 10 cups water
For the rest: 1/2 pound thick-sliced bacon 1/2 onion, diced 2 carrots, diced 2 ribs celery, diced 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes 1 tsp herb de Provence (or other dried herb blend) 1 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper 1 pound pork sausage 1 pound cooked duck confit
For the topping: 1/4 cup butter 4 cloves, crushed garlic 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs 1 bunch parsley, chopped fine salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste 1 tbsp olive oil
Okay, so you know I'm busy when I resort to headlines as crappy as this one! By the way, that's suppose to be a ketchup swan. We had a fun week despite the cold snap, and our plane made it back to the City without any geese-related issues.
I've only answered a small portion of the built up email, and have plenty of writing to catch up on for About.com, as well as this blog of course. If I've ignored any of your emails or comments (this includes friends and relatives), I will get to you eventually, so thanks for your patience.
Not sure exactly when the next new video recipe will be posted, but it should be soon! Until then, stay warm, and no matter what you are doing, enjoy!
We'll be back late Thursday, and I can't wait! Not because I want to get away from my family or the bitter cold (by the way, thanks for all those warm weather updates), but because I can't wait to grab my video camera and start filming some of the recipes we enjoyed during our stay.
First up; an amazingly easy and incredibly good no-knead ciabatta bread.
Okay, enough with the inaugural tie-ins. Here's the promised ciabatta video recipe. It came out beyond delicious. It was other-worldly, sublime, ethereal, and several other adjectives I would have to look up before using.
All I will say is you really need to make this bread. Pretty soon we'll be thinking of romantic, sexy recipes to seduce our Valentines with. Keep this video in mind, for what could be better than having someone bake you a fresh loaf of Italian bread, then slowly buttering and feeding you a still warm slice?
