Splitting Hares

Grilled cheese is one of my all time fave foods (up there with French fries and macaroni and cheese). It has to be really buttery, a little crispy and really cheesy (using any kind of cheese except "American cheese"). Good to know that the Welsh have their own version with just a touch of beer thrown in for good measure. (And open faced to cut down on your carb intake obvs!) It fits my requirements for a great grilled cheese but also incorporates a mac and cheese type bechamel. Two great tastes! And with Cinco de Mayo just around the corner and on the brain, it's not unlike a hoppy queso fundido...

The unusual recipe name (Welsh Rarebit or Welsh Rabbit) originates from 18th century Great Britain. According to WikiPedia:

"The first recorded use of the term Welsh rabbit was in 1725, but the origin of the term is unknown. It may be an ironic name coined in the days when the Welsh were notoriously poor: only better-off people could afford butcher's meat, and while in England rabbit was the poor man's meat, in Wales the poor man's meat was cheese. It might also be understood as a slur against the Welsh: if a Welshman went rabbit hunting, this would be his supper.

The term Welsh rarebit is evidently a later corruption of Welsh rabbit, being first recorded in 1785 by Francis Grose. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, 'Welsh rarebit' is an "etymologizing alteration. There is no evidence of the independent use of rarebit."

Regardless, it's a super tasty treat, whatever it's called...




Welsh Rarebit

Adapted from The New York Times

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon mustard powder. or to taste

1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

3/4 cup strong dark beer, like Guinness

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, or to taste

1 pound Cheddar, Double Gloucester or other English cheese (or other good semi-hard cheese, like Comté or Gruyère, or a mixture), grated

4 to 8 pieces lightly toasted bread

1. Place the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and, as it melts, stir in the flour. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the mustard and cayenne, then whisk in the beer and Worcestershire sauce.

2. When the mixture is uniform, turn the heat to low and stir in half of the cheese, stirring until smooth, and then repeat with the remaining cheese. Remove the mixture from the heat and pour into a broad container to set (you can refrigerate for up to a day at this point).

3. When ready to use, spread the mixture thickly on the toast and place under the broiler until it is bubbly and the edges of the toast are crisp. Serve immediately. Makes four to eight servings.

It's Not Easy Being Green

Like other cruciferous vegetables, broccoli rabe is packed with vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, B and C. And like other cruciferous vegetables, broccoli rabe often gets a bad rap for tasting "bitter." I happen to love it, especially when sauteed with a bunch of garlic. But when I saw this recipe for broccoli rabe pesto, meant as a spread for crostini, I thought that it could be a great topping for pasta, especially for those who think they aren't a fan of it. And it is! In this form it is a much more mellow version of itself, like a Donovan song. Or something.

Broccoli Rabe Pesto

Adapted from Food & Wine

1 cup raw, shelled pistachios (5 ounces)

1 pound broccoli rabe, thick stems discarded

2 garlic cloves

2 cups flat-leaf parsley leaves

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Pasta or crostini, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the pistachios in a pie plate or sheet pan and toast for about 10 minutes, until fragrant and golden. Let cool to room temperature.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe and cook until crisp-tender, 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Squeeze dry, then transfer to a cutting board and coarsely chop.

3. In a food processor, pulse the pistachios with the garlic until coarsely chopped. Add the parsley and broccoli rabe and pulse until finely chopped. Add the olive oil and process until smooth. Stir in the Pecorino, season with salt and pepper and serve. Serve with toasted bread or over pasta.

Pumped up Pumpkin Bread

Whooops! I forgot to post this before Thanksgiving, but I'm pretty sure that everyone still has plenty of family gatherings, holiday parties, gifts to give, breakfasts to eat, house guests you'd rather not have and all around free time to make some post-Thanksgiving pumpkin bread in the next month or so...am I right??

I tried to find the pumpkin bread recipe that I normally use, but since I couldn't find it, I combed through a ton-age of others and decided that the classic Libby's recipe made the style of bread that I like the best. Their standard pumpkin pie recipe hasn't ever failed me, so why not try the pumpkin bread? Yum. Aside from calling for pumpkin pie spice (which is just an excuse to make you buy another spice you'll never use again) I was totally pleased with the recipe. And you can make your own pumpkin pie spice blend in about 30 seconds. Seriously.

