I have always loved Bread; I was one of those kids who would happily walk around the house eating it by the slice, but it would be many years before I had a desire or the confidence to try and make any on my own.  In fact, I never attempted making bread until culinary school, and even under the guidance of my great instructors I had very little success. I had the tendency to over work the dough which would result in something that would scare even the hungriest bird away. 

A few years ago I started hearing about the no-knead method of baking bread, but it wasn’t until cookbooks started popping up featuring various forms of the technique that I gave it a try.  I tried a few different versions and was pleased, anything was better than my previous forays into bread making, but now we have a cookbook from “the” man who started it all, Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery in New York City.

After spending time in Italy studying art, Jim fell in love with European Artisan bread. After returning back to the United States he wanted to share his new found love of baking and Sullivan Street Bakery was born.  Before long Jim’s bread was appearing in some of the finest restaurants in New York City. Next, all it took was one article from a very well-known food writer and New York Times Columnist (Mark Bittman) to make Jim and his no-knead method a household name. 

My Bread is the book that fans of the no-knead method have been waiting for.  In the book he shares with us in detail how he went from Italy to Soho. He also talks about the science behind the no-knead method; the miracle of bread making he calls it. The basic no-knead bread recipe is laid before you followed with a host of recipes utilizing this now time tested method.  There is a whole section on the art of the sandwich as well as one on uses for stale bread (which is brilliant and very Frugal Foodie). 

As soon as I could carve out two days where I wouldn’t be far from home I jumped in and starting making bread. You know what? This process is the best one yet; great for the inexperienced and experienced cooks alike.  I’m nowhere near done going through all the recipes in this book, but the ones I’ve tried so far I can’t wait to make again.  Pane all’ Olive (Olive Bread, see recipe below) is perfect on its own or part of any meal.  The Stecca (see recipe below), which is made using a faster raising dough compared to the classic no-knead recipe, bakes quickly, and is the ideal sandwich bread.  Soft, flavorful, and chewy everything you should be looking for in a great sandwich bread. 

Once you see for yourself just how easy this method is, you will be baking bread week after week. And with such an easy fool-proof technique how could anyone ever go back to more traditional bread making methods?

Oh, before I forget, just a few things to note, the majority of the bread recipes require the use of a 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 quart dutch oven (Lodge or Le Creuset) for the bread to bake in.  In addition, there are other recipes that call for Romertopf Clay Bakers, pizza stone/peel, and the use of a juice extractor.  With the exception of the juice extractor most of these items are easy to find at any kitchenware store and relatively inexpensive.  The clay bakers are only needed for two of the recipes. Pizza stones are very inexpensive (I think I paid about 10 bucks for mine) and Jim offers substitution techniques if you do not have a juice extractor. My advice is to start out with the classic no-knead bread in the Dutch oven and once you've mastered that, consider adding additional items when your ready to try something new and don't let the use of new kitchen items deter you, this is a great method for making real artisan bread.     

Stecca - stick or small baguette

From My Bread by Jim Lahey. W.W. Norton, 2009.

The name of this bread - stecca, or "stick" in Italian - is one I simply made up to describe it, since it has a narrow shape. It's based on the faster-rising pizza bianca dough you'll find in the pizza section (see page 137) and is stretched into such a narrow rope that it bakes rapidly. It is also baked on a baking sheet rather than in a pot. In this case, even though I get a good, brittle crust, it's thinner than most of the other breads in this section. Because I wanted to use it for sandwiches (see Chapter Five), I was aiming for a lighter-colored, less-assertive loaf of bread to encase the filling ingredients without overpowering them. But the olive oil glaze and coarse salt make it very flavorful on its own.

Yield: 4 thin stick-shaped 18-inch loaves; 1/3 pound each
Equipment: A 13-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, table salt, sugar, and yeast. Add the water and, using a wooden spoon or your hand, mix until you have a wet, sticky dough, about 30 seconds. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature until the surface is dotted with bubbles and the dough is more than doubled in size, 12 to 18 hours.

2. When the first rise is complete, generously dust a work surface with flour. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape the dough out of the bowl in one piece. Fold the dough over itself two or three times and gently shape it into a somewhat flattened ball. Brush the surface of the dough with some of the olive oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the coarse salt (which will gradually dissolve on the surface).

3. Place a tea towel on your work surface and generously dust it with wheat bran, cornmeal, or flour. Gently place the dough on the towel, seam side down. If the dough is tacky, dust the top lightly with wheat bran, cornmeal, or flour. Fold the ends of the tea towel loosely over the dough to cover it and place in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for 1 to 2 hours. The dough is ready when it is almost doubled. If you gently poke it with your finger, it should hold the impression. If it springs back, let it rise for another 15 minutes.

4. Half an hour before the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F, with a rack in the center. Oil a 13-by-18-by-1-inch baking sheet.

