Homemade Artisan Bread

I've been experimenting with baking rustic breads.  Here's a loaf of oatmeal sesame bread that I baked.
Meanwhile, here's a link to check.  Artisan-Bread-In-Five-Minutes-A-Day

Here's another link with videos.  Breadtopia

Quick Olallieberry Tart

This recipe came from Bon Appetit many years ago.  It originally called for apples, but since I had lots of olallieberries (a kind of blackberry), I used them.  If you have the puff pastry and some fruit around, it's pretty quick, and very yummy!   Don't try to serve more than 4 people with this, or you'll have people asking for more.  The pieces may appear large, but because it is very flat, it isn't really as "BIG" as it seems.  

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (½ of 17.3 oz pkg)

2-3 cups of berries

2 T unsalted butter, melted

2-3T sugar mixed with ½ t cinnamon (depending on tartness of berries)

¼ C jam, melted (apricot, peach, apple, orange)

Preheat oven to 400^o.  Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  (You can see that it can get juicy, so you do want sides on the sheet you use.)  Unfold pastry on parchment paper.  Using fork tines, pierce ½” border around edge of pastry, then pierce center all over. 

Arrange berries atop pastry until the entire sheet is covered, leaving border clear.  Brush with melted butter; sprinkle with sugar mixture.  Bake 30 minutes.

Brush melted jam over berries.  Bake until golden, about 8 minutes longer.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Serve with ice cream.                  

                                                                        Serves 4.

Candied Bacon

I really enjoy bacon, although now, I shouldn't eat so much.  Talk about tasty bacon!  Try this the next time you want to wow some guests. 

This was done in a frying pan, but for a crowd, it is easier to do in the oven.

* In the oven:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line a half-sheet pan with heavy duty foil to facilitate easier clean up of the pan.  Then put a cooling rack on the foil.  Lay out the bacon strips on the rack.  They can be next to each other, but should not overlap.  Then sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of brown sugar on each slice--or enough to cover most of the slice.  Bake for 10-15 minutes, then remove from the oven.

Turn each slice over and sprinkle with more brown sugar.  At this point, you can turn your oven down to 350, if desired.  Bake until done.  Watch carefully as it can burn easily with all that sugar.  If not done in another 5-10 minutes, you may want to turn again, but you don't need to add more sugar.

On the stove:  Lay bacon in cold NON-STICK pan.  Sprinkle with some brown sugar.  Cook until it starts to brown.  Turn over and sprinkle on more brown sugar.  Drain oil as it accumulates.  Turn as needed.  Cook until done to the crispness you desire.  (Do not try to drain on paper towel, as it will stick to the paper.)

* From  A Feast for the Eyes  The main recipe is about Olallieberry pancakes, but the recipe for candied bacon is here as well.  Thanks, Debbie!

Separating the yolk from the white

In case you haven't seen this video about an easy way to separate the yolk and white of an egg, watch this video.

Although you're not likely to understand the language, the video shows you how and the language doesn't matter.  Give it a try.  It really works!

Hasselback Potatoes from A Feast for the Eyes

 A summer or two ago, I had picked a LOT of olallieberries* in Watsonville and was looking for some new recipes, after having made quite a few batches of jam.  That was when I came across a blog by Debby called A Feast for the Eyes.  Debby posts beautiful step-by-step pictures to accompany her delicious recipes.  Like me, she lives on the Monterey Peninsula.  Since then I have been following her blog.  I have made many of the delicious recipes she has posted.  I had saved this recipe and have gone back to look at it several times, but one day when I was at the grocery store, I decided I would make these.

These were much easier than I thought they would be.  The wooden spoon makes the slicing very easy and it really goes pretty quickly.  They make such a pretty presentation.  I didn't have thyme so sprinkled on some oregano.  The crunchy bottom was the best part.  

4-10 small red, yellow or white potatoes

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

kosher salt & black pepper

1-2 tsp dried oregano

1 garlic clove, sliced thin (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Line a baking pan with foil.

Using a wooden spoon, “cradle” the potato. The bowl of the wooden spoon will act as a guide so that you can cut 1/8” thick slices, without cutting all the way through.

Melt the butter and whisk into the oil.  Lightly brush the foil with the olive oil/butter. Drizzle or brush on the remaining oil & butter onto each potato.  (If using the sliced garlic, insert a few slices into each potato.)

Season with salt & pepper.  Crush some of the dried oregano over each potato and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes

.

The potatoes should turn out crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.

If desired, you can brush some additional olive oil on the potatoes during the last 10 minutes and add fresh Parmesan cheese.

* Olallieberries are a hybrid between youngberries and marionberries; basically a kind of blackberry.

Easy way to remove husk from corn

With lots of fresh corn on the cob in the markets now, it's the perfect time to watch this video from youtube and file it away.

The gentleman shows how he easily gets rid of (most) of the silk and the husk all at the same time.

Click here to see video:
Easy way to remove husk from corn

Place on a plate and microwave 4 minutes for each ear.
To make it even easier,  slice off the end before cooking.

Slice off the end, including
at least one row of kernels.  

Looks like this after removing husk and silk.

Ready to eat in less than 10 minutes.

PDQ Peanut Butter Cookies

Use only 3 ingredients to make those quick tasty cookies!
Add rice crispies to give it extra crunch! Recipe from my friend, Cheryl.

1 cup peanut butter or almond butter*
1 cup sugar or less
1 egg
1 cup rice crispies (optional)

YES, that's right. NO flour!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two pans by lining with parchment or lightly greasing.

Mix all ingredients together. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto cookie sheet.  Flatten slightly with spoon or fork.  *If using almond butter, put into the freezer for about 15 minutes to firm up. 

Bake for 8-14 minutes. ( Depends on how flat you make them. Shorter time for flatter cookies.) Makes about 20.