Pain d'épices - Honey Spice Loaf

Honey Spice Loaf(Pain dépices)

Offering a holiday loaf that needs to ‘cure’ for a week on Christmas Eve day can only come from a shiksa. Still, according to Julia, this French classic is enjoyed at New Year's. This will be perfect on New Year’s Day with some excellent quality butter and a hot cup of coffee or tea. What a perfect way to begin 2014! 

 

If you have leftover glacéed fruit, or if you find it in the bargain aisle at the supermarket after Christmas, here’s a perfect way to use it. If you have rye flour in your fridge or pantry, you’ll use it for this recipe. If you don’t have rye flour, you can try whole wheat, but it won’t be as compact. Here’s an excellent resource from Better Homes and Gardens that will teach you about flour, providing substitutions as well as how to measure it. Perhaps you have leftover “light rye” flour from the honey cake recipe from this past Rosh Hashanah? FYI: Bob’s Red Mill adds wheat gluten to their light rye flour, so it won’t be as dense. Seriously, rye flour shouldn’t be such a chore to find.

You’ll need ground almonds (almond meal/flour), also a product that is becoming much easier to find in every day supermarkets. You can grind your own if you have a Vitamix (you’ll need the dry grain container). Julia says you can use dark rum or bourbon. I sniff tested both and opted for rum. If you’re a bourbonite, substitute bourbon for rum.

Channel Julia whilst you bake – relax and have fun. Follow directions and be confident. You’re the boss.

Your home will smell glorious; and in a few days, you’ll slice into an aromatic 2014 with this gorgeous spice bread.

pain d'peace and love

and to those who are celebrating:

a very happy Christmas to you!

jane

Ready to be wrapped and put away for the week.

Pain d’épices

Honey Spice Loaf

Adapted from Julia Child’s “The Way to Cook” by Blue Heron Kitchen

Butter an 8-cup loaf pan, line with buttered parchment or wax paper; or several paper loaf pans (no need to butter these), or small individual loaf pans, sprayed with release or buttered.

Preheat oven to 325º F. and position rack in middle of oven.

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups honey

1 cup granulated white sugar

¾ cup boiling water (boil more for rinsing the glacéed fruit)

½ tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. baking powder

3 ½ cups rye flour

(added to this basic ‘dough’)

2/3 cup almond flour (blanched almonds, ground)

1 tsp. almond extract

1 tsp. anise extract

¼ cup rum

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ground cloves         

½ tsp. ground mace

1 cup mixed glacéed fruits (diced and rinsed in boiling water)

Procedure:

You can do this by hand, but with an electric stand mixer, this is very quick and easy (use beater blade).

Cover glacéed fruit with boiling water briefly (you don’t want the fruit to absorb too much water) and drain. Set aside.

In the bowl of your mixer (or in a large mixing bowl) beat together: honey, sugar and boiling water until sugar is dissolved. Add salt and baking soda and rye flour. Beat in additional ingredients.

Turn batter into prepared pan(s), about 2/3 full.

Baking time depends on size of loaves. Individuals will be done in 30-40 minutes. Large loaf 1-1 ¼ hours. What is critical is that the oven isn’t opened until the loaf is baked 2/3 of the way through. (in most cases, about 45 minutes.) The cakes will split down the middle. The loaf is done when a skewer comes out clean. Some shrinkage from the sides is preferable. More done than less done is preferable.

Cool in loaf pan until warm and then release (about 10-15 minutes, depending on size of loaf) onto side. Then turn right side up. Cool completely on a rack. The loaf must be cold before wrapping air-tight and storing. Keep wrapped for at least a week. Wrapped and refrigerated, these will keep for several months!

"Filbertella" Dairy-Free Chocolate Hazelnut Butter

Filbertella

(Vegan Hazelnut Chocolate Butter)

Adapted from Vitamix by Blue Heron Kitchen

If you own a Vitamix or a similar quality blender (or if you’ve been given one during this holiday season), take a break from smoothies and plain nut butters. Here’s a seriously indulgent, gift-giving-worthy, dairy-free killer chocolate nut-butter.

Making the hard caramel candy is a cinch. If you have a Silpat (silicone baking pad), even cinchier. If you don’t have silicone, line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper (or foil). Truc: as the syrup begins to darken and turn a nice, rich, golden caramel color, remove it from the burner. Here is a situation where time keeps on slippin’ into the future. Because it’s so bloody hot, sugar syrup temperature continues to rise, even off the burner. And for goodness sake, don’t text while you make candy. Pour it onto the sheet and quickly tilt to allow it to spread thinly. It’ll be quick to cool and will be perfectly crisp.

(FYI: This is the beginning of making praline! – from here, you’d stir in nuts to the caramel, spread it out, cool it and grind it up! – then, fold your praline into meringue for a divine nut meringue !)

Use excellent quality hazelnuts. If you can find Italian hazelnuts that are already skinned and roasted, you’ll be doing the Teaberry shuffle while your Vitamix rolls up its sleeves. I found them at Fairway. There’s a great Italian market in Chelsea Market .. or go to Arthur Avenue (and have a slice at Full Moon.) Mis en place and roast and skin them a day or two or three before. I keep a jar of skinned hazelnuts in my kitchen at all times. You should too. Granted, this is a larger quantity than a jar. But it’s yontif and nothing is small this time of year.

