Breaking Bread

Breaking bread, both literally and figuratively, is an act of acceptance and friendship, practiced for centuries among the many cultures, past and present, around the world.

In recent years, the very subject of bread has become the focal point of two opposing parties: Artisanal bread making, and the now ubiquitous Gluten-free movement. Ironically, it seems that these two ideologies are growing in popularity side-by-side.

While I do not wish to offer any comment for or against the Gluten-free movement, I write this blog simply to champion the rise of artisanal baking across North America in the last decade. This trend - I hope it's not a short term one - appears to be attracting a much higher number of men to this fine pursuit. Why there is a gender dominance in today's artisanal baking, again, I do not wish to offer any explanation.

As for myself, I have been baking bread at home for over 25 years, ever since I got myself a copy of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume II.  While living in Montreal at that time, I was spoiled with the large variety of excellent quality French bread from boulangeries near my apartment. I still remember one dinner I hosted at home for out of town guests - they couldn't believe that I could just step our of my humble abode to pick another baguette when we ran out of the first one.

Having enjoyed the flavours of these tasty local breads, I began poring over the many bread recipes from the book and took the courage to create my first baguette.  As to be expected with first time baking, I threw a lot of dough, literally! But, after a number of trials and errors, I was able to become proficient enough that baking baguette and rolls became just another easy thing to do on a weeknight.

Forward to the present, my baking has evolved over the years that I can simply whip up an impressive foccacia in less than 3 hours or, with a lot more effort and mess, a credible croissant, and a very impressive brioche and challah.  Still, I have always felt that something was missing in my bread repertoire. It wasn't until just 3 years ago that I finally faced the truth: I have not made any sourdough bread at all!

 I have read and met people who made sourdough for years, some even making their own starter from scratch or using one from their grandmother's batch. Me, I just could not get excited about it until I made an effort to ask for a small starter from a new bakery in a remote town near Terracotta.  Thus began my love affair with all things sour! It was like magic to see slow rising dough suddenly growing big in the oven and delivering such heady complex aromas I have only smelled in serious boulangeries. And the taste..oh my Lord! I thought that all sourdough breads taste like the one in San Fran. I was in for a very pleasant surprise!

Having a large collection of really good books on bread have really whetted my appetite for this holy grail of baking - as I was to discover upon reading.  Fortunately for me, a science geek, I finally got the courage to really understand what goes on in making sourdough.  Although the process to create my very own starter took a few tries and looked like a daunting task - what with regular feeding and all, I found that the end product was worth all the effort and time - yes, you need lots of it! Here are just some of the many sourdoughs I have made, using my own starter which I created by crushing some of my neighbour's wild grapes inside a cheese cloth in a bowl, then adding 2 cups warm water, 1 cup unbleached flour and 1 cup rye flour, mixed and allowed to settle undisturbed for one week, covered. During this period, you will start seeing bubbles on top of the mix. Start adding the same amount of mix - we call this feeding - do this every 3-5 days for 3 weeks. You will soon start smelling some really nice yeasty, slightly sour but complex fruity aromas.

To begin making your first dough, take 1 cup from this starter and add into a new bowl with warm water, plus 1/2 cup of unbleached flour, mix well until it looks like a pancake batter. Cover and leave at room temp overnight.  The following day, in a large bowl, add 2 cups flour and 2 cups warm water, then add the "pancake batter" from the night before, mix well until you have a very wet, thick dough. Cover and rest for 1 hour.  The dough will rise. Deflate by pressing with wooden spoon. add some flour to form a firmer dough that you can shape. Cover and let it rest for 8 hours. To start the baking process, deflate the dough once again. Let is rest for 5 minutes, then start shaping to the form you wish to make. Place the shaped dough into a large baking dish, lined with parchment paper, and cover. Let the dough inside rise for 1 -2 hours. Turn the oven to 450F. Open the cover and slash the top of the dough to create a vent for gases to escape and create the classic look. Cover and place in the oven for 35 minutes.  Remove the dish and take out the partly baked dough with the parchment paper, place on a cookie sheet and return to the oven for another 25 minutes or until it is golden brown.  Remove the bread from the oven and place on a rack to cool.  

Once you've made a good bread, you'll never buy another from the supermarket, and your friends will always appreciate a fresh loaf or baguette when you come to visit.

Happy Baking!

Tarte Flambée à l'Alsacienne

Winter is upon us and we're all thinking about the cold weather, layers of clothing, holiday parties and festive foods from the oven.

During this season of open houses and large family dinners, why not prepare something special and guaranteed to impress your guests as they come in from the cold: La Tarte Flambée - a traditional Alsatian dish which can be served as appetizer or main course depending on your mood.

Tarte flambée is a simple dish, much like a thin crust pizza without the tomato sauce.  Yet, it is quite far in flavour from any pizza of your choice as it is baked with crème fraiche, cheese curds, double-smoked bacon and onion slices.  Here are the ingredients:

Tarte flambée served last Christmas.

