Four-Hour Baguette

May 1, 2012

Traditional baguettes are 24 to 30 inches long and are baked in ovens that produce steam, which delays crust formation so the loaves can fully rise. This recipe reduces the length to fit in home ovens and calls for adding ice cubes to a hot cast–iron skillet to create steam. This recipe first appeared in our May 2012 issue along with William Alexander's story American Bread.

Enlarge Image Credit: Todd Coleman

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ cups (12 oz.) tap water, heated to 115°
1 tsp. (⅛ oz.) active dry yeast
3 ¼ cups (14 ⅔ oz.) all–purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. (⅜ oz.) kosher salt
Canola oil, for greasing bowl
½ cup ice cubes

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Whisk together water and yeast in a large bowl; let sit until yeast is foamy, about 10 minutes. Add flour, and stir with a fork until dough forms and all flour is absorbed; let dough sit to allow flour to hydrate, about 20 minutes. Add salt ( Figure A); transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Transfer dough ball to a lightly greased bowl; cover bowl with plastic wrap, and place bowl in a cold oven. Let dough rest until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

 

2. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface, and shape into an 8″ x 6″ rectangle. Fold the 8″ sides toward the middle ( Figure B), then fold the shorter sides toward the center. Return dough, seam side down, to bowl. Cover with plastic again, and return to oven; let sit until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

3. Remove bowl with dough from oven, and place a cast–iron skillet on the bottom rack of oven; position another rack above skillet, and place a baking stone on it.

4. Heat oven to 475°. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface, and cut into three equal pieces; shape each piece into a 14″ rope ( Figure C). Flour a sheet of parchment paper on a rimless baking sheet; place ropes, evenly spaced, on paper. Lift paper between ropes to form pleats; place two tightly rolled kitchen towels under long edges of paper, creating supports for the loaves. Cover loosely with plastic wrap; let sit until it doubles in size, about 50 minutes.

5. Uncover; remove towels, and flatten paper to space out loaves. Using a sharp razor or paring knife, slash the top of each baguette at a 30–degree angle in four spots ( Figure D); each slash should be about 4″ long. Using the corner of the parchment paper as a guide, slide the loaves, still on the parchment paper, onto the baking stone. Place ice cubes in skillet (this produces steam that lets the loaves rise fully before a crust forms). Bake the baguettes until darkly browned and crisp, about 30 minutes; cool before serving.

chile garlic roasted sweet potatoes

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil or canola oil
• 1 tablespoon chile-garlic sauce (see Note)
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed (and peeled, if desired), cut into 1-inch wedges or pieces

Preparation

1. Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 450°F.
2. Combine oil, chile-garlic sauce, soy sauce and white pepper in a large bowl. Add sweet potatoes; toss to coat with the seasoning mixture.
3. Spread the sweet potatoes evenly on a rimmed baking sheet.
4. Roast, stirring once or twice, until the sweet potatoes are tender and browned, 20 to 25 minutes.

Tips & Notes

• Note: Chile-garlic sauce (also labeled chili-garlic sauce, or paste) is a blend of ground chiles, garlic and vinegar. It can be found in the Asian section of large supermarkets and will keep for up to 1 year in the refrigerator.

Zesty Lemon Chicken

6 boneless chicken breasts
10 whole lemons, (enough to make 2 cups juice, reserve 2 tbsp for later)
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup oil
2 tbsp lemon zest (grated peel)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chicken broth*
1 whole lemon, sliced thin
minced parsley for garnish
skillet, bowl, baking dish

In an airtight container, combine chicken breasts and lemon juice. Marinate for 1 hour. Remove chicken. Pat chicken with paper towel, but don’t dry completely. Mix together flour, salt, paprika and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour mixture until well coated.

In large skillet heat 1/2 of the oil and fry breasts a few at a time until well browned, adding and heating more oil as needed. (about ten minutes) Arrange chicken in a single layer in a large baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with lemon peel and brown sugar. Mix chicken broth with reserved lemon juice and pour around chicken. Pace a sliced lemon on top of each breast and sprinkle with minced parsley. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until tender.

*I added the broth to the frying pan, deglazed it and then added it to the baking dish. Yum.

Spicy Garlic-Ginger Noodles

250 grams spaghetti (whole wheat or 100% buckwheat soba is fine)
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1/2 large red pepper, sliced thinly (or use 1 carrot julienned, or 1 or 2 bulbs baby bok choy, sliced)
1/2 jalapeno pepper, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1-2 tablespoons honey or agave syrup
1 teaspoon hosin sauce (optional)
1 teaspoon sriracha
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds + additional for serving

In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add in noodles. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter and add in onion, garlic, and ginger and saute over medium heat. Let this get soft but not browned. Add in the red pepper and jalapeno.

