Wipocalypse March 2013

Nothing much to report. I've been steadily trucking along on MLI's Firefly Fairies. I think I am about to pit this down after several straight months of work though... I am dreading the upcoming Kreiniks. Anyway, I've been pretty well ignoring my other projects, and I want to catch up on Around the World (Papillon Creations). I haven't decided when I will switch over... Now, or when I finish the regular stitching on this piece. Hmmm...

Here is my updated photo:

"Ich Bin Ein Berliner" (German Jelly-filled Donuts)

No... I am *not* a jelly donut, but I do enjoy eating them! Growing up there were always German bakeries around. Sometimes my Dad would even drive to the place *he* grew up (a long time German immigrant town) just to go to the German bakery there. Every Saturday found crumb cake or jelly donuts (officially called Berliners) on our breakfast table.

Some time ago I was cruising through Saveur's top 100? 150? recipes, and lo and behold there was a recipe for Berliners. Could it be true? But seriously? Their picture did not reflect the gratuitous amount of sugar that a good German bakery might have on theirs.

I made them tonight, and even just holding one in my hand brought a flood of memories back. Also? I discovered that the jam in the doughnuts is actually plum jam... I just never knew it. Also, for pure authenticity, there were even a few exploding donuts. :-)

My notes on the recipe are to definitely use plum jam. I know they give the option to use Strawberry, but if you want the real deal, then you must use plum. Also, this is a very slack dough, so don't worry - they turn out great - but when you go to roll it out, be sure to flour your rolling pin well, and butter your parchment.

Anyway, here is a picture.

Oh yeah. So delicious. 

Here is a link to Saveur's recipe

Leave the gun... take the cannoli (or, Adventures in Cannoli Making, and why maybe it is just easier to get them from the pastry shop)

You may recall that two weekends ago I made homemade ricotta cheese for the express purpose of making cannoli from scratch. It was an ambitious idea, and would have been great if all the recipes I have read weren't such big fat liars.

Let's start first with the fact that ricotta, which most recipes call for in the filling, is alternately too thin, or too Curdy by the time you add everything. I definitely was well intended in my desire to use homemade ricotta, but in reality it is too thin, and the curds uncomfortably large to use in a cream that is supposed to be thick and sweet and smooth. Use the homemade ricotta with herbs or in your pasta.

Luckily, in my planning I purchased a container of store bought ricotta "just in case the ricotta I made doesn't make the grade" because I scrapped the first batch of cream. Once I had added in all of the ingredients to the fresh ricotta, it was dribbling out of the cannoli. Not how it was supposed to turn out, but definitely not the fault of the homemade stuff, which by the way was delicious.

Anyway, even using the store bought ricotta didn't quite hit the mark, so I need to do some further research on the cream part. My instinct tells me that they either have used mascarpone instead of ricotta, or it is a combination of the two.

Aside from that, the only other trouble I had was in getting the dough for the shells to come together. I had to use quite a bit more fortified wine and a little bit of water to get it to the right consistency, but I know that it isn't the recipe as much as it is the horridly arid environment of this state. This is why I am so enamored of weight baking as opposed to metric baking, but alas not every recipe is that way. Thanks Utah!

Well, to make silk out of a sow's ear I dredged the shells in chocolate, which was really the saving grace of the whole thing. I mean they didn't taste half bad, but I hated spending all the effort on something that didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. Next time, right? Here is a picture:

Wipocalypse February 2013

I have really been enjoying working a plain old cross stitch piece - MLI's Firefly Fairies. Though I didn't enjoy all of the misplaced Kreinik that had to be frogged out. No good. BUT! I soldiered on and soon enough I had it all replaced. Anyway, here is my progress pic since last month:

Homemade Ricotta Cheese

...Or as my husband calls it, "chez".

A few days ago my local farmer's market offered a class on making farmer's cheese or homemade ricotta... Whichever you prefer to call it. It happened that my fantastic hubby had planned a bit of a date for the same day as the class, so I was a little bummed about not getting to go. 

As luck would have it, the latest Gourmet Magazine special edition magazine contains a recipe for homemade ricotta... And let me tell you that one doesn't need to spend $20 to take a class to learn how to make it. It is ridiculously easy.

So. Since I planned to make some cannoli tonight, I figured I would go whole hog and make the ricotta from scratch that goes in the cannoli! Yum!

Get yourself 2 quarts of whole milk, and 8oz of heavy cream. Add them to at least a 6 qt pot, and add to that 1/2 tsp of salt. Set the mixture to high heat and stir constantly until it comes to a rolling boil.

Don't forget that when it comes to a rolling boil it bubbles up fast so DON'T PANIC!! Just make sure you are standing by (and you should be since you should have been stirring constantly to make sure your milk doesn't scorch) You may need to remove it from the burner momentarily to keep it from boiling over until your heat reduces. If it does boil over be careful because your proportions will change.