For one teaspoon of Pumpkin Pie Spice:
Measure 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1/8 teaspoon of ground allspice or ground cloves, and 1/8 teaspoon of ground nutmeg into a small bowl and stir to blend. The end.



Pumpkin Bread
Adapted from Libby's

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice**(see above)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups granulated sugar
1 (15-ounce) can 100% pure pumpkin
4 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice or water
1 cup sweetened dried, fresh or frozen cranberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease and flour two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans (or any variation below).

2. Combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Combine the sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil and juice in a large bowl. Beat until just blended. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Fold in the cranberries. Spoon the batter into prepared loaf pans.

3. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Alternative loaf sizes:
•For three 8 x 4-inch loaf pans:
Prepare as above. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes.
•For five or six 5 x 3-inch mini-loaf pans:
Prepare as above. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes.

Sometimes I Feel Like a Nut

Now that it's starting to cool off, I'm veering onto the edge of a baking binge. (Friends and coworkers are about to benefit immensely.) Most quick breads are sweet like pumpkin bread, banana bread, cranberry bread...but this savory walnut bread that I found in the Recipes for Health section of the NY Times is a great alternative that can be served toasted at breakfast or topped with a goat cheese, aged cheddar, or triple cream followed by a nice glass of wine. I think it would also be tasty with a chopped herb like thyme or rosemary. But no matter what, you gotta like nuts since this is a super nutty bread. Not feeling nutty? Stick to corn bread...and stay away from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.



Quick Walnut Bread
(Adapted from Martha Rose Shulman)

1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons walnut oil
1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Butter or oil a loaf pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in the buttermilk or yogurt and the oils. Whisk in the flour mixture and fold in the walnuts. Scrape into the prepared loaf pan.

3. Bake the bread on a rack in the middle of the oven for 50 minutes to one hour, until nicely browned and a tester comes out clean. Remove from the heat, allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then reverse onto a rack and allow to cool. Makes one loaf. The bread will keep for a couple of days wrapped airtight. It also freezes well.

And Now...

...back to our regularly scheduled program. My blog. The wine test is over so I will no longer have to talk about/complain about/stress about/obsess about...it. Even though I won't know the results for, like, a year (it will probably be closer to 3 months) I am ready to move on. So, instead of blathering on about random tests, I will focus on how much I need to slim down before my trip to...ITALY! No more weekends of brownies and bacon for me. (Hey! I was studying and needed energy!)

But before I get all healthy on you, here's a bread recipe that I made while taking a study break. It's not much of a time suck because most of the time spent on it is completely inactive (just start it the day before you actually want to eat it). It spends the first rise chillin' in the fridge overnight, then two more hours rising at room temp. There's really not that much to do...plus you'll have two loaves when you're through. (No more rhyming now, I mean it! Anybody want a peanut?) So throw some dough together, bake it up, and impress your friends. When you find that you still have a loaf leftover a few days later (freeze it!) you can always turn it into french toast...or bread pudding...or a door stop.

Cranberry, Pecan, and Walnut Bread
(Adapted from Bon Appétit)

2 cups warm water (105-115˚F)

3 (1/4 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon salt

5 1/2 cups bread flour

2 cups dried cranberries

1 cup chopped pecans & walnuts (or either or neither)

1. Stir the water and yeast together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let stand for 10 minutes, until the yeast dissolves. With the paddle attachment, mix in the oil, sugar, and salt. Add the flour and mix on low until the dough is just starting to come together, then switch to the dough hook and knead for about 8 minutes on low, adding additional flour one tablespoon at a time if needed, until the dough is soft but not sticky.

2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, add the cranberries and nuts and knead in to incorporate. (Pieces may roll around and fall on the floor until completely blended in.)

3. Brush a large bowl (at least twice the volume of the dough) lightly with oil, add the dough, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

4. Line two baking sheets with parchment (or Silpats). Divide the dough in half and then form each into a (6-inch) round. Place on the prepared baking sheets, cover, and let rise in a warm draft-free area until doubled in size, about two hours.

