Dear Julia - a message from Bruce

Dear Julia
I just want you to know that mum is still cooking like a mad woman from your book but she is rather busy getting ready for me so she hasn't posted anything for awhile. This doesn't mean that I haven't been ingesting a lot of French food as part of her master plan. To be honest, I don't mind the food, but sometimes she eats a lot of it and it makes it difficult for me to wriggle around. Don't worry, I still manage it, but sometimes not until dinner is over and mum is trying to get some sleep.
Now I probably won't remember all of the things that she has cooked over the last few months but there have been quite a few.

People also seem to get really excited about ham - mum and Memere made one that they braised in wine and served with a creamy mushroom sauce that was naughty but really yummy (Jambon Braise Morvandelle with Cream and Mushroom Sauce Version 1). Then she used the leftover ham and added tomatoes and capsicum and mushroom (Tranches de Jambon en Piperade), which dad loved. She also made brunch one day with Piperade an Omelette with ham, onions, peppers and tomatoes, followed up with Crepes Fine Sucrees.  She made the Bear a Spinach Quiche - Quiche aux Epinards - without the pastry - that was delicious!

We have eaten a lot of lamb - mum finally gave in and cooked the stuffing with olives (Farce aux Olives), but instead of stuffing a leg of lamb she made it into lamburgers which dad loved. We also have had Lamb in cooked wine marinade (Marinade Cuite) and lamb in uncooked wine marinade (Marinade au Laurier). I think Mum is a bit tired of cooking lamb really well so I don't get sick but at least the marinade adds flavour.

Artichokes have been on the menu but they really are hard to eat and dad (Le Gourmand) complains a lot about that. I wouldn't say the Fonds D'Artichauts au Beurre or the Quartiers de Fonds d'Artichauts au Beurre have been great successes but it's good to try different things.

We have also had a lot of veal because it is the season apparently. The Escallopes de Veau Chasseur and the Cotes de Veau Aux Herbes have been really tasty plus she made Fricadelles de Veau Duxelles even though dad isn't the biggest mushroom fan.

We're still eating lots of vegetables but they don't seem to have as much cream and butter - the Carrotes a la Forestiere with mushrooms and artichokes were nice and light and the Champignons Sautes a la Bordelaise weren't super buttery. We did have asparagus with Sauce Maltaise (Orange Hollandaise) one night - dad loved that - and Cauliflower in Cream Sauce (Sauce a la Creme) with our roast lamb another night but mum hasn't cooked anything really crazy yet, like your baked cucumber or braised celery.

She did put celery in Supremes de Vollaile a l'Ecossaise but you could barely taste it, it was diced so finely. The curry sauce (Sauce au Cari) with baked chicken was really yummy and so was the tarragon sauce which we also had with chicken (Sauce Brune a l'Estragon). I also like it when she does Pork with sauce - the Sauce Moutarde a la Normande was really yummy.

My favourite is when she cooks dessert. She made your Biscuit au Beurre and decorated it with strawberries and cream - that was delicious! Even better was the Strawberry Tart (Tarte Aux Fraises) - a sweet pastry crust, filled with Creme Patissiere and covered with strawberries glazed with cranberry sauce, sugar and cointreau. We had that at a little party for the grand final where she made your cheese potato sticks (Bouchees Parmentier au Fromage), which were also great.

I think she's cooked a few other things but I just can't remember them - I know she keeps muttering about aspic but I think she is waiting until after I arrive for that.

Thanks for all the lovely recipes Julia
Love Bruce
                                                                                                                                                                        

Daring Bakers Challenge October - Donuts mmm

The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious.

I have to admit that deep frying anything whilst heavily pregnant was not a particularly appealing prospect so I enlisted the help of Le Gourmand to stand over the hot oil, while I cut the dough. Initially sceptical about cooking after 11 at night, his tune changed when he started to eat the luscious bomboloni from Kate Neumann's recipe. Instead of dusting in sugar and then icing sugar, we just dusted them in sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon and filled them with plum jam.

Despite the claims below that the dough would not rise in the refrigerator, mine did so I used a cutter of about an inch diameter instead of half an inch. And instead of making 32 I would estimate we made closer to 50.

Unfortunately they don't keep very long, although we have managed to resurrect them with a few seconds in the microwave.