5. Cut the dough into quarters. Gently stretch each piece evenly into a stick shape approximately the length of the pan. Place on the pan, leaving at least 1 inch between the loaves. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt.

6. Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then use a spatula to transfer the stecca to a rack to cool thoroughly.

Note: The stecca may become a bit soggy in just a few hours because of the salt on the surface. If that happens, reheat the loaves in a hot oven until crisp.

Variation: Stecca Pomodori, all'Olive, o al'Aglio (Stecca with Tomatoes, Olives, or Garlic)

Push 10 cherry tomato halves, cut side up, 10 large pitted olives, or 10 lightly crushed garlic cloves into each formed stecca, taking care to space the additions evenly down the length of the dough. Brush each stecca with enough olive oil to create a thin coat of oil on the surface. For the tomato stecca, top each tomato half with a very thin slice of garlic and a couple of fresh thyme leaves, and sprinkle with salt. Sprinkle the garlic stecca with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Do not salt the olive stecca-it's already salty from the olives.

Pane all'Olive - olive bread

From My Bread by Jim Lahey. W.W. Norton, 2009.

When I first opened Sullivan Street, with Roman baking in mind, this slightly pungent olive loaf immediately became my signature bread. As a result of the brine the olives release during baking, this recipe calls for no salt.

Yield: One 10-inch round loaf; 1½ pounds
Equipment: A 4½- to 5½-quart heavy pot

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, olives, and yeast. Add the water and, using a wooden spoon or your hand, mix until you have a wet, sticky dough, about 30 seconds. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature until the surface is dotted with bubbles and the dough is more than doubled in size, 12 to 18 hours.

2. When the first rise is complete, generously dust a work surface with flour. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape the dough out of the bowl in one piece. Using lightly floured hands or a bowl scraper or spatula, lift the edges of the dough in toward the center. Nudge and tuck in the edges of the dough to make it round.

3. Place a tea towel on your work surface and generously dust it with wheat bran, cornmeal, or flour. Gently place the dough on the towel, seam side down. If the dough is tacky, dust the top lightly with wheat bran, cornmeal, or flour. Fold the ends of the tea towel loosely over the dough to cover it and place it in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for 1 to 2 hours. The dough is ready when it is almost doubled. If you gently poke it with your finger, it should hold the impression. If it springs back, let it rise for another 15 minutes.

4. Half an hour before the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F, with a rack in the lower third, and place a covered 41/2 - to 51/2 -quart heavy pot in the center of the rack.

5. Using pot holders, carefully remove the preheated pot from the oven and uncover it. Unfold the tea towel and quickly but gently invert the dough into the pot, seam side up. (Use caution-the pot will be very hot; see photos, page 55.) Cover the pot and bake for 30 minutes.

6. Remove the lid and continue baking until the bread is a deep chestnut color but not burnt, 15 to 30 minutes more. Use a heatproof spatula or pot holders to gently lift the bread out of the pot and place it on a rack to cool thoroughly.

Note: For this loaf, any pitted olive will yield something worth eating. (You don't want to go to the trouble of pitting them yourself, because it is tedious and the results will not be as neat.) But what I turn to most often are pitted kalamata olives soaked in a pure salt brine-nothing else, just salt. A commonly available kalamata that I'm very fond of is made by Divina and can be found at many supermarkets and gourmet stores. You might think that because they're black they will change the color of the bread, but they won't, unless you carelessly dump some of the brine into the dough. Green Sicilian colossals, sometimes called "giant" olives, packed in pure salt brine, are another good option; they're often available at Italian food stores.

About My Bread

The secret to Jim Lahey's bread is slow-rise fermentation. As Jim shows in My Bread, with step-by-step instructions followed by step-by-step pictures, the amount of labor you put in amounts to 5 minutes: mix water, flour, yeast, and salt, and then let time work its magic-no kneading necessary. Wait 12 to 18 hours for the bread to rise, developing structure and flavor; then, after another short rise, briefly bake the bread in a covered cast-iron pot. The process couldn't be more simple, or the results more inspiring. My Bread devotes chapters to Jim's variations on the basic loaf, including an olive loaf, pecorino cheese bread, pancetta rolls, the classic Italian baguette (stirato), and the stunning bread stick studded with tomatoes, olives, or garlic (stecca). He gets even more creative with loaves like Peanut Butter and Jelly Bread, others that use juice instead of water, and his Irish Brown Bread, which calls for Guinness stout. For any leftover loaves, Jim includes what to do with old bread (try bread soup or a chocolate torte) and how to make truly special sandwiches.

Available at Amazon.com

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When I first looked through Friday Night Bites I had to laugh.  The concept behind the book is that instead of ordering take-out and collapsing in front of the TV on a Friday evening, as some families do, get your kids in the kitchen, prepare a great meal, and make a cool craft project.  Why did I laugh you wonder? Well, because even though I do cook most Friday evenings I barely have the energy to do that let alone add in some arts and crafts! But, I decided to mark a day on the calendar and give it a try. 

