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Thursday, January 17, 2008

Recipe Review 1/7/08

Sourdough Waffles (The Bread Bible, Beth Hensperger) 5!
These were excellent. The Husband made the sponge the night before and put it into the fridge to ferment. He timed this so he could feed Harold at the same time. The next morning I added 1 cup whole wheat flour (AP was optional), baking soda, eggs, and oil and blended ever so gently. These baked up light, slightly crisp and very flavorful. I’ve made three or four different kinds of waffles so far and this recipe was the best. The downside is you have to have sourdough starter in the fridge. The upside, we have Harold. We will be making these again. Made 12-6" waffles.

Addendum: before we headed out of town last weekend, we made a batch of pancakes using the same recipe (Harold needed to be fed again). The pancakes didn't cook up as light as the waffles and the taste was a bit nuttier. I think the whole wheat aspect came through more. While these were tasty, the Husband and I agreed we think the waffles were better.


Southwestern Pork and Sweet Potatoes (CL Jan/Feb 08, pg ) 3
This looked good on paper, and with some significant modifications (recipes are just guidelines, right?) it turned out okay. My main conundrum was what to serve it with or over. A Boston Pork Butt (or modification #1: a center cut pork loin) is seared in a lightly oiled pan and set aside. The sauce is a pureed mixture of onion, ancho seasoning (modification #2: adobo seasoning), garlic, and a pickled jalapeno pepper. This is sauteed until fragrant and the pan deglazed with a bottle of beer. The pork is returned to the pan and simmered for two hours (modification #3: it was done after an hour).
The pork is then removed and shredded (modification #4: cubed) and cubed sweet potatoes are added to the pan and everything simmered for another 20 minutes (modification #5: I tossed the potatoes in before I removed the meat).
Once everything was done, I realized some white rice would have been perfect to serve this over to soak up the spicy chili sauce. What I ended up serving along side was leftover black bean and squash tamale filling - which was just as tasty but made for a lot of "orange" on the plate. This dish made four meals worth, too much for two people.


Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprints (Culinary in the Country Blog) 4
When Joe posted these over on his blog and I knew I just had to make them. These bake up as a light buttery cookie infused with the essence of toasted almond that is countered by the sweetness of raspberry jam. I omitted the fancy glaze - the Husband was inhaling them too quickly and I thought the glaze would be too much sweetness against the butter. I did make one mistake (I was impatient): the recipe indicates that the dough needs to be frozen for at least one hour. I didn't do that and my cookies ended up a bit on the flat side. Still, they tasted darn good and I would make these again.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

The waffles look delicious! Makes me think I need to go buy a waffle maker. (Mine died a few weeks ago)

Kristin said...

Dee,

I finally broke down and bought a waffle iron last fall. I wonder why I waited so long! Extra waffles freeze so nicely and make great "quick" breakfasts or lazy suppers.

Gail O'Connor said...

I just bought a food processor, and likewise wonder why it took me so long. It just got filed away in my mind as something that was too expensive and took up cupboard space I didn't have to spare; and then I realized that I now have more cupboard space, and that I've spent years avoiding recipes that require a food processor to prepare.

Kristin said...

I love my food processor! I don't use it a whole heck of a lot, but it sure is nice when I do need it. I keep it in the cupboard right underneath my "prep counter" so it's always close at hand.

And I mustn't forget my stand mixer or my immersion blender! LOVE THEM! :)

That's it for gadgets tho. No more than those. I've actually turned down several offers for bread machines (I've got a stand mixer). I like to keep it simple.

Gail O'Connor said...

I still don't have a stand mixer, and never use my immersion blender. I love my regular blender, though. Sometimes when you need a blender, nothing else will work.

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