Take a Megabite

Rosemary Focaccia Bread

I got pretty frustrated the other day. It happened when my kitchen lights decided to stop working. Next thing you know I was feeling annoyed, overheated and my forehead was crinkled. Two lamps plugged in later, I was back to normal and hung out with some rosemary and got my focaccia on.

I took the top photo inside, but the second one outside. Those make-do lamps were making everything look really weird. Kinda like that creepy shadow behind me down there and the spotlight effect up there. Scary!

So anyhow. This bread is really good. I’m torn though. Half of me wants sandwiches made of proscuitto, melted mozzarella and basil and the other half wants to top this bread with peanut butter, bananas and honey. Oh, rosemary, way to be good at being both savory and sweet.

Rosemary Focaccia Bread {makes 2 loaves}
Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes + Rather Be Baking

Ingredients:

• 1 package active dry yeast
• pinch of sugar
• 1/3 cup warm water, about 100ºF
• 2 1/4 cups water, at room temperature
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil + more for topping + greasing the pans
• 3 cups bread flour
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 T salt + kosher salt for sprinkling
• 2-3 T fresh rosemary

Directions:

1. Stir the yeast and sugar into 1/3 cup warm water. Let it rest for 10 minutes, or until super frothy.
2. In a large bowl, mix the olive oil into the room temperature water. Add the frothy yeast water. Whisk in 2 cups of bread flour and the tablespoon of salt. Add the rosemary. Then, cup by cup, whisk in the rest of the flour (both bread flour and all-purpose). As the mixture goes from a batter to a thick dough, you’ll want to switch to a wooden spoon. By  the time you get to the last cup of flour, you’ll be able to knead the dough. Begin to knead it in the bowl trying to incorporate the flour stuck to the sides and bottom of the bowl. Once the bowl is clean, turn dough out onto the cupboard and knead for 8 minutes, adding flour as necessary. (Note: You can totally use your stand mixer for the dough. I sure did. Just use your paddle attachment until the last cup of flour.Then switch to the dough hook and knead on low for 8 minutes or until the sides of the bowl are clean.)
3. In a large clean bowl, pour in about a tablespoon of olive oil and using your hand or pastry brush, spread the oil out to cover the bowl. Place the dough in the bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for an hour and a half, or until just about double in size.
4. Brush the bottom of two small cookie sheets (about 15 1/2 inches by 10 1/2 inches in size) with olive oil. Feel free to cover with parchment paper too and brush that with additional olive oil. Divide the dough between the two pans and using your hands spread the dough out to fit, or until all of the dough is about 1/2 inch thick. Cover the breads and allow them to rest for 10 minutes. After the rest, dimple the breads with your thumb or the back of a wooden spoon. Cover again and leave to rise for 2 hours.
5. With 30 minutes to go before the rise finishes, place a couple cake pans filled with water or a large baking dish filled with water in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. The pans of water will create steam for when the bread is baking.
6. Once the dough is done rising, brush the tops with olive oil. Sprinkle kosher salt evenly over the bread from about a foot over head. (It helps it spread out evenly.)
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is evenly golden, rotating half way through. Turn out onto a wire rack withit 3-5 minutes of removing it from the oven; this will keep the bottom of the bread crispy. Cool for at least 10 minutes before eating. Then eat a sandwich for dinner.

A bit of flour jumped out of the mixer at me. How thoughtful of it to share, right?
Note to self: wear an apron now and then.

Creamy Potato Leek Soup

It’s the time of year where I start really wanting to go to the farmers’ market again. I need to remember this soup the next time I buy way too many vegetables to eat.

I might’ve used the dark green parts of the leek in this soup too even though the ingredients clearly say only the white and light green parts. Oh well. I don’t always pay attention. But it turned out good! … and green!

This soup is vegan if you don’t bother with the sour cream.
It’s even velvety. Just sayin’.

Hey look! One of my potato peels was smiling! Can you even believe it?

Creamy Potato Leek Soup
Adapted from Care2.com +  The Great American Detox Diet

Ingredients:

• 1 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 leeks, white + light green parts washed and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2-1 t sea salt
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 large Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 lb.), peeled and cubed into 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 t dried rosemary
• pepper
• a few dollops of sour cream, optional

Directions:

1. Heat a dutch oven or a 4-quart soup pot over medium heat and add olive oil. Add leeks, onion and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until onion looks clear.
2. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add potatoes, vegetable stock, rosemary and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook 20 minutes.
3. Transfer soup to a large bowl and blend soup, 1 cup at a time until smooth. Pour soup back into soup pot. Continue until all the soup has been blended. Season to taste, adding more sea salt and pepper as you need it. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream, if you’re not vegan.

Lemon Rosemary Shortbread

Rosemary in a cookie is equivalent to a cookie in a party dress. It’s just how it is.

The shrubs outside my windows look like rosemary. One of them is growing wider and trying to block my front door. It might be happening right now. Maybe if it was rosemary I wouldn’t feel as though I’m being bullied by a shrub.

When I baked the first cookie sheet’s worth of these guys, I put the dough too close together (kinda like that picture below…). So keep in mind they will spread out a little bit while baking.

Although, Jake says that when cookies spread while baking and run into another one it’s called a “kissing crust”. I guess it makes me not mind so much when it happens. They’re just in love. And I’m just in love with these cookies.

Lemon Rosemary Shortbread
Recipe [cut in half] from Eat Boutique

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 sticks of butter (6 oz.), room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 t vanilla
• 1 T fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 t lemon zest
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 t sea salt
• 1 1/2 t chopped rosemary

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment) cream together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add vanilla, lemon juice and zest. Mix until combined.
2. In a small bowl whisk flour and salt together. Slowly add this to the butter mixture, mixing until completely incorporated. Add the rosemary and beat until evenly distributed.
   
3. Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until 1/4 inch thick. Cut with a small cookie cutter and place on an ungreased cookie sheet about an inch apart. Bake for about 8-10 minutes, rotating half way through. They will be just golden around the edges. Watch them closely, since they can bake quickly at the end. Transfer to your belly.

Mushroom Veloute topped with Buttermilk Blinis

I’m getting excited about spring. I want to be surrounded by warm green instead of cold white; I want fresh vegetables and spices in my life and in my soup.

I had my friend Katie over for dinner this weekend and I was excited to give this recipe a try… Mainly because last week I discovered that “blinis” exist. And who wouldn’t want a mini savory pancake?

This soup and pancake combo is pretty, luxurious and just whimsical. And I felt pretty fancy pants about it since this soup is called a “velouté”.

The flavors in this soup are subtle and delicate with that of mushrooms and fresh rosemary, topped with a sprig of parsley and a mini pancake. If this isn’t a welcome to spring, I’m not sure what is.

P.S. After looking up “velouté” in the Larousse Gastronomique I learned that it is a sauce or soup thickened with a roux (equal parts of melted butter [fat] and flour). So there you go. Now, not only are you a fancy pants, but you’re a smarty pants too!

Mushroom Velouté {makes 8 servings}
Both recipes adapted from The Los Angeles Times

Ingredients:

• 4 T butter, divided
• 1 cup diced leeks
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds mushrooms*
• 6 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1 (2-inch) sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 T flour
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 T beaten egg (reserved from blini recipe below)
• salt
• white pepper
• fresh parsley for serving

* 1 lb cremini mushrooms and 1/2 lb oyster mushrooms are suggested, but I used a random assortment and it was delish.

Directions:

1. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large sauce pot over a low heat. Add the leeks and sauté about 5 minutes, stirring often, until tender. Add garlic and cook 1 minute or until fragrant. Add mushrooms and sauté until all the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Add chicken broth, bay leaf and rosemary. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, loosely covered, for 45 minutes.
3. Make the blini’s. (Recipe below.)
4. Remove bay leaf and rosemary sprig from the soup.
5. Transfer the soup into a batter bowl or large bowl and purée the soup in a blender until velvety smooth, pouring the smooth soup back into the large sauce pot. When it is all blended, bring the soup to a simmer.
6. Blend the remaining tablespoon of butter (melted) with a tablespoon of flour to make a roux. Whisk into the soup and simmer about 1 minute until the soup is slightly thickened. Lower heat slightly. In another small bowl, beat together the heavy cream and one tablespoon of beaten egg until blended. Whisk this into the soup until it is combined and the soup is slightly thickened; do not bring to a simmer or the egg will scramble. Season with about one-eighth teaspoon of salt and white pepper to taste.
7. To serve, ladel the soup into bowls and top with 1 or 2 filled blini and a parsley sprig.

Buttermilk Blinis

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup flour
• 3/4 t sugar
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/8 t baking soda
• 6 T buttermilk
• 1 egg beaten, divided (2 T)
• 1 T melted butter
• oil or cooking spray for the griddle
• scant 2 T crème fraîche
• 1 t thinly sliced green onions

Directions:

1. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. In a small bowl combine buttermilk, two tablespoons of beaten egg (reserve the remaining tablespoon of beaten egg for the soup above) and butter. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; add the liquid ingredients. Stir until just blended.
2. Heat a griddle or skillet over a medium heat with just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan or spray with cooking spray.
3. Spoon 1 teaspoon of batter onto the griddle or skillet for each blini. Cook 30 seconds to a minute on each side until both sides are golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is used, adding oil to the pan as necessary. Reserve in a warm place until ready to use.
4. Mix together the crème fraîche and green onions. Use a sharp knife to cut a pocket in each blini and spoon about 1/4 teaspoon crème fraîche mixture onto each blini half, then put together to make a sandwich. (I’m going to be honest with you guys. I maybe just sandwiched the crème fraîche between two pancakes instead of in the center of one. I guess I didn’t read the bottom of the recipe. I wish I would’ve though because I think that this way would’ve been even better.)

Can you even believe that the bay leaf and rosemary are spooning. Scandalous.

Rosemary Palmiers

Having a tea party soon? Totally using cups and saucers? I have the prettiest and simplest cookies yet, and they are most definately tea party material. Not to mention, rosemary in a sweet context is pretty dreamy.

The original recipe includes the zest of one large lemon rubbed into to the sugar before beginning. I am going to give that a shot next time, but if you don’t have lemons on hand, these guys are amazing without.

I’m thinking I need to add these into my christmas cookie assortment in the coming months.

Rosemary Palmiers
Recipe adapted from Joy the Baker

Ingredients:

• 1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed
• scant 1 cup of sugar
• 1 t fresh rosemary or 1/2 t dried rosemary

Directions:

1. Sprinkle half the sugar onto a clean surface. Unfold the thawed puff pastry onto the sugared surface and sprinkle it with remaining sugar. Roll until pastry is a bit thinner and about a 1/2 – 1 inch bigger than it comes. It should be 8×10 – 8×12 inches in size. Sprinkle with rosemary.
2. Roll up the two longest sides toward each other and meet in the middle. Gently press together and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Meanwhile remove dough from the fridge and slice into 1/2 inch slices and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes rotating at 5 minutes. Once it hits the 10 minute mark check in every minute because these guys burn easily if ignored.
4. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.