When it does boil up, turn your heat to low/simmer and add 3 tbs of FRESH lemon juice, and let it go for 2 minutes, during which time you will see it curdle. Once it has decently curdled, ladle your curds and whey (whilst I call you Little Miss Muffet...) into a sieve lined with cheesecloth set over a big bowl. The whey will drain out leaving behind everything else. This is what it should look like at this point:

Keep in mind that it will initially drain pretty aggressively so you will want to make sure that your sieve doesn't sit into the whey if you are using a more shallow bowl. Otherwise let it drain for at least an hour, or in my case 113 minutes while you call your mom and chat. :-) 

Once it has drained thoroughly, gather the loose ends of your cheesecloth and squeeze your cheese to remove excess whey. You are done. Here is what mine looked like:

It should yield about 2 cups, or about 1 lb of cheese. There are a multitude of uses for this from putting it into your stuffed pastas or lasagne, or mixing it with fresh herbs to serve with a crusty bread as an appetizer/side dish. Or like me, use it to make cannoli (more about that later).

January 2013 Wipocalypse Check In

Well here we are. The beginning of another Wipocalypse challenge! Unlike last year, I don't have a list of things I plan to work on... I pretty much plan to stitch whatever strikes my fancy as the year goes. 

So far I have started Anthony Minieri's "Stars For A New Millennium". This is my first foray into canvas work. As you can see below, I haven't gotten too far... Those argyle triangles will be the death of me unless I suddenly grow two more arms. The fiber I am using for the long stitches (trebizond) is so slick that I have to hold it taught with one hand whilst tacking it down with the couching stitches. Needless to say I have gotten distracted by other things in complete avoidance of those triangles. Maybe this is why Stasha told me she hated trebizond? Hmmm...

I've also started work on MLI's Firefly Fairies, which has been calling to me for a while now. I am working it on Picture This Plus' 32 Count Belfast Crystal Carnival. The picture makes it seem so much more peach then it is. It's actually more yellowish and green. 

Other than that I hope to do TW's 12 Days, each as a separate piece, and also TW's Paisley Corner (x4) to make either a pillow or decorative chair seat.

That is all. 

How to Bake Bread in a French Oven

This weekend I will likely be sloughing on the sofa with my face slathered in Vicks, as I recover from what seems to be the plague that is making its way around my office. And if that isn't dramatic enough for you? Think Jane Eyre in the 1943 movie where they are forced to walk ceaselessly in the rain until her friend contracts pneumonia and dies. 

Anyway.

I thought I would share a baking success from last weekend. A boule baked in a French oven (Le Creuset). Frankly this is the easiest bread I have ever made, and has all of the ear marks of a professionally baked loaf.

Segue.

I have never had any trouble baking on the east coast where I grew up. Out here in the mountain west, results are frequently disastrous. I wasn't sure if it was the altitude (possible), but I read the opening chapters of the Bouchon Bakery cookbook, and it became almost insanely obvious that it was because of the dryness of the air (which also devastated my attempts at meat curing without MacGuyver-ing a curing room). What effect does the air have? So glad you asked. 

Having overly or under-ly(?) humid air can affect the weights of your ingredients, creating a situation where you may be putting in too much or too little of any one ingredient. Heat can similarly affect your ingredients in that it alters the chemical reactions. This is especially true when you cook by volume instead of weight.

You guys? I am a convert to cooking by weight. By the looks of my new kitchen scales you would think I was opening up shop as a drug dealer. In reality I am just OCD and refuse to settle for second best edible product. Or anything for that matter. Measuring by weight creates a fantastic looking and tasting product! It allows you to bake using one bowl!  It allows you to easily increase or decrease your recipe without the proportions becoming wonky. And precision! I can't say enough for it.

And why use a French oven? Well, those great loaves of bread with the great crust and the fantastic crumb? There are steam injectors in the ovens which help to develop the crust, and the nubs in your pot lid serve the same process... To drop the bits of steam on the dough and develop the crust. 

When all was said and done, the bread was miraculous. It's the sort of thing you could just eat fresh out of the oven (after having given it time to rest of course!!) With maybe a little good olive oil or fresh butter or with jam or as a crostini... How could anyone ever buy a loaf of bread again? Or use a dumb bread maker? This is so easy people... I challenge you to do it. You won't be sorry.

I used the recipe from Ruhlman's Twenty. You can see the recipe here and he has an awesome video to go with if you are so inclined. 

Lidia Bastianich's Poached Chicken Rolls

This recipe is from Lidia Bastianich's most recent cookbook "Lidia's Italy In America". I think part of the recipe was omitted accidentally, and I made a little bit of an addition.

