Onion Bagels

Ethan really loves bagels. So I wanted to see if I could make them.

I never held bagels to any certain standard, seeing as I’m from Massachusetts (western Massachusetts) and the only real bagels we have are Lenders and Dunkin Donuts. I’ve never had a true New York bagel (a great failing, I understand), but if they are anything like these homemade bagels, then I am starting to grasp the foundational argument.

Now if you haven’t made bagels before, what sets bagels apart from other delicious yeasty bread products is that they are boiled as well as baked. This specific recipe also requires about a day of prep time (almost entirely unattended). This method is called “cold-fermented", but there are other methods that are more timely. These are worth the extra planning, in my opinion.

Dough Ingredients:
1 TBS instant yeast
4 c. bread flour**
2 tsp salt
1 TBS brown sugar
1 1/2 c. water

1 egg + 1 TBS water
1/4 c. dehydrated onions, rehydrated

You can use any number of things to top the bagels:
Garlic
Cheese
Sesame Seeds
Cinnamon Raisin (these get added directly into the dough, however)
I would also like to try: sun dried tomatoes, olives, or whole wheat

Water Bath ingredients:
2 quarts water
2 TBS honey
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda


**In this case it’s important to use bread flour, which has additional wheat gluten. Your bagels will still turn out if you use standard all-purpose flour, but you may find a chewier texture. (If you can find it) you can add extra gluten, which is sold seperately by both Hodgsen Mill and King Arthur Flour among others. However short of ordering it online, I can never find it in any stores in the area.

1. Whisk all dry ingredients in a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand-mixer. Add water and mix to combine. Let rest 5 minutes.

2. Knead with hands or dough hook for 10 minutes. When the dough is done it will feel tougher than other standard yeast doughs but will be pliable, smooth, and not sticky.

3. Let the dough rest approximately 1 1/2 hours.
4. Divide the dough into 7-8 equal pieces. You’ll notice that I only made 6 in my original batch. I was afraid that it would make 8 small bagels when I wanted them to be medium-sized. Instead some are larger than others so if I did it again I would aim for 7 or 8 bagels.

5. Roll each dough ball into a rope.

6. Wrap each rope around your four fingers, starting by pinching one end between your thumb and forefinger. Overlap both ends and pinch to secure. (There are probably 1000 videos on this process, but there is also the “poke a hole in the middle” version, which a little easier but apparently “unprofessional”).

7. Place all bagels on a baking sheet and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate over night.
8. An hour or so before you plan to process your bagels, rehydrate onions in enough water to just cover the onions.
9. Remove from the refrigerator and let rest 30 minutes. Meanwhile, create your water bath in a large pot (wider is more important than tall) and bring to a boil. Preheat your oven to 450˚F.

10. Drop bagels in batches into boiling water, 1 minute per side. They will puff up considerably.
Place them on a lined baking sheet.

11. Brush with egg wash and smother in onions.

 

12. Bake for 20 minutes until golden.

Beef Bourguignon

Normally, for the last several years, I’ve spent a lot of  time by myself. Not alone necessarily, if that’s how you describe sitting at a desk or standing behind a counter, but decidedly by myself. It is comforting if not unnerving at times, once I’ve spent hours or days inside my own head. I’ve cycled through hobbies, as many do, with so much time to themselves, to avoid curling in a blanket cocoon for days on end mindlessly watching NCIS reruns (I’ve seen them all anyway). It seems dull in a way, to those with better plans, but I rather enjoy the time. This is the life we’ve chosen for ourselves, at any rate.

I figure in the best ways, the aloneness has taught me  a deep and passionate love of food where none had existed before. Cooking is an artform - creating something from bits and pieces of other things, imagining something and bringing it to life, picking just the right flavors - it’s personal. Yoga for days doesn’t even come close to the catharsis of creating something “just right”.  And yet, in my new house, in my new kitchen, something is off. My motivation is waning. Things don’t taste the same - although that’s probably only in my head. Previously, I would draw on the chaos and disorder that was my kitchen - the claustrophobic mess was a source of inspiration. Now, my perfectly white, incredibly functional space is vapid in comparison.  