5. Preheat the oven to 350˚F and bake the bread (rotating the pans and alternating position once halfway through baking) until golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when you tap on it, about 45 minutes. Cool before slicing.

Garlicky Garlic Bread

I feel like I should save this post for when True Blood finally comes back on. (When is it coming back?!) This is one garlicky garlic bread. My awesome friend Chad decided that we needed this alongside the Coconut Cupcakes (I mean roasted lamb!) that we had for Easter and I'm glad that he did. (Hmmm...I'm just realizing that we both separately consulted Ina Garten for recipes. Thanks Ina!) This is some of the tastiest garlic bread that I've had in a long time and I'll tell you why. 1/2 cup of olive oil. That may seem like a lot of oil for one loaf of bread but it's what makes it taste so good! Oh, and the garlic. And the butter. And the herbs...

UPDATE: Chad just informed me that he added an ENTIRE stick of butter to our garlic bread instead of the measly 2 tablespoons Ina's recipe calls for. I guess THAT's why it tasted so good! (Note to self: Fact check.)



Garlic Bread
(Adapted from Ina Garten)

6 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 loaf ciabatta bread
2 tablespoons (or 8!) unsalted butter

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Place the garlic in the bowl of a food processor and process until minced. Add the parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper and pulse twice. Place a medium skillet over medium heat. Once hot, and add the olive oil and the garlic mixture. Stir for 30 seconds and then remove the pan from the heat.

2. Slice the ciabatta bread in half horizontally and spread the butter on one half. Spread the garlic mixture on the other half of the bread, and then put the halves back together. Wrap the bread in aluminum foil.

3. Place the bread in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Open the foil, and continue baking for an additional 5 minutes. Serve hot. Makes about 6 servings.

Super Fans

OK peeps. I now have a bunch of buttermilk lurking in my fridge. That raspberry cake didn't use enough of the carton. It should really be sold in smaller sizes like heavy cream.

I also still have a packet of rapid rise yeast hanging around. Yes, I could throw it away and feel no guilt. It's not like it's a meal. But since I am trying to educate myself, I decided to find a recipe that uses both buttermilk AND yeast. It's like the next step in bread making. The pull-aparts were first grade and this new recipe is like 7th grade. I'm in junior high, yo! So that apparently means I'll be using a bunch of annoying phrases...Know what I mean?

It's still not a complicated recipe but it does take quite a bit more time, extra concentration, and a few more steps, so you'll need to have a bit of spare time on your hands. Fortunately for you, I have documented the exact steps in the event that you actually try to make the rolls and need a point of reference. Just do it!




Buttermilk Fantails
(From Gourmet)

1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (from a 1/4-oz package)
1/4 cup warm water (105–115°F)
1 tablespoon mild honey or sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for kneading and dusting
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk


1. Butter the muffin cups with 1 tablespoon of melted butter.

2. Stir together the yeast, warm water, and honey in a large bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, start over with new yeast.)

3. Mix the flour, salt, buttermilk, and 6 tablespoons melted butter into the yeast mixture with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a soft dough forms. Turn out the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead, dusting the surface and your hands with just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking, until the dough is elastic and smooth, 6 to 8 minutes. Form the dough into a ball.

4. Put the dough in an oiled large bowl and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a draft- free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours (see photo below).

5. Punch down the dough (do not knead - see photo below), then halve. Roll out half of the dough on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 12-inch square (about 1/8 inch thick; keep remaining half covered with plastic wrap). Brush the dough with 1/2 tablespoon butter and cut into 6 equal strips (see photo below). Stack the strips, buttered sides up, and cut crosswise into 6 equal pieces (see photo below). Turn each piece on a side and put into a muffin cup (see photo below). Make more rolls with the remaining dough in the same manner. Separate the outer layers of each roll to fan outward. Cover the rolls with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled and the dough fills the cups, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

6. Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the middle. Bake the rolls until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Brush the tops with remaining 2 tablespoons butter, then transfer the rolls to a rack and cool at least 20 minutes.



Note: The rolls are best the day they're made but can be frozen (cool completely, then wrap well) 1 month. Thaw, then reheat on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven until warmed through, 5 to 10 minutes.

Just Pull!

