Archive for the ‘Sauces’ Category

Farmers Market, Breakfast, Ride, Pizza

Monday, May 27th, 2013

I’m quite behind on posts! Here’s a quick summary of Saturday:

Whole Wheat Rye Fennel Pizza Dough

2 1/4 teaspoon yeast
1/2 cup room temperature water
1/4 cup rye flour

1 1/8 cup room temperature water
3 cups flour (I used 3/8 cup high protein whole wheat, 3/8 cup rye, 1 1/4 cup whole wheat, 1 cup all purpose unbleached)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons fennel seeds

Bench flour for shaping

Make the sponge: pour 1/2 cup room temperature water into the mixing bowl, sprinkle the yeast over and allow to dissolve, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup of rye flour. Cover with a towel and allow to rest about 15 to 30 minutes.

Add the remaining 1 cup water and begin mixing in the flour on low speed. Mix in the olive oil on low speed. Check the consistency and if too dry, add a little water or olive oil.

You want to make sure this dough is pretty wet when it finishes mixing – the fennel seeds will absorb water as the dough proofs.

Continue to mix on low speed about 10 minutes, then add the salt. Turn on high and mix on high for 2-3 minutes. Add the fennel seeds in the last 30 seconds of mixing. Turn the dough out onto a floured board. If you are making pizza, divide the dough into two pieces and gently shape each into a ball. Place each dough ball into an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. The dough is ready to use once it has doubled in size. I like to use the dough within 2 days of mixing it. This batch makes enough dough for two 15-16 inch pizzas.

Note how wet this dough looks

Turn the dough out onto a floured board.

Gently shape into a ball.

 

Davis Farmers Market

Peaches

Plums

Apricots

 

Cherries

 

Our bounty!

 

Lemonade

 

 

Breakfast at Cafe Bernardo

Breakfast burrito

Oatmeal with Bananas & Pecans

 

A rare treat

 

 

Ride

A nice jaunt to Winters and back, with a quick stop for some icy cold refreshment.

Homemade pizza for dinner

Mushroom, Grilled Veggies, Golden Tomato Sauce

A nice, light sauce of golden tomatoes gently cooked down and run through a food mill, then reduced over low heat to just the right texture, with a touch of fresh thyme and rosemary, was just the right base for mushrooms and grilled veggies. We used a combination of mushrooms we picked up at the Farmers Market this morning: oyster, maitake, and beech oyster mushrooms. I picked up a few shiitakes at the store, too. We had some leftover grilled veggies from Friday night: eggplant, zucchini, and summer squash.

We fired up the grill and cooked the pizza outside, to avoid heating up the entire house. I placed my baking stone on the grill, and turned the heat up as high as it would go. The end result was a light, airy crust, but the bottom was a little dark and the top not quite done enough – I like the cheese to bubble and brown a little. But overall, it was a success and a nice end to a nice day.

Coming soon … reporting on foodie adventures in Ohio!

 

Lemon Curd … Check!

Sunday, January 27th, 2013

Low Fat Lemon Curd

For the recipe, see:  http://cyclingfoodie.com/2012/01/got-lemons-make-curd/

Pesto ala Cycling Foodie

Monday, August 6th, 2012

Saturday’s visit to the Davis Farmers’ Market yielded some of the most beautiful fresh basil I have ever seen. The sweet, fragrant leaves were calling to me, “take me with you … I’ll make you the best pesto ever!” At only $2 for a large bunch, I gave in.

I haven’t made pesto in a few years, so I was a little nervous that I’d forgotten my recipe and technique, but it came out beautifully!

The finished pesto

Pesto

3 cloves fresh garlic
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup pine nuts
5 ounce tub of Trader Joe’s Freshly Shaved Parmesan, Romano, & Asiago Cheese Blend
1 large bunch fresh basil
3/4 cup really good extra virgin olive oil

Wash the basil in cool water. Snip the leaves off the stems; you want to use only the leaves -no stems, no flowers. It’s best, also, to use basil that has not yet started to flower or go to seed; this can make it bitter. Gently spin the leaves in a salad spinner to get most of the water off. Transfer to towels to gently blot and let drain. You want to dry the leaves as best as you can, being careful to not bruise them in the process.
While the leaves are draining, lightly toast the pine nuts. You can do this in a pan on the stove, or in the oven. Watch them carefully as pine nuts scorch very easily. I usually go by smell to judge when they’re done. You’ll know. Let them cool completely before making the pesto.

Garlic, Pine Nuts, Cheese

Peel the garlic and place it in the bowl of a food processor. Add the salt and pulse a few times to roughly chop. Add the pine nuts and cheese and pulse a few times to roughly chop.

Add about half  of the basil leaves & pulse just a bit to reduce volume so all leaves will fit in food processor bowl; drizzle in a little of the olive oil and process briefly. Add remaining leaves, process, and drizzle remaining olive oil in to desired consistency.
Taste the sauce and add a little more salt, if necessary.
This sauce freezes well. Pack it into small containers, drizzle a little olive oil on top, and lay a little plastic wrap over the top. This will help to prevent the top from turning dark. You can also freeze it in ice cube trays (just be sure to dedicate a tray to pesto … unless you enjoy pesto flavored ice cubes!)
More recipes and ideas to be posted later. WordPress is starting to act up and I just don’t have time to fuss with it right now.

This worked GREAT for the pesto - and it was a lot less expensive than the Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Honey, Habanero, & Lime Scallops

Saturday, July 14th, 2012

Honey, Habanero, & Lime Scallops

Methinks that even Chef Gordon Ramsay would approve.

Perhaps I should audition for Hell’s Kitchen …

Hahaha!