For your prep you will need:

4 chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 plum tomatoes, cut into strips
6 oz of fresh mozzarella (fresh! Not from those rubbery bricks!)
4 packed cups of fresh spinach (make sure to soak your spinach if you don't use pre-washed, to make sure you get all the sand off. Frankly, for the little effort of cleaning your spinach, you get more for your money than if you did pre-washed)
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt

Combine your tomatoes, mozzarella, and spinach in a bowl, add 2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil, and toss gently (I used my hands) until well combined.

Take one chicken breast, and slice it almost all the way through, horizontally, enough to open it up like a book. Pound out the chicken until it is about 1/2" thick. Sprinkle a scant three finger pinch of kosher salt on your chicken. Mound part of the mixture on your chicken breast and roll tightly in saran wrap, leaving about 3" on each end that you will tie off with kitchen twine.

Place your chicken rolls into a pot, and just cover with water. Place a plate on top to weight the chicken down, or they will float to the top and not cook through. Bring your water to a simmer, and let the chicken cook for about 30 minutes.

Once your time is up, remove the chicken and let it cool for a few minutes. During this time I made a quick lemon vinaigrette, and tossed some arugula in it, but you really do anything... Or nothing underneath it. I made a bed of the arugula on a platter, and then sliced the chicken rolls on a bias, arranging them on the salad. This could be a nice luncheon dish... Serve and enjoy!

Mid-Century Modern thrifting finds!

I think I have mentioned previously that my husband and I have our own eBay store. Most of our things are sourced from local thrift stores. Well, we went out today and the stores were picked pretty well clean. Found a few desirable dishes, and actually was followed and harassed by some chick who wanted the dishes I planned to get!! I couldn't believe it! She actually approached me about letting her buy the dishes she wanted because she "didn't  pick them up earlier, and I've been here all day". Sorry but you snooze you lose. This is every man (or woman) for themselves! She actually followed me at a close distance and I had to go hide in the clothing section. Crazy!

Anyway, in the first store I found this great vintage American brass lamp base. You could pay a pretty penny for this lamp at, say, Restoration Hardware. It could also double as a weapon in a pinch I suspect... It's that heavy.

On a whim I decided to cruise through the other nearby thrift store, despite it getting late. I am so glad I did. I always make the rounds of the furniture first... Usually looking for vintage Louis-style dining chairs. Usually there is nothing and it is totally crap... 80's sofas, and lots of particle board. Today, however, the angels were smiling down on me because I found this GREAT mid-century modern armchair. It has a swiv-lon base, so it rocks and swivels, it is good and solid, and in pretty decent condition, considering its age. It is SO. COMFORTABLE. Definitely needs a little love, and at some point I hope to have it reupholstered. And it was a STEAL. It definitely has a Milo Baughman feel to it. Unfortunately there are no visible markings on it, so if anyone has any comments on who actually made it, I'd appreciate it. I already spent quite a bit of time searching combinations of descriptive terms, to no avail.

I actually walked away from it at first but immediately circled back for it. Can you believe it? What was I thinking?? Well it is mine now.

2013 Goals

Well, it is officially 2013, and it seems only fitting that I should post my goals for the coming year.

Recently I have come to realize what is really important to me, and so my 2013 goals will build on that.

For Wipocalypse purposes, I want to work on:
1. TW's Noah's Ark (wip)
2. TW's 12 Days (new start)
3. TW' Paisley Corner(wip)
4. MLI's Firefly Fairies (new start)
5. Tony Minieri's Star For A New Millennium (wip)
6. Long Dog's Plight Of Fancy (wip)
7. MLI's Celtic Banner (wip)
8. Papillon Creations' Around The World (wip)
9. Papillon Creations' The Castle Garden (wip)
10. TW's Miniature Spring Sampler (new start)

These are things that I commit to work on to some degree... Not sure how far I will get on any of then, but it is all in fun. And such discipline! Only three are new starts!

For cooking, I have really wanted to refine my cooking technique, and get seriously better. I have always thought that I would go to cooking school. I am not sure what I would ever do with it if I went, not to mention that I don't have the time or money. I love to entertain, whether for company, or even just to set a lovely table/have a restaurant experience at home...and cooking/baking is meditative for me. That being said I have always been an exceptional self study, never settling for less than perfection. More or less I want to implement repetition of the best technique so that I can be better than I am. I got some great technique books ( Ruhlman's 20, Jacques Pepin's New Complete Techniques) for Christmas, which will be what I use primarily this next year. I plan to document as I go along on this blog.

Speaking of this blog, I've never really taken it too seriously, but wipocalypse has taught me that I can do this regularly. I fulfilled that goal for a whole year!!!  I hope to build this within the coming year.

My hubby and I also sell on eBay and we really want to build that up this year, and we will see what happens with that.

I have a few needlework patterns floating around in my head and I want to formalize them in pattern form as well.

Astrologically it is a great year for creating, and I want to create for myself this year... Holding my own destiny and forward progress in my hands. It's time.