I have a beautiful, pristine copy of The Art of French Cooking by Julia Childs that my mom gave to me this summer (Thanks Mom!). It’s something I’ve always wanted and intend to use and learn from - but I’ve barely opened it but to peruse the heavy pages and glance over the foreign-sounding, French titles. It is currently getting a lot of use as a shelf decoration.

And yet here we are at one of the most deliciously deep and wonderful meals I’ve ever created: Beef Bourguignon. It’s not quite the traditional Julia Child’s recipe but it is immensely satisfying:

Beef Bourguignon

(i.e. fancy beef stew) 

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil

2-3 strips bacon (optional)

2 lbs beef stew meat, cubed 1-½ inches

Salt and Pepper

1 whole white/yellow onion diced

1 lb carrots, cut into 1/2” pieces

2 ½ c. dry red wine (I used Burgundy)

1 can beef broth, low sodium (you can always add more salt) (16 oz)

2 TBS butter, softened

⅓ c. flour

¾ tsp dried thyme

1 bag frozen pearl onions

10 oz button or small portabella mushroom, halved or quartered

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees
2. Heat 2 tsp olive oil over medium heat on the stovetop in a dutch oven *. Add 2-3 bacon strips, sliced into small bits. Brown bacon until crispy and remove to a plate. ( I did not use bacon because supposedly we are on a “diet”).

*If you don’t have a dutch oven - do not fret! You can use a pot in combination with casserole dish. Alternatively, you can do it entirely on the stovetop (not recommended by me - but what do I know?).

2. Brown stew meat in single-layer batches in the bacon grease. Salt and pepper to season. Turn to brown on all sides. Remove to the plate with the bacon. 
   
   
   
   
    (Introducing - Action shots! I was so excited I made Ethan do different poses)
3. In remaining grease, add onions and carrots. Saute 5 minutes or until onions look transluscent. Do not be concerned about the carrots, they will get plenty of time to soften in the oven.
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Add wine, broth, and meat back into dutch oven. You should just about cover the meat with liquid. Add thyme. **At this point if you are prone to over-season, use some restraint, at least until it comes out of the oven. Place covered, in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes - until carrots and meat are tender.
   
   
   
5. Approximately 10 minutes before removing dutch oven from the oven, saute mushrooms over medium heat until browned. Set aside. Remove Dutch oven from the oven (carefully!)
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Remove from oven to stovetop. Add butter mixed with flour to hot stew and stir until combined. Add mushrooms and pearl onions.
   
   
   
7. Bring to a boil. Simmer 15 minutes.
   
   
   
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.
9. Serve with bread or over potatoes, rice, or pasta. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chocolate Sea Salt Shortbread Cookies

The inspiration for these came from Klara's Gourmet Cookies which we sell at the store where I work on the weekends. They're basically to die for.

Last Saturday we were OUT of her chocolate sea salt shortbread cookies. It was a tragedy. So I decided to make up some of my own! And here you go:

Ingredients
1 1/4 c. flour
1/3 c. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
11 tablespoons butter (1 stick + 3 TBS), softened
2/3 c. light brown sugar (not packed)
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp fine sea salt + more for sprinkling
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c. chocolate chipped (mini or chopped up small)

1. Sift together flour, cocoa powder and baking soda, set aside

2. Beat softened butter until creamy. Add  both sugars, sea salt and vanilla. Beat just until combined, turn mixer off (if you are using one)

3. Sift entire flour mixture into butter

4. "Pulse" mixture several times to combine all ingredients. This is a good place to add the chocolate chips. Mix for 30 seconds until all flour is incorporated. It will be crumbly

5. Turn out on clean, floured counter. Divide dough in two and each section into logs (1 1/2" - 2" in diameter. Wrap in wax paper and let rest in the refrigerator at least two hours but up to 3 days. (I made one batch after 2 hours and the second the next day, it keeps you from eating them all at once!)

