My First - February 2008 Daring Bakers Challenge #16: Julia Child's French Bread

For my very first challenge as a daring baker, the hosts for this round, Breadchick Mary (The Sour Dough) and Sara (I Like to Cook), chose to focus the group on Julia Child. More specifically, on her French bread tome. Mary and Sara said of Julia that, “Just the mention of Julia Child will bring a smile to the face and a tear to the eye of most cooks. Julia Child didn’t start cooking until she was in her 40s and “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” wasn’t published until she was almost 50! By the time Julia died in 2004 at the age of 92, she was regarded as one of the foremost cooks of our times.”

I have to admit, I have made French bread several times before, but I don’t think I have ever been privy to a recipe this authentic. The bread was wonderful and tasted so much more developed and flavorful than any other I have had.

You will see when you click through to Mary’s site for all the details why I am not posting the whole recipe here. Instead, I decided to give a picture gallery of the process for this amazing recipe. Though this is time consuming, if you break it into pieces then it is really a little work at a time, just spread out over several hours.

Don't believe me? In between the process of making this bread I made a pie, another batch of chocolate chip cookies, ran an errand to pick up our laptop from a store 30 minutes away and made this for dinner to eat with my bread (all while taking care of feedings and diaperings of my four-month old preemie). I'm not insane or bragging here, I'm just making the point that if you just take this a step at a time it is completely do-able for anyone and well worth the effort.

If done correctly though, it is a labor of love to be proud of, and if you do it the old fashioned way like on Julia’s video, well, then it could be quite therapeutic as a great aggression and stress reliever (which, funny enough, is one of the things that got me into bread making long ago anyway). Just remember the number 850. Watch the video before you try the recipe though. I didn’t and muddled through ok on a few parts, but it would have gone a lot faster and smoother had I watched Julia’s tutorial and followed our hostesses’ urging to do so. I actually meant to, but you know what they say about good intentions.

On to the pictures! Oh, and I just have to mention how excited I am to be joining this amazing online community of, as Aidan calls them, “Ninja Bakers.” I love having such a crazy little boy around the house.

To check out what all the others are up to go to the Daring Bakers Blogroll!

Blog Party - Fried Foods - Coconut Shrimp & Red Pepper Jelly

Somewhere there is a party going on. Somewhere people are having a great time together. Me? I'm here with the kids, and that is pretty much always a party. A stressful one at times, but that is ok.

Stephanie, who is Dispensing Happiness with kitchen magic, is hosting a Blog Party, #31 to be exact, and this time it is all about fried foods. It just so happens that I have been making a favorite dish of my husband's a few times in the past few weeks (Super Bowl, and again at Valentines, and again last week - sheesh - I must be a nice wife!). Anyway, I got this recipe from one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in town (Cafe Pierpont - now owned by someone else though, and I haven't eaten there since the switch) and have been making it for years.

Coconut Shrimp with Jalapeno Jelly is the recipe, but since I made it with what I had on hand, this time it is a Red Pepper Jelly I offer you. I'll post the ingredients for both below. Frankly, the jalapeno version has more of a kick (of course), but I thought the all red version for Valentines (even though it didn't happen that way on purpose) was really pretty. The thing about this shrimp is that it isn't hard to do and there aren't a lot of ingredients, but if you do what my husband does and let the shrimp soak in the jelly for half a minute or so, then you'll find out what makes this version unique and addictive.

As for my beverage of choice, as I mentioned to Stephanie, I actually don't drink, and though you can offer up a mocktail as well, I really just drink water. I know, I know. I'm not kidding though. I really only like water and drink it probably 99.99% of the time. Every once in a while though I do get a craving for really good vanilla cream soda. There is another restaurant near here (about 45 minutes away) that makes their own version and it is my favorite (Maddox, Brigham City, Utah). Since I don't get up there that often and can't get my hands on it though, my other favorite is Henry Weinhardt's.

So, this is my suggestion for those other non-drinkers out there (store bought that it is). Otherwise, for me, I'll take a huge round of ice water and keep it coming! (You might think I'm kidding, but through both of my pregnancies and after, ice water was the only craving I had!)