INGREDIENTS

1. 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon lukewarm water
2. 1 1/2 envelopes active dry yeast (3 1/4 teaspoons)
3. 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
4. 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
5. 3 tablespoons milk
6. 6 large egg yolks
7. 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
8. 2 teaspoons kosher salt
9. 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
10. 3 cups canola oil, for frying
11. 3/4 cup seedless raspberry preserves
12. Confectioners' Sugar, for dusting

DIRECTIONS

1. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, mix the water, yeast, honey and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the flour. (Alternatively, whisk the ingredients by hand.) Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until foamy, about 1 hour.
2. Return the bowl to the mixer, fitted with a dough hook. Add the remaining 13/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons of flour, along with the milk, egg yolks, 1/3 cup of granulated sugar and the salt. Mix at low speed until blended, then add the butter and knead at medium speed until silky but sticky, about 5 minutes; the dough will not pull away from the side of the bowl. Using an oiled spatula, scrape the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight. The dough will not rise.
3. In a large saucepan, heat the canola oil to 360°. Line a rack with paper towels. Fill a shallow bowl with 1/2 inch of granulated sugar. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough a scant 1/2 inch thick. Using a 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter, stamp out 32 rounds; do not reroll the dough. Fry the rounds, 8 at a time, until they are browned, about 4 minutes. Be sure to keep the oil between 360° and 375°. Drain the bomboloni on paper towels, then roll them in the granulated sugar. Continue frying and rolling the remaining bomboloni.
4. Fit a pastry bag with a plain donut tip (or a 1/4-inch tip) and fill with the preserves (you can also use a squeeze bottle). Poke the tip three-fourths of the way into the bomboloni and squeeze in the preserves, pulling the tip out slightly as you squeeze to fill them as much as possible. Dust the bomboloni with confectioners' sugar and serve warm.

The Daring Cooks' Challenge - Stuffed Leaves

Tess Mallos is the queen of all things Greek in my family so I could not stuff vine leaves any other way. We made a middle east feast to accompany them using her Baba Ganoush and Baklava recipes, as well as whipping up some Tzatziki to accompany the vine leaves and Le Gourmand's lamb skewers and thrice cooked oregano potatoes. Blairgourmand brought some middle eastern inspired prawns to complete the feast. Blairgourmand, Petit Poulet and Le Gourmand were in raptures over the vine leaves!

Our October 2010 hostess, Lori of Lori’s Lipsmacking Goodness, has challenged The Daring Cooks to stuff grape leaves. Lori chose a recipe from Aromas of Aleppo and a recipe from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food.

Apart from the difficulties of wrapping with some of the smaller leaves, this recipe was pretty hassle free. I would advise people not to overstuff their leaves (a lesson learnt by me many moons ago) in the wrapping stage as the rice will expand.

STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES: (Source The Complete Middle Eastern Cookbook)
Filling:
2 lg onions, finely chopped
1/2 c olive oil
1 c rice
1/4 c pine nuts
1/4 c currants
1 t ground allspice
2 T fresh dill, finely chopped
fresh ground black pepper

TO FINISH:
80 fresh or preserved grape vine leaves
water
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1/4 c olive oil
lemon wedges & yoghurt for serving

1 In a pan, fry onion gently in olive oil until transparent. Add rice & stir over heat for 5 minutes. Add pine nuts, currants, allspice, dill, salt & pepper to taste. Cover & cook on gentle heat for 5 minutesw. Remove & leave aside.
2. Blanch fresh or preserved grape vine leaves in boiling water for 3 minutes, adding them in 3 lots. As each lot is blanched, remove to a bowl of cold water, then drain well.
3. Spread a vine leaf on work surface, shiny side down, and place a heaped teaspoon of the rice filling towards stem end. Roll once, fold in sides and roll into a neat package. Repeat w/remaining ingredients.
4. Line base of a heavy pan w/4 vine leaves & pack rolls, folded side down, in close packed rows. As each row is completed, place 3 thin slices of lemon on top before beginning next row.
5. When all rolls are in pan, top w/ 3 lemon slices & cover w/ remaining vine leaves. Pour 2 cups water and olive oil over rolls & invert a heavy plate on top to keep rolls in shape during cooking.
You may need to add more water - watch them,
6. Bring to a slow simmer, reduce heat, covery pan and simmer gently for 50 minutes. Remove pan from heat & leave until cool.
7. Carefully remove rolls to serving dish, discarding lemon slices. Serve at room temperature, or cover dish & chill before serving. Garnish platter w/lemon wedges & serve w/a bowl of yoghurt.