In a small dish, stir together the soy sauce, honey, hosin, sriracha, and sesame oil together. Set aside.

Drain pasta when cooked to al dente, add to pan with the onion-pepper mixture and pour over the sauce. Toss well. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve in 2 deep bowls. Garnish with additional sesame seeds.

pasta with cauliflower

I’ve been making this pasta for a very long time, probably since the 1980s, since it’s derived from a Marcella Hazan recipe. It’s dead simple — one of the things that I love about it — and you can pre-cook the cauliflower a day ahead or so if you’d like. I usually do the whole thing at once: cook the cauliflower in water, scoop it out and then, later, cook the pasta in the same water. It’s already boiling, and you want the taste of the cauliflower anyway, so why not?
The cauliflower gets cooked more, in a skillet with toasted garlic, so don’t boil it to death; you do want it to be tender, though. And in the original Minimalist recipe, from 2000, I added the bread crumbs to the skillet along with the cauliflower, but since I usually add some pasta water to the skillet to keep the mixture saucy, the bread crumbs become soggy. Better, then, to stir the bread crumbs in at the very end. They should be very coarse, ideally homemade, and if they’re toasted in olive oil in a separate skillet before you toss them in, so much the better.
For a while now I’ve been cooking pasta recipes with less pasta and more sauce. That’s a very personal decision, I know, but you could easily make this dish with half a pound of pasta and two pounds of cauliflower, and it would be excellent.

Pasta With Cauliflower

Yield 3 or 4 servings

Time About 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower, about 1 pound
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 pound penne, fusilli or other cut pasta
• 1 cup coarse bread crumbs.

Method

• 1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Trim the cauliflower, and divide it into florets. Add about a tablespoon of salt to the water, and boil the cauliflower in it until it is tender but not mushy. Using a slotted spoon or strainer, remove the cauliflower and set it aside. When it is cool enough to handle, chop it roughly into small pieces.
• 2. Meanwhile, in a large deep skillet over medium-low heat, saute garlic in olive oil, stirring occasionally, until garlic is golden. Start cooking pasta in same pot and same water as was used for the cauliflower.
• 3. When the garlic is ready, add the cauliflower to skillet, and turn heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally. When pasta is just about done — it should be two or three minutes short of the way you like it — drain it, reserving about a cup of cooking liquid.
• 4. Add pasta to skillet containing the cauliflower, and toss with a large spoon until they are well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste, along with just enough pasta water to keep the mixture moist but not soupy. When the mixture is hot and the pasta is tender and nicely glazed, mix in the bread crumbs.

butterscotch pudding

from Saveur.com: New Recipes

INGREDIENTSFOR THE PUDDING
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp.salt
3 Tbs. cornstarch
2 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
4 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. Scotch whiskey
1 tsp. vanilla extract

FOR THE SCOTCH WHIPPED CREAM
1 cup whipping cream
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. Scotch whiskey
Chocolate shavings, for garnishandnbsp;

INSTRUCTIONS1. Make the pudding: In a 2qt saucepan, mix sugar, salt and cornstarch.andnbsp;Whisk in the eggs and milk; turn heat on to medium high and bring to a boil, whisking occasionally. Cook until thick. Turn off the heat and whisk in butter, whiskey and vanilla.andnbsp;Pour into 4 ramekins or custard cups and chill thoroughly, at least an hour.

2. Make the Scotch whipped cream: In a medium bowl, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Whisk in brown sugar and whiskey.andnbsp;

3. To serve, top chilled pudding with a dollop of whipped cream. Garnish with chocolate shavings.andnbsp;

Creamy Baked Chicken Taquitos

• 3 oz cream cheese, softened (reduced fat is fine)
• 1/3 cup salsa verde
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1 tsp chile powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 Tbs chopped scallions
• 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken *
• 1/2 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Pepperjack cheese
• 8-12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese with the salsa, lime juice, cumin, chile powder, cayenne, onion powder, garlic, cilantro, scallions, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt. Fold in the chicken and cheeses. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Working 3 tortillas at a time, stack them on a microwave-safe plate and cover with plastic wrap. Cook 30 seconds, or until tortillas are soft and pliable.

Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of filling onto the lower third of each tortilla, and roll tightly. Place seam side-down on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

Spray the taquitos lightly with cooking spray, sprinkle with salt. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the tortillas are crisp and golden-brown. Serve with salsa, sour cream, and/or guacamole.