I am officially on vacation (!) so I was thinking about having this be the "week of breakfasts." You know, I could sleep in, make decadent breakfasts, and then post the photos and recipes. But since I do have (alot of) spare time, I've decided to work on my baking skills. I still have a couple of packets of yeast leftover from those "simple, everyday" waffles, so I figured I might as well use them up and practice making doughs.



I found a straightforward recipe for pull-apart rolls and figured it was a good place to start. There are no rolling pins involved, no tricky shaping, and no overnight rising. You do have to allow them to rise twice, so take that into account in your planning, but you could actually make them in time for dinner...on a Saturday. The key is having a stand mixer. I don't think I'd try it without one.

I have to be honest. I never bake with yeast because of a disaster I once had. I think the yeast packet must have been expired because my dough didn't rise properly and the baked end product was tough. It went straight into the trash and I never tried it again. Until now. I'm newly inspired and think I can actually do this! Again! These rolls are freakin' good, especially straight from the oven. (Right, Chad?) They would be great for Thanksgiving (I'm thinking about reprising them - maybe with a little chopped fresh rosemary topped with flaked salt) or for your next dinner party. Everyone will be so impressed!



Parmesan Pull-Apart Rolls
(Adapted from Gourmet)

2 teaspoons active dry yeast (from a 1/4-ounce package)
1 teaspoon mild honey or sugar
2/3 cup warm milk (105–115°F), divided
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoon for sprinkling
1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan (1 1/3 ounces)
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
1 tablespoon water

1. Stir together the yeast, honey, and 1/3 cup warm milk in mixer bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, start over with new yeast.) Whisk together flour (2 1/2 cups), cheese, and salt, then mix into yeast mixture along with remaining 1/3 cup warm milk at low speed. Increase speed to medium and beat in 2 eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat, scraping down side of bowl occasionally, until a very soft dough forms, about 3 minutes. Beat in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough is elastic, about 2 minutes. (Dough will be very sticky.)

2. Scrape dough into the center of the bowl and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

3. Punch down the dough (do not knead) and turn out onto a floured surface. Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each into a ball. Arrange the rolls about 1-inch apart in a buttered 9- by 2-inch round cake pan and cover with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth). Let the dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled and dough fills pan, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

4. Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the middle. Whisk together the remaining egg with water and brush on tops of rolls. (You will have leftover egg wash.) Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Loosen the edges of the rolls from the pan with a sharp knife and invert the rolls onto a rack (or not - I just let them cool in the pan), then reinvert and cool at least 20 minutes. Makes 12 rolls.

Note: Rolls are best the day they're made but can be frozen (cool completely, then wrap well) 1 month. Thaw, then reheat on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven until warmed through, 5 to 10 minutes. Refresh day-old rolls the same way..

True Blood Tomato Toast

Tonight's episode of True Blood revealed several apotropaics: crucifixes, silver, having to be invited by a homeowner in order to enter a house, sunlight...all in one episode! However, they didn't make mention of the use of garlic as a device used to ward off vampires. (I seem to recall a reference in season one that suggested that it didn't actually work.) In any event, I decided to make a garlicky bite to enjoy during the episode anyway.

Pan con Tomate is one of my favorite Spanish snacks. I first discovered it in Barcelona (where it is deconstructed and you are given the raw ingredients to make it yourself - ask Gargi!) and then rediscovered it at my favorite watering hole, Bar Jamón. Even though it's not quite tomato season, it's so tasty and so easy, I had to make it anyway. It's perfect with a glass of vino tinto, and perhaps with a bit of Manchego on the side. And, of course, my Bloody Bellini!



Pan con Tomate

Baguette, Ficelle or other rustic bread, cut into a 5-inch piece, then split lengthwise
1 garlic clove
1 large beefsteak tomato, sliced in half
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt, to taste (kosher salt can be used in place of sea salt)

1. Toast or grill the bread (or place it under the broiler briefly like I did). Cut the garlic clove in half and then rub the cut sides over the toasted bread.

2. Rub the tomato, flesh side down, over the bread so that the juices and pieces of tomato seep into the bread. Use a half-tomato for each piece of bread.

3. Drizzle the bread with the olive oil and then sprinkle with salt to taste.