Panettone

This month's 'Fresh from the Oven' challenge is Panettone, hosted by Sarah of Maison Cupcake. Traditionally Panettone is naturally leavened, i.e. it uses a starter/culture instead of dried/ instant yeast to make the bread rise. So I decided to make it to this recipe which seemed to authentic and quite easy to follow. It involves bulking up a sourdough starter for 5 days prior to making the Panettone. I have to say I didn't choose the most straight-forward recipe, in addition to the 5 days needed to get the starter ready it then needs 12 hours for the 'first dough' to ferment and 12 hours for the 'final dough' to rise. However I am a great believer in 'Slow food' so I was prepared to give it a go, although I was slightly nervous about it as I had never made Panettone before! I was pleased with the results, I got 3 small breads and they do taste authentic even if the look a little, er, rustic. The two nicest ones will be gifts and I am keeping the mushroom looking one as a taster :-)

Cooking notes:
-The recipe calls for diastatic malt powder, I have never seen this before so took a gamble and used 1tsp barley malt - it seemed to work!
-I used sultanas and soaked them in rum and cointreau for 12 hours (whilst the first dough was fermenting)
-I didn't bother buying proper Panettone moulds, I lined large tinned tomato tins with greaseproof paper which worked well. 
-I was going to attempt to hang the breads upside down to cool as recommended in the recipe, but when I got mine out of the oven they looked a bit too fragile to undergo this treatment. I laid them down on a wire rack to cool and removed them from their tins after 15 minutes.

The dough after 12 hours rising

The glaze and sugar dusting

Before going in the oven

The mushroom shaped one!

Paris

Last Christmas I was given a French Patisserie course in Paris as a present (best present ever!) - and last weekend we finally got to go! It was an afternoon course so we spent the rest of the weekend being tourists and wandering round Paris (mainly walking in and out of bakeries and bistros). Paris brings together all that is great about French food culture. I loved seeing all the independent bistros and wine bars, and the range of produce available on every corner. It is definitely a foodie city. One of the highlights for me was having lunch at Rose Bakery, I have their recipe book and have always wanted to go- it didn't disappoint, the food was delicious and mostly vegetarian.

Here are some photos of our foodie weekend:

Bistros

Rose Bakery

We had lunch here, they serve quiches, salads, mini pizzas other fresh deli type food. It is mostly vegetarian and organic. Unfortunately I didn't get to try their cakes afterwards as we had to rush off as we had booked to go up to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

My lunch

Cakes

Chalet Savoyard

We had dinner here one night, I had an individual fondue savoyarde (why not?) which came not only with an enormous basket of crusty bread cubes, but also with a bowl of potatoes! Much too much for any normal appetite but I had a good try.

  

My fondue

 Boulangeries 

We visited quite a few of the bakeries who came in the top ten 'Meilleures Baguettes de Paris 2011'. I was very disappointed to find the bakery who won the competition was shut! We tried the bread from some of the others however, and they were all very good as was to be expected! Many of these boulangeries were along the same road - Rue des Abbesses. I wish I lived in this neighbourhood- I would never tire of eating their bread. Why do we get stuck with Greggs over here??

  

This boulanger won 'Best Baguette in Paris 2011'- closed at weekends :-( 

My Patisserie course

In just over 3 hours we made all this:

-Early grey madeleines

-Millefeuille (puff pastry already made and chilled)

-Rhum baba

-Chocolate fondants

-Chocolate crème brulées

Making puff pastry

Making Crème Patissiere

Ganache lined ramekins for Creme Brulée

Moulds for Rum Baba

Fondants au chocolat

Infusing butter with earl grey - for Madeleines

My Millefeuille

Pumpkin Soup with Coconut, Ginger and Chilli

 Another pumpkin recipe- I hadn't realised just how versatile pumpkins are until recently. From one fairly large Crown Prince pumpkin I have made enough soup to generously serve 10 people, using the rest of the flesh in a cake, and I am planning to roast and salt the pumpkin seeds! I have used the Crown Prince variety here as I have heard they have more flavour than the standard Jack-O-Lantern ones (the orange ones which are usually used for carving at Halloween).


Serves 4


Ingredients


-500g pumpkin flesh (seeds and skin removed- this is roughly 1/2 a small pumpkin or 1/4 of a large one)
-1 tin coconut milk
-1 red chilli (or as much as you can handle), finely chopped
-3cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
-1 onion, peeled and finely diced
-1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
-1 tsp tomato purée
-1 tsp marmite
-1 tsp stock granules (I used Marigold)/ 1/2 good quality stock cube
-1 tbsp soy sauce
-1 tsp toasted sesame oil (optional)
-1 lime leaf
-Sunflower oil for roasting/ frying
-Seasoning to taste


1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Chop the pumpkin into 3cm chunks and arrange on a roasting tray. Drizzle with sunflower oil and toss to coat. Roast for 30 minutes or until soft.
2. In a large saucepan gently fry the onion in some sunflower oil over a low heat until soft- do not let it brown. Add the garlic, ginger, and chilli and fry for 1 - 2 minutes more. 
3. Take a large measuring jug and fill with 1 litre of hot water. Add to it the following: tomato purée, Marmite, soy sauce, stock, and toasted sesame oil- stir to dissolve. 
4. Transfer the roasted pumpkin to the saucepan and add the tin of coconut milk, the stock, and the lime leaf. Simmer for 15 minutes then remove the lime leaf and purée using a stick blender or food processor (adding more liquid to get the desired thickness). Season to taste- you can also add more chilli/ soy sauce etc. if desired. 

