riotbrrd

Bagel news

Well, the Peter Reinhart bagels are done, and I am not happy with them. Their shape is really sad. Flavor is good though, but they have lots more big air pockets that I would like. They're sort of like "rustic artisan bagels." Also, they're too large. The recipe called for 4.2 oz of dough for each bagel; next time I'll cut it down significantly, and I won't let them proof at all before shaping.

Back to the drawing board...

Baking update

So far in the last couple of weeks:

Chocolate cake - 2 versions
I made a fabulous Cookie Monster cake for Mia's 3rd birthday. The cake from scratch part is hard, but I think I'll be able to master it with some hard work. I made two different versions; the first was from Cook's Illustrated. It came out a little dry and heavy, and too chocolate-y for my tastes (yes, it is possible!). For the second one, I did a little reading in Shirley's fabulous book, and found out I needed to cream the butter and sugar together for a longer time. I used a different recipe, this one from Food Network, and the cake came out much better. Not perfect, but not bad either. The buttercream was a decorator's version I adapted from Baking911 - it used 1/2 Crisco and 1/2 butter, and came out very nicely.

Challah - three versions.
The first was Julia Child's - excellent flavor, but texture was too dense. The second was from Cook's Illustrated - very light, bready texture, but bland. The third version I melded the two - a definite improvement, with excellent flavor, but the texture was still not quite right. My next step is to try the same recipe, but scald the milk first. I'm not expecting this to work, but we'll see. If not, I'll try using bread flour instead of all-purpose, but I don't want to compromise tenderness.

Bagels - 2 versions.
The first version was from Cook's Illustrated. They came out remarkably well - nice and chewy, good flavor. The crust was a little wimpy, and I think the flavor could get taken up a notch. The other problem was big air bubbles in the middle of the bagel. The second version is in process now. I'm using Peter Reinhart's recipe from my newly acquired book, The Bread Baker's Apprentice. It uses a sponge, otherwise basically the same ingredients as the Cook's Illustrated recipe (high-gluten flour and malt syrup). So far, the texture of the dough has been a lot softer than in the previous version, which has made it a little harder to work with. There's been more proofing before retarding, too. Anyway, I'll bake them later today and report back.

Mmmm...Greek chicken kabobs

I made these from an Epicurious recipe last week. They were extremely easy to make, and delicious! I served this with couscous and a greek salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, lemon juice, olive oil, mint, salt, pepper, and feta cheese.

Mix together marinade in a medium bowl or dish:
      Olive oil - 2 TBSP
      Garlic - 4 cloves, crushed
      Mint - 1 tsp dried, or a handful chopped fresh mint
      Oregano - 1 tsp dried
      Salt - 1 tsp
      Ground black pepper - 1 tsp

Add to marinade:
      Chicken - 1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
Marinate 30 minutes.

Whisk together for basting:
      Lemon juice - 2 TBSP fresh
      Olive oil - 2 TBSP

Prep additional items for skewers:
      Mint - Large leaves from 1 bunch fresh mint
      Red onion - 1 small-medium, cut into 1-inch pieces
      Skewers - 8 12-inch skewers (use metal, or wood pre-soaked in water)
      (You can also add other veggies if you want, such as red peppers)

Preheat barbecue (medium-high heat).

Assemble skewers: Alternate chicken, onion, and mint leaves on skewers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Grill until chicken is just cooked through, turning and basting occasionally with oil-lemon mixture, about 9 minutes.

Fat Summer has come to an end

Results of my scientific experiment:
If you eat lots of cookies, cheese, trail mix, and beer, and spend most of your time on the couch napping with your cats or watching TV, you will get FAT.

My post-wedding summer of self-indulgence officially comes to an end TOMORROW. I'm going back to Weight Watchers online; this time I'll try their new Core plan. I'm a little skeptical it'll work, but we'll see. And, at least I'll be eating very healthily.