My girls are still pretty young, so I decided to find a menu and project that they would most relate to and it ended up being "Teddy Bear Picnic", because after all who doesn't like a Teddy Bear.  The menu consists of "Bear "themed foods: Honey-Kissed Pork Tenderloin (see recipe below) and Baby Bear Claw Pastries.  The craft project was Teddy Bear Bonnets (my girls love hats) which uses many items that can be found lying around the house, at least at my house, such as buttons, feathers, and ribbons.

Karen Berman does a great job of breaking down the tasks for you in a list format to follow so that the idea of dinner and a project don't seem overwhelming. And she provides Friday Night Time Savers or shortcuts, useful tips that keep things moving along steadily so you can still get the kids off to bed at a decent hour.  Although I don't think you could tackle a "Friday Night Bite" every week, these ideas are a great way to get families back to the dinner table enjoying each others company and having fun.

Teddy Bear Bonnets and Boaters

From Friday Night Bites by Karen Berman, Running Press 2009.

Every well-dressed teddy bear needs a bonnet or a snazzy boater hat. Make one or more for the bears in your house!

• Safety scissors
• 1 paper plate for each hat (Use large or small plates depending on the size of the bear)
• 1 (2-foot) length of ribbon for each hat
• More ribbon for decoration, including striped grosgrain if you are making boaters for boy bears
• Small decorative flowers, fruits, birds, butterflies, colorful feathers, and buttons or other small decorations for bonnets
• 1 (2- to 3-inch wide) strip of oak tag (thin, flexible poster board) that is about 2 inches shorter in length than the circumference of your paper plate, for boater hats
• Small buttons, feathers, birds, bugs, team logos, or other decorations, for boater hats
• 1(5- to 6-inch wide) roll of tulle
• Craft glue
• Transparent or masking tape
  

If your paper plate has a design imprinted on it and you want it to be part of the hat, turn the plate "inside out" so that the design shows when you put the plate on the bear's head.

With the scissors, cut a slit in the plate about 3/4 inch to 1 inch long; position it where the curved rim of the plate ends and the flat center begins, about an inch or so from the edge of the plate. Make another slit directly across from it, so that you can insert the 2-foot ribbon into the slits and tie the plate onto the bear's head.

To make a boater, take the strip of oak tag and make a ring to fit the circumference of the flat inside part of the plate. Trim excess cardboard and tape the strip together securely to make a ring. Tape the ring to the plate from the inside. Glue the grosgrain ribbon to the bottom of the ring, where it joins the plate. Finish the hat by gluing on feathers, buttons or other decorations. Let it dry.

To make a bonnet, cut a length of tulle and tie it into a bow, leaving 6 to 8 inches of tulle for each of the bow's "tails". Glue to the back of the bonnet. If you wish, cut a length of tulle to make a veil that will hang over the front of the bonnet and glue it on. Decorate the hat by gluing the flowers, fruit, birds, butterflies, feathers, and other decorations to it. Let it dry. Or use your imagination and decorate your bear's hat any way you wish.

Honey-Kissed Pork Tenderloin

From Friday Night Bites by Karen Berman, Running Press 2009.

What's a bear's favorite flavor? Honey, of course. In this dish, honey is mixed with soy sauce and honey mustard to add a luscious sweet-savory dimension to the oh-so-tender tenderloin. The mixture begins as the marinade and ends up in the sauce. Just never use a marinade in which raw meat has been soaked as a sauce on cooked food; be sure to heat it to boiling once you remove the meat from it, or you run the risk of introducing food-borne bacteria to your cooked food. When you're shopping, look for a pork tenderloin that is not pre-marinated. You're making your own from scratch!

Makes 4 to 5 servings

• 2 to 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey mustard
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 (1 to 1 1/2-pounds) pork tenderloin
• 3/4 cup beef stock
• 1/2 teaspoon arrowroot
• Salt to taste (optional)
• Feshly ground black pepper to taste (optional)
  

Preheat the oven to 475F.

Place the garlic into a shallow nonreactive glass, ceramic or plastic container big enough to hold the tenderloin. Add the honey, soy sauce, honey mustard, and oil and mix until thoroughly combined.

Trim the pork tenderloin: With a sharp knife, peel off any silvery skin (it's called silverskin) and trim any fat. Place the trimmed tenderloin into the marinade and turn a few times to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight or a few hours‹or if time is short, while you prep the rest of the dinner.

When you are ready to cook, transfer the tenderloin to a roasting pan and roast for 10 minutes. Reserve the marinade, keeping it away from any raw food or utensils.

After 10 minutes, turn the tenderloin and carefully pour the marinade over it. Roast for 10 more minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into it reads 150 to 155šF and the tenderloin is nicely browned on the outside and just slightly pink in the center.

Remove the tenderloin from the pan and place on a serving platter to rest. Deglaze the roasting pan by adding the beef stock and stirring to loosen any browned bits from the bottom. Pour the contents of the pan into a small saucepan, add the arrowroot, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens and reduces in volume enough to coat a spoon lightly. Taste and season with salt and pepper if you like.

Cut the tenderloin into round medallions and pour some of the sauce over them. Pour the remaining sauce into a serving bowl or gravy boat and pass at the table.

About Friday Night Bites

It’s time for some family fun with creative crafts and out-of-this-world meals, and you might even learn something, too! Take the whole gang on a trip through the imagination with food and activities for all ages, any old Friday night.

Available at Amazon.com

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I think I can safely say that all of us here at Project Foodie love chocolate - milk, dark, white and everything in between.  A great piece of chocolate is like a great glass of wine, complex, soul-satisfying and just plain delicious.  This year I have had the great pleasure of hanging out with the folks at Scharffenberger chocolate for some neat events. 

Back in July I went to my first ever chocolate tasting sponsored by the well known chocolatier.  The event was in celebration of the release of the movie Julie & Julia.  There is a scene in the movie where the Julie Powell character, after a particularly grueling day at the office, walks by a Scharffenberger chocolate display and becomes inspired to make a chocolate crème pie that same evening.  The chocolate tasting, which was held at the French Culinary Institute in New York City, featured a cooking demonstration by Jacques Pepin, world renowned Chef and great friend of Julia Child. The actual tasting was led by founder and owner John Scharffenberger. The chocolate tasting was not unlike that of a wine tasting.  We were instructed to take a small piece of chocolate let it rest on our tongues, and as we tasted we were led in a discussion about the various flavor profiles we might experience.  There was talk about cacao percentages, levels of sugar, and the various countries where Scharffenberger acquires his cacao supply. During the demonstration we were also treated to a lunch featuring several savory dishes that featured chocolate as a key ingredient.  I left the event far more knowledgeable about chocolate than I ever thought I’d be and with an even finer appreciation for it.

Last month Scharffenberger hosted another event, this time at my alma mater the Institute of Culinary Education, to kick off their Chocolate Adventure Contest with the website Tutti Foodie (no relation to Project Foodie).  Between now and January 3, 2010 enter an original recipe featuring Scharffenberger artisan chocolate and one or more of 16 different “Adventure” ingredients for a chance to win $10,000.  Some of this year’s adventure ingredients are smoked, sea salt, sumac, and black-eyed peas just to name a few.  I wasn’t able to attend the event in September, but I was able to participate via webcast where we were able to interact with Top Chef Masters’ finalist and San Francisco pastry chef Elizabeth Falkner, who made some fantastic desserts featuring adventure ingredients. She's also one of the judges in this year’s contest.  So for those of you out there that love chocolate as much as we do, get in the game and show the folks at Scharffenberger that you’ve got what it takes.  We plan on interviewing this year’s winner here at Project Foodie.  In the meantime, and perhaps for a little inspiration, listed below are a few chocolate recipes made perfectly with Scharffenberger chocolate of course.

Chocolate Cream Pie (Gourmet, April, 1994) My Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 View: finding recipe... More Actions: add comment cancel add comment | view comment (0) hide comment | edit notes cancel edit notes | show tags hide tags | share hide share My Notes: - Private info just for you! Edit Tags Rename Tag to Add Comment: Comments:

Bittersweet Chocolate Truffles (Bon Appétit, December, 2006) My Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 View: finding recipe... More Actions: add comment cancel add comment | view comment (0) hide comment | edit notes cancel edit notes | show tags hide tags | share hide share My Notes: - Private info just for you! Edit Tags Rename Tag to Add Comment: Comments:

Roasted Beef Tenderloin With Rosemary, Chocolate And Wine Sauce (Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger, Episode: Chocolate Surprises, Season: 4) My Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 View: finding recipe... More Actions: add comment cancel add comment | view comment (0) hide comment | edit notes cancel edit notes | show tags hide tags | share hide share My Notes: - Private info just for you! Edit Tags Rename Tag to Add Comment: Comments:

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We’re going to end our series of Chefs’ Holidays interviews on a definite high note.

The year was 1999 and I was in culinary school, I had just a few more months to go and no idea what the future would hold for me. I remember picking up my latest issue of Food and Wine magazine, with the cover boasting the headline 'Best New Chefs', and being in awe of the then 32 year old Suzanne Goin who had worked the kitchens of Chez Panisse and Campanile.  After reading through her profile I thought only one thing. That could be me.   

Well, here it is ten years later and I’m sure Suzanne like me is pretty surprised at where our careers have taken us, but one thing is for sure - Suzanne has definitely lived up to her title of Best