6. When you're ready, preheat the oven to 325˚F. Remove dough from refrigerator and slice with a sharp knife into circles about 1/2" thick. (My rolls were lumpy and had a flat edge so they are a little misshapen but still just as delicious).

7. Spread on lined cookie sheet about 1" apart and sprinkle with sea salt.

8. Bake 12 minutes. They might not look done, but they are. Remove from sheet by sliding the liner on to the counter and let sit at least 5 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen cookies more or less.

Olive Cheddar Overnight Bread

I'm going to be honest with you - that's why I'm calling this "overnight" bread.  You'll find variations called "No-Knead" but my theory is that they are trying not to frighten you away. A 12-18 hour rise is not for the weary, the procrastinator, or those who still find Wonderbread a kitchen staple (no judgement).

But I promise you will not be dissapointed - it is entirely worth the wait. If it wasn't that good I doubt people would have continued to make it this way.

Now, I've adapted this recipe from good ol' Martha Stewart http://www.marthastewart.com. Think anything you want of her, but she really does know what she is doing... sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I've had more than one kitchen flops following her lead. But I keep going back for more of her guidance and this time it was totally worth the risk.

The real question is DO YOU LOVE OLIVES? DO YOU LOVE CHEESE? I'm a regular at the olive bar at the BigY and lately I've been trying different kinds.  And if you've been reading along, you probably already know my feelings on cheese (I love it - it ranks right up there below coffee). So I'm happy to wait the 12 - 18 hours for this delicious concoction.

Ingredients
3 c. all-purpose flour **
1 tsp salt (don't skimp!)
1 tsp yeast (that's about half a packet)
1 1/2 c. cool water (55˚F - 65˚F)
1 c. chunked extra-sharp cheddar cheese (I like Vermont, personally)
1 c. pitted olives, halved (I did not use the kind from a can, that's up to you)
                 I used:
                 About 1/2 c. pitted green olives marinated in garlic (from the olive bar)
                 About 1/2 c. various pitted black olives including Kalamatta (my favorite)

**A few notes about flour: I love experimenting with different kinds of flours. There are so many! But sometimes it's better not to risk it. In this case, I think you'll find a better texture/taste with standard all-purpose flour. I like to mix-and-match as much as the next amateur but this is neither the time nor place.

1. Get this baby out (or not, it's not really necessary, just mix in something you won't need for the next 12-18 hours). Since I live in the woods now, my mixer has been my best friend (sorry Nik!). Add flour, salt, yeast and combine thoroughly (no need to proof the yeast for this one). Add olives and cheese and gently coat with flour with a wooden spoon or your hands. Add 1 1/2 c. water, slowly. Mix gently with the wooden spoon until wet, sticky dough forms (~30 seconds) - adding more water when necessary. Cover with plastic and let sit in a room-temperature place 12 - 18 hours. (I only let mine sit 12 hours, I couldn't wait any longer).

2. When dough has doubled in size, and is puffy and sticky and beautiful, carefully remove from bowl onto floured surface.

3. With extra-floured hands shape dough into a round by stretching and tucking dough under. Remove to parchment paper with seam tucked under. Cover loosely and let rise AGAIN! (I know!) 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.

4. About 10 minutes prior to your dough being finished, get your dutch oven out of hiding (I know, I bet you thought you wouldn't see this guy again until fall). Preheat your oven to 450˚F and place the dutch oven inside (MAKE SURE that your dutch oven is rated for this temperature, it may or may not be depending on if it is enameled).

5.  When oven has preheated, CAREFULLY remove dutch oven from the oven with heavy-duty pot holders. Spray with non-stick spray. Invert dough into dutch oven so that it is seam-side up. Lid, and place in oven for 25 minutes.

6. Uncover, and continue baking 15 to 30 minutes until exterior is a golden brown. (I realize that's a big window, obviously Martha was trying to leave room for error - mine was in the oven 20 minutes).

Remember, patience is a virtue!