2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup milk, warmed
1 tbs melted butter
1/2 cup warm water
1 tbs dry active yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup diced double smoked bacon, or
1 cup sliced mushrooms (for vegetarians)
1/2 cup crème fraiche
1 cup cheese curds

Add water, sugar and yeast to a small bowl. Leave untouched for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, add flour and salt. Then add the yeast mixture, milk and butter. Mix thoroughly until you get a dough consistency. You may add some flour or water if the mixture is too wet or too dry. Knead the dough in the bowl and form it into a large ball. Cover with cloth and let rise for one hour or until it doubles in size. Punch the risen dough and shape into a ball again for second rising for 15 minutes. Heat the oven to 500F or hotter (hence the name of this dish). Flatten dough on a large parchment paper with a roller until it is quite thin. Transfer the flattened dough and paper to a baking sheet. Add onion slices, double-smoked bacon slices or mushroom slices, cheese curds and crème fraiche.  Sprinkle some sea salt and ground nutmeg. Bake for 10 minutes or until the top of the dough turns light golden as the curds melt. Slice into wedges and serve immediately.  Your kitchen will be filled with delicious aroma that can seduce any hungry soul.  Serve with a cold lager or Riesling.

Prost!

Ramen: The latest Food Craze in Toronto

Every time I read or hear people talk about Ramen, I always remember the cult Japanese movie Tampopo - a rather unique film about food, gangsters, and a trucker. But the part of the movie that will make you heading to the nearest Ramen house right after the ending is what I liked the best: the story of a single mother raising a young boy and trying to learn about making good Ramen.

For those of you who may not be familiar with this food, think of it as the Japanese version of Chinese noodle soup, except it is utterly sublime when made with great care and skills.  As such, this simple Japanese comfort food has been elevated to gourmet status by outsiders who are just discovering the real McCoy for the first time, after years of really bad versions in fast food and pseudo-Japanese spots.

Momofuku Ramen

Just recently, Toronto has witnessed such an explosion of Ramen houses that it's now the trendiest food to have, creating long line-ups and endless reviews online, as well as in major papers and magazines. In the last 4 months alone, 5 ramen houses have opened, including a New York import from David Chang's Momofuku empire. Whether this trend will survive a long time is hard to tell given the finicky and still-developing food culture in the city.

But, first, let me tell you the two most important ingredients that make a truly satisfying and superb ramen: Perfect noodles - preferably hand-made from the best wheat or other fine grains; and skillfully-made broth that has been simmered and NOT boiled for hours, using quality meat and bones, vegetables, spices, onions, etc. A good ramen usually has a topping of tender meat or seafood, and some have poached egg, wild mushrooms and miso added to the broth. If you haven't had a good Ramen and you live in an urban area with a good ramen house, you really must give it a try.

Back to Tampopo, one scene I like is about an old man and his young protegé on how to enjoy ramen. It is delightful to watch, if only to understand the Master's ritual, which treats this simple dish with such respect and honour.

Enjoy!

Discovering luscious foods

Welcome to my first posting on Luscious Foods, which I have created to introduce you to the endless delicious aromas and flavours from around the globe.

On this blog, I give you my commitment to provide you fresh and unbiased opinions on finding, preparing and enjoying food, from the simplest of recipes to the most sophisticated - one that requires some kitchen skills and understanding of ingredients.

We will explore the exciting subject of regional cooking, spanning the globe for a host of  unique tastes that are rarely found in many restaurants today.  Join me as we discover our natural love for culinary adventures.

For my first recipe, let me share with you an easy dish that's guaranteed to generate endless aahhs, oohhs, and wows. This being close to the holiday season, why not impress your guests with this simple, yet fancy looking and utterly delicious dessert:

Poached Pears in Saffron and Late Harvest Riesling

Ingredients:

6 ripe but firm Bartlett or Bosc Pears

1 cup white granulated sugar

3 cups water

1 cup Late Harvest Riesling

1/2 tsp Saffron threads

1 stick cinnamon

1 tbs thinly sliced lemon rinds

French Vanilla ice-cream (optional)

Peel the pears carefully without removing the stems, place in a bowl with enough water, add a squeeze of lemon to stop the fruit turning brown.

Boil 3 cups of water, add the Riesling, sugar, saffron, cinnamon stick and lemon rinds.  Let the flavours steep for 5 minutes.

Core the peeled pears from the bottom, then add to the pot. 

Cook the pears for 15 minutes. Then remove just the pears and place on a serving dish and keep in the fridge to chill.

Discard the cinnamon stick and reduce the liquid until it starts to bubble and thickens to a syrupy consistency.

Pour the liquid and the lemon rinds onto the pears and serve on top of a vanilla ice-cream.

Wine pairing: Late Harvest Riesling, Icewine, Coteaux de Lyon or Quarts de Chaume 

Cheers!