Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Herbed Cottage Cheese Bread.

I keep buying cottage cheese. For some reason, over the last few weeks, I forget to look in the fridge to see if we actually need it, and I buy another. So now, we have about a gallon. I am serious. So, I started looking to recipes to provide some relief. I found one. It is a bread that was really delicious. It may sound strange, to combine cottage cheese with flour, dill and honey, but it was really good. super tender and soft, slightly chewy crust. It really reminded me of this potato dill bread I used to make years ago, but without potato.

 I also needed to knead this week. after a week and a half of sick and teething kiddos, I needed a little bread therapy.

And, this was the perfect thing, slathered with some sweet butter.



Herbed Cottage Cheese Bread.
adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

2 1/4 teas dry yeast
1/2 cup water
2 Tabl honey
1/2 onion, chopped fine
1 egg
1 cup cottage cheese, I used large curd lowfat
2 Tabl fresh mixed herbs. I used a mixture of fresh chives and dill.
3 cups Flour
1 teas salt

In a bowl, combine yeast with warm water and honey. let sit while you chop the onion and herbs. To the yeast, add the cottage cheese, egg, onion and herbs and whisk to combine.
then, add the flour, 1 cup at a time until you have a soft dough that can be kneaded by hand. after the 2nd cup is added, add your salt and mix. dust your counter with some of the remaining flour and knead the dough, adding flour to make a dough that is soft and just slightly tacky. (it is a soft dough, but nature, but it should be firm enough to handle, yet a little wet.) knead for about 5 minutes and then let rest in an oiled bowl, covered with plastic, for 1 hour.
Punch down after an hour and knead on the counter, shaping the loaf in a ball. let rest 5 minutes.
At this point, I used a floured bread basket (which gives the lined appearance and held the shape of the dough for the second rise.) If you dont have something like this, use a loaf pan. shape the loaf into a football and let rise for an hour in a greased pan.
preheat oven to 375 and when the dough has risen an hour and is quite airy, bake it for about 40 minutes until dark golden.




Monday, May 21, 2012

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter and Nutella Cookies.



Today was just one of those days. Both kids woke up sick, one stayed home from school, the other didn't nap well. It was raining. We didn't leave the house, both kids grumpy and stealing toys from each other. Somehow I kept my cool. But, it was really hard. At 3:30, I found myself debating whether to crack the wine or make more coffee. Did I want to pep myself up for the remainder of the day or mellow out? I decided to wait a half hour, until 4, and then I did crack that wine. But, in the meantime, I decided to do us all a favor and made some cookies. I took an existing recipe and made a wee bit healthier and better, I think. I cut back a little on the sugar, used whole wheat flour and tada...every little bit counts, right?


Whole Wheat Peanut Butter and Nutella Cookies


1/2 cup soft butter
3/4 cup peanut butter, I like chunky myself, but either works
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teas vanilla
3/4 teas baking soda
1/4 teas salt
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup Nutella or TJ's equivalent (Cocoa Almond Spread, which I used)


Pour a glass of wine and preheat oven to 350.
Cream together butter, pb, sugars, egg and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients.
Add dry ingredients to wet and stir to combine. The dough shouldn't be too dry but it takes a little to combine. And, I am too lazy these days to get my mixers out, so I usually whisk the butter etc and then use a wooden spoon and a little muscle when combining the two. When mixed, add the Nutella and stir in only until it is marbled throughout.

On a silpat or parchment, roll out balls about 1 1/2 inches across, then press them down with a fork in a criss cross. I baked most of the dough tonight, but not all and my guess is that you get about 2 dozen in total.
Bake for 12 minutes or so, until dry on top. 

gobble. 

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Strawberry Ice Cream

You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you that summer has arrived in the Pacific NW, would you? Well, I don't really believe it myself, but we have been treated really nicely this May. Maybe it is to make up for last years horrid June? I am crossing my fingers that June doesn't show up like a lion again this year. But, back to summer. I am jumping the gun, but can we still declare the beginning to Ice Cream Season?
OK
Good.

Yesterday, I got out my old (meaning 1990's) Donvier crank maker, froze the core, made some Ice Cream custard base and macerated some berries. OK, maybe that took me a few days.
but, when I finally got it all together, I recruited my 3 year old to turn the crank for 20 minutes and look what he made? He was so proud. I see a lot of homemade ice cream in our future.




 And, here it is, just before I poured the Magic Shell over the top.
I know, I know. How could I?
it was pretty easy, actually.





Strawberry Ice Cream.

3 cups cream
1 cup sugar
6 yolks
pinch salt
4 cups Strawberries mashed with 1/4 cup sugar.

I mashed the berries and sugar and let it sit overnight.

Heat the Cream to a simmer with 1/2 cup sugar and salt. While heating, whisk the other 1/2 c sugar with the egg yolks in a separate bowl. when the cream is hot, pour it into the bowl WHILE WHISKING the eggs and sugar, when mixed, add back to the pot and stir constantly with a spatula until the mixture thickens slightly. (finger test, just about as hot as you can handle) don't let it boil.
pour the mixture into a clean bowl and try to cool it quickly to stop it from over cooking. Use a larger bowl with ice water to prop the bowl containing the mixture in. let cool completely. preferably overnight as well.

when ready to churn, strain the custard base just in case you got some eggy bits, then stir in the berry mixture. pour into the maker and churn per the instructions.

For my batch, I actually halved the recipe and it churned in about 15 minutes. it made just shy of 4 cups. And, another note, depending on the sweetness factor of your berries, you can cut back a little on the sugar. I wouldn't cut it to more than a 1/2 cup though.

Enjoy!