Cinnamon Rolls- Fresh From The Oven October challenge

This month I am taking part in the Fresh From the Oven challenge for the first time. This is a monthly baking challenge for food bloggers, and i'm looking forward to taking part - I think it will be a good way for me to try things I wouldn't usually make. 

This month the challenge is Cinnamon Rolls and it's being hosted by Things We Make. I was very happy with this as a first challenge, as I had been wanting to make something like these for a while. They make a tasty breakfast treat, or are also nice with coffee in the afternoon, or both :-)


The recipe is below. I changed the filling slightly by adding chopped hazelnuts and flaked almonds.

• 400g Strong White Bread Flour
• 2 Sachets of instant yeast (14/15g)
• 200g Plain Flour
• 2 Egg Yolks
• 250ml Lukewarm Milk
• 50g Melted Butter
• 1Tbsp Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Salt

Filling

• 150g Very Soft Butter
• 50g Brown Sugar - muscovado or demerara
• 1Tsp Cinnamon
• A Handful of Sultanas (optional)
• (I also added 1 tbsp each of chopped roasted hazelnuts and flaked almonds)

Icing (optional*)

• 2 Cups of Icing Sugar
• 1 Tblsp Melted Butter
• 1/4 Tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• Water to Mix

Instructions

• In a jug mix the yeast, warm milk and tablespoon of sugar.
• Leave to froth for 10 minutes if you have time then add the melted butter and egg yolks.
• Mix this into the flours, with the salt.
• Knead for 5-10 minutes on a floured surface or in your food mixer with a dough hook for 5 minutes.
• Put in a large bowl with a plate on top and leave in a warm place until doubled in size (1-2 hours)
• Knock down and flatten out until it's about the size of a large baking tray.
• Slather with the very soft 100g ofbutter.
• Sprinkle with the mix of brown sugar and cinnamon, and the sultanas.
• Roll up so you have a long swiss roll type thing.
• Slice into 2" slices and place in a deep cake tin
• I used a 26cm Kaiser tin, with a bit of butter rubbed into it.
• Allow to rise for another 1/2 hour. Tuck in any sultanas so they don't burn.
• Bake at 200c for 10 minutes
• Cover loosely with foil and bake for another 15 minutes or so.
• At this point I brush it with a little melted butter and put it back in if not quite cooked through but it's probably not necessary. I am a born fiddler.
• Tip out straight away - using a plate to tip it onto then back onto a 2nd plate.
• Top with the warm buttery icing and leave to cool....as long as you can bear it.

Autumn Salad with Roasted Pumpkin and a Warm Dressing

 Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a starter


Ingredients


-1/2 a small pumpkin, peeled and seeds removed
-Small bag of salad leaves
-1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
-Shavings of parmesan style cheese (optional)
-Sunflower oil, salt and pepper for roasting


Dressing
-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
-4 tbsp sunflower oil
-1tsp honey
-1 tsp chopped roasted hazelnuts
-Seasoning

 1. Preheat oven to 200C. Cut the pumpkin into 2cm slices, drizzle over some sunflower oil and some seasoning. Roast until soft (about 30 mins).
2. Meanwhile make the dressing. Pour the balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan and warm over a very low heat. Leave for 5 - 10 minutes until reduced- do not let it boil. Stir in the honey, oil, and hazelnuts and season to taste. 
3. When the pumpkin slices are soft remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly. Assemble the salad by mixing the red onion and salad leaves together and piling them onto a large plate. Carefully place the pumpkin slices around the leaves and scatter over the cheese shavings (if using). Drizzle over the dressing and serve. 

Spaghetti with Balsamic Mushrooms, Walnuts, and Dolcelatte

This is a really quick pasta dish to throw together, and you can vary the vegetables according to what you have in. A perfect midweek meal!


I am submitting this to Presto Pasta Nights, hosted this week by The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch.


Serves 2


Ingredients


-200g spaghetti
-200g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
-75g dolcelatte, cubed
-Handful of walnuts, roughly chopped
-1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (fruity flavoured ones work particularly well, I used aged apple balsamic)
-1 small red chilli, chopped (optional)
-2 tbsp olive oil
Seasoning


1. Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water, until al dente.
2. While the pasta is cooking, fry the sliced mushrooms in the olive oil with the chilli (if using). Add the balsamic vinegar and walnuts and simmer until the vinegar has mostly evaporated. 
3. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. Add the dolcelatte and stir through. Season well to taste, and serve immediately.