For cocoa, I recommend Valrhona or Guittard for the finest chocolate flavor. I opted for some lovely French walnut oil. You can use hazelnut oil. If you have neither, use a flavorless or 'fruity' oil. Extra virgin olive oil will be too heavy. Always use excellent quality, pure vanilla extract. I always use Baldwin’s. Always use excellent quality ingredients.

This is a unique and splendid gift. Bring it to your host with an excellent baguette or with a dozen croissants. Bag up a small jar with a breakfast brioche as you say goodbye to your holiday party guests.

Or treat yourself and your family: smear it on bread, on bananas or apples, spoon some on pancakes, waffles or French toast, or lighten it with whipped cream (oops, there goes the vegan) and pipe it into cream puffs. Sandwich it between two plain cookies, or use it as the chocolate for s’mores. Then, there’s the spoon approach.

You may never buy another jar of Nutella again.

This one’s for my long-gone Wheaten Terrier, Hazel.

peace and love,

jane

Ingredients:

1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar

½  cup (120 ml) water

4 cups (540 g) raw hazelnuts (or toasted/skinned hazelnuts and skip steps 1,2 and 3)

½  cup (43 g) unsweetened cocoa powder (Valrhona or Guittard recommended)

1 ½  tsp. pure vanilla extract (I recommend Baldwin’s)

2 Tbsp. (30 ml) walnut or hazelnut oil

pinch of kosher salt

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

1.    Place hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until the skins are almost black and the meat is dark brown, about 15 minutes. Stir the nuts halfway through baking to ensure an even color.

2.    To remove skins, wrap cooled hazelnuts in a clean kitchen towel. Rub until most of the skins come off.

3.    Line a baking sheet with foil.

4.    Combine sugar and water in a 3 to 4 cup (720-960 ml) saucepan. Cover and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Remove the lid and wipe down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush or a scrunched-up paper towel dipped in water. Cover and cook for 2 minutes or until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Uncover and cook until the syrup looks like pale amber maple syrup.

5.    Immediately pour the caramel onto the lined baking sheet. Tilt the sheet to spread the caramel as thinly as possible. Let harden completely, about 15 minutes.

6.    Break cooled caramel candy into small pieces and place into the Vitamix container and secure lid.

7.    Select Variable 1.

8.    Turn machine on and slowly increase speed to Variable 5.

9.    Blend for 15 seconds. Stop machine and remove lid.

10. Add the nuts to the Vitamix container and secure lid.

11. Select Variable 1.

12. Turn machine on and slowly increase speed to Variable 10, then to High.

13. Blend for 1 minute, using the tamper to press the ingredients into the blades. Stop machine and remove lid to scrape down the sides. Continue blending until nuts are free flowing.

14. Add remaining ingredients to the Vitamix container and secure lid.

15. Select Variable 1.

16. Turn machine on and slowly increase speed to Variable 10, then to High.

17. Blend for 2 minutes (or less) using the tamper to press the ingredients into the blades, until you’ve achieved desired consistency.

Cranberry-Port Gelée

Cranberry-Port Gelée

From Canal House, Adapted by Blue Heron Kitchen

The best resource you’ll find for the world of food and cooking on your computer is food52. This portal is beautiful, smart, interesting and filled with more information and resources than I have time to explore. It’s the Bergdorf Goodman of food sites. (You’re now in a .99 store.) Canal House is a great story and resource and this recipe heralds from their site. Who said Philadelphia was only good for …

This is a cranberry jelly, like the one in the can, but for sophisticated palates. If you’ve been having a staring contest with your juniper berries, you’ll win. If you don’t have any, go buy some. This recipe is worth the investment. I have a bottle of inexpensive blended port that I used. You can use red wine or Madeira.

If you have a Chinois (“China cap”), the Bentley of fine mesh sieves, this would be ideal. But a really fine mesh sieve/strainer works perfectly well.

The yield is about what you’d get in a can. The return is handsome.

It sets up in a couple of hours, but you can make it a few days before you’ll serve it.

This is a gorgeous and sophisticated condiment. It pairs with fowl or meat. It’ll compliment a chunk of country paté and it'll dress up your chopped liver.

This jelly will be sitting pretty aside our Thanksgiving pork roast! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

peace and love,

jane

Cranberry-Port Gelée

Ingredients:

1 cup port (or Madeira or red wine)

1 cup granulated white sugar

1 Tbsp. juniper berries

10 black peppercorns

12 oz. fresh cranberries (1 bag) or about 4 cups – you may substitute frozen cranberries

Procedure:

Into a heavy saucepan, put port, sugar, juniper berries and peppercorns.

Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil.

Add cranberries and return to a boil. Lower the flame and cook over medium-low heat for approximately 10-15 minutes, until berries have burst and are very soft.

Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve, pushing the berries against the sides with a rubber spatula, into a bowl. Scrape the outside of the sieve with the spatula to remove the thicker part of the strained jelly.

Once you’ve completed straining, whisk the thicker into the thinner liquid, mixing them together.

Pour into a lovely serving bowl.

Cover and refrigerate. This will set up in two to three hours. It can be made several days in advance.