Coconut Shrimp & Jalapeno or Red Pepper Jelly

2 cups shredded coconut
12 -- 16-20 or 26-30 shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
canola oil

Lightly toast the coconut on a cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes.





Butterfly each shrimp by splitting lengthwise down the center, cutting three-fourths of the way through. Dredge the shrimp in flour and then dip in egg.



Press the shredded coconut into the shrimp and then fry in 350 degree canola oil until golden brown.





Serve with the jelly.

Jalapeno or Red Pepper Jelly Ingredients:

1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 green jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced OR 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 small red bell pepper, minced
1 package liquid pectin
orange slices for garnish



Place all ingredients, except pectin, in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the pectin and bring to a boil again. Remove from heat and cool to warm. (Note: It will be really runny and not "jellyish" at all. Also, I like to serve it warm with the shrimp so that it doesn't take away their heat. This jelly is also good on just about anything else you want to dip in it.)



Serve warm with the shrimp with a few slices of orange or a twist in the bowl.

As you can see the jelly recipe makes quite a bit more than you can eat with one preparation of the shrimp. It can be stored in an airtight contained in the refrigerator for up to two-weeks.

HHDD # 18 - Chocolate Coconut Raspberry Swirl Tarts

I was a little late finding out about this month's HHDD, but I really didn't want to miss it once I saw the pictures of the delectable little tarts made by Bordeaux over at Marita Say's announcing this round's recipe theme. Chocolate Coconut Tarts.

These looked like the macaroons of my dreams. Crispy and chewy on the coconut but not overpowering with, basically, a chocolate truffle filling. Oh, yea. I'm in.

I didn't want to stray too far from the original recipe because it looks so good and because as soon as I saw it I had a crazy macaroon craving that wouldn't let go. I chose to mix it up a little and add some white chocolate ganache to the mix and use turbinado sugar in the shells, and get creative with the decorating.

Also, as Bordeaux pointed out, these are simple to make. It was nice to make something that required fewer ingredients and steps and still ended up looking like a million bucks. I will definately make these again when I want to impress. They remind me of the old rice crispie commercial where the woman pretends that making a big tray of rice crispie treats was a monumental task and uses the time for time out for herself. She reads a book in the kitchen and then throws some water and flour on her face to look like she has been working so hard. A very nice recipe to have in my arsenal.

Thanks to Barbara for creating such a fun event and to Bordeaux for choosing the theme for this round.

Chocolate Coconut Tarts
(For the original version go to Marita Says!)

For the shell-
2 egg whites
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

For the filling-
1 1/4 cups cream, divided (it is easiest to measure as 1/2 C + 1/8 C each - or just eyeball it)
150g dark chocolate, chopped
150g white chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoon seedless black raspberry preserves

Blackberries (or raspberries) to garnish

Make:
Preheat your oven to 180C (350F).

Mix the egg whites, coconut and sugar well. Scoop the mixture into the bottom of large (or regular muffin tins) muffin papers and with wetted hands (works best this way) press it out to create a base. Put into the oven to bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until it begins to lightly brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for one minute. Gently remove the cups from muffin tins but don't remove the papers if you only created a base.

While this is happening, heat 1/2 + 1/8 cups of the cream in a saucepan until almost boiling.

Remove from heat and pour over the chopped dark chocolate in a heat-proof bowl.

Stir until the chocolate has melted into the cream and you have a decadent and rich looking chocolate liquid.

Carefully, pour the dark chocolate halfway up each cup. Put the cups on a plate or tray in the freezer and leave it for 15 minutes or until set.

Heat the remaining 1/2 + 1/8 cup cream in the sauce pan and repeat the steps from above with the white chocolate. Take the shells from the freezer and fill the remainder of the way with the white chocolate.

Heat the raspberry preserves to liquify and drip a few drops into the white chocolate. Use a toothpick to swirl the drops into a marbled pattern. (Note: I actually stirred the raspberry preserves into a little bit of the white chocolate. I'm telling you the way I wish I had done it here. I think it may have kept some of the raspberry preserve color more vibrant.)

Replace the filled shells in the freezer another 15 minutes or until set.

Garnish with blackberries (or raspberries - I just had blackberries on hand) that are brushed with a little of the heated preserves.

Serve them to your guests, or if you are like me, wrap them carefully in plastic wrap and keep them in the refrigerator to hoard for days (ok, the rest of the afternoon anyway!)

Scarborough Fair Pot Roast - Eat to the Beat

Are you goin' to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.
Remember me to one who lives there,
she once was a true love of mine.

I always imagine a medieval fair in Britain with fair maidens and this song being sung by a troubadour. I don't know why, but it has that kind of dreamy quality and always feels a little sad and poignant to me. It just gets stuck in my head, so it's no surprise it popped into my head as I pulled out the ingredients for dinner.

Yes. It's another event. Let's face it. I am depending on the culinosphere for inspiration these days for things to make. Since D is always at work and I am home with the boys there isn't anyone to really share the meals with (that's over 3 feet tall). On a lot of the days that it is just us, all Aidan wants is pancakes, soup, pizza, chicken and the things he is used to. That is probably why, other than desserts, there is a lot of comfort food on my blog. Either way, I appreciate everyone out there for coming up with great events that I can spend time on to keep myself sane this winter.

To that end, I was checking out IMBB and there was this event that sounded really fun - it is time to Eat to the Beat! The mastermind behind this bash is Elly Says Opa! who wanted food bloggers to post about something that was either inspired by a song or related to a song or music for her Eat to the Beat event. I actually had another post for this that I was thinking about, but when I started to make dinner tonight, the hilarity of what I was doing that I hadn't really thought about, and hadn't intended to blog about either, just hit me as perfect for her event. I think that this captures exactly what she was talking about with how we relate music to food.

I should start out by mentioning that I am a HUGE Simon & Garfunkle fan. HUGE. I grew up on their Greatest Hits on 8-track that my parents had, and yes, we still had a working 8-track player too. Then, in high school I graduated to buying my own CD. I think I've actually gone through a couple of CD's. The earliest song I remember learning in 1st grade for music class was Simon & Garfunkle's Feeling Groovy. I loved it then and still do. Until a few years ago one of the things I was most sad about in the music industry was the fact that Simon & Garfunkle had a falling out and were no longer together. Then, miracle of miracles, then reconciled, toured the country and I got to go. Granted, the seats we got weren't as good as we thought they would be, but it was still great to be there and the concert was absolutely amazing. Other than the U2 concert I got to go to several years ago, this was probably the best concert of my life.

What I loved about it most was that there was true musicianship. Don't get me wrong, I love almost all music, electronic poppy stuff included, but I am a true band geek at heart (clarinet, 7 years). I live for "real" music made with instruments. My life has a soundtrack and so when I started making dinner tonight and was pulling out ingredients, it's no surprise that one of my favorite songs that always goes through my head popped in.

Thanks Elly for a great event that really did trigger a lot of fun and happy nostalgic memories.

Oh, and because I made all of this in one dish, I am sending this to Meeta for her Monthly Mingle over at What's For Lunch Honey? too.

Scarborough Fair Pot Roast
1 beef chuck crossrib roast (approx. 5-6 lbs)
5 red potatoes, washed and quartered rinsed and dried
6 medium sized carrots, peeled, washed and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut in half, then thirds
1 whole bulb of garlic, split in half
1 bouquet of Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
water (enough to come half-way up the roast in the pan)
2 tablespoons canola oil

Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Season the roast with the salt and pepper.

Place into the hot oil to brown well on each side (approximately 5 minutes per side).

Turn heat to low and add the vegetables to the pot.

Place the bulb of garlic and herbs on top of the roast.

Pour in the water and cover the dutch oven with the lid. Simmer on low, approximately 30 minutes per pound or until tender. You can also braise in the oven at 325 degrees F until tender. Try not to open the pot very often or you will add a lot more time to your cooking time.

When the roast is done and the vegetables are tender remove to a platter and reserve the juices for serving.

WTSIM Salad - Warm Vegetable Salad

This month is the first time I get to participate in the Waiter There's Something In My... SALAD. Andy of Spittoon Extra has admitted he isn't eating enough fruits and veggies. Well, neither am I. I just don't seem to know what to do about it. I am ashamed to admit that the first thing I thought was, "Oh, I'm not going to participate in this one either." Let's face it. I am notorious with friends and family for being the one who never eats salad and has a hard time with most vegetables. You see, when I was growing up, salad meant tomatoes and iceberg lettuce. I hate raw tomatoes (I know, I'm weird!) and I really despise iceberg lettuce.

I've come a long way and I do eat a bit of salad here and there now. Mostly romaine or spinach though, and I do like it, but I still can't sit down and just eat salad, not a whole serving anyway. What I have been struggling with is finding ways to eat more fruits and veggies. Still, I just didn't see this one happening for me. I just couldn't let it go though. I really want to do a lot better at this and I know that it is important. I just never seem to know how to make it happen.

And that, is exactly why I thought at first that I wouldn't participate in WTSIM...Salad. I mean, as addicted as I am to food blogging events, even I can't justify making something that I won't eat. So, it is thanks to Andy and his idea for this month's theme that I kept thinking about the salad issue for the past week or so. It really bothered me that I'm not eating very well and here was one more reason to try harder.

Now enters the channel I watch probably way too much of. Food Network of course. I saw Giada make this "Warm Vegetable Salad." It looked good. Surprise, surprise. I've made cold salads, fruit salads, pasta salads and still it hadn't occurred to me to make a simple vegetable salad - no lettuce involved. It didn't look too difficult to put together quickly and plenty of flexibility with the ingredients.

That's when it struck me, "I never thought about that!" So, here is my adaptation of Giada's recipe. I will say though, that I only varied from Giada's original recipe because of some allergy restrictions for my mom, who was visiting when we made this (she is allergic to garlic). Since the garlic seemed important for the flavor profile I ended up making a kind of honey mustard vinaigrette. I will definitely be trying to make Giada's version, as well as this version, but I really liked the honey mustard on it as well. This was easy and tasted great (even the leftovers I had for lunch today! Yea me, vegetables two days in a row!)

To try to keep things somewhat fresh and healthy for the rest of the meal I served grilled marinated chicken with the salad. It ended up being perfect together. The chicken was moist and tasted wonderful along side the hearty, yet healthy, salad. So, for once, I feel like I did good with what we ate. This is a simple chicken to make, which I've adapted numerous ways, depending on what we have on hand. So, without further ado, here are my recipes for a Warm Vegetable Salad and Grilled Yogurt Mint Marinated Chicken.

I really owe a big thanks to Andy for the theme for this one and forcing me to think outside my comfort (food) zone and make something new. Because of him, I now have a new favorite that everyone loved and made me feel a whole lot better. So, Thanks Andy!!

Warm Vegetable Salad

2 whole red peppers
1 1/2 pound assorted red and Yukon gold potatoes, cubed into large pieces
3/4 pounds green beans, trimmed and halved (I had pre-trimmed frozen on-hand)
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
freshly ground red pepper to taste (I added about 1/8 tsp)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey

Preheat the broiler. Place the red peppers on a foil lined baking sheet. Place the red peppers under the boiler. Turning every 2 to 3 minutes cook the peppers until the skin is blistered, about 8 to 9 minutes total. Place the blistered peppers in a plastic bag. Seal the bag and allow the peppers to sit for 10 minutes to allow the skin to separate and to let cool.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the potatoes and place in a large bowl. Add the green beans to the pot. Cook the green beans until tender, about 3 minutes (4 minutes if using frozen). Remove the green beans to the bowl with the potatoes. Remove the peppers from the plastic bag. Peel off the skin from the peppers. Slice the pepper flesh into wide strips and remove the seeds and veins. Place them in the bowl with the potatoes and green beans. Add the chives and parsley and toss to combine.

In a small bowl combine the white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and honey. Whisk in the olive oil. Stir in the salt and freshly ground black and red peppers. Toss the warm vegetables with the honey mustard vinaigrette. Serve immediately.

Grilled Yogurt Mint Marinated Chicken

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
w teaspoons ground coriander (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Lime or Lemon wedges, to garnish

In a shallow glass dish, whisk together all the ingredients.

Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.

Heat the grill or grill pan to medium heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade. Lightly oil the grill and place the chicken until marked and cooked through (approximately 6 minutes on each side. Garnish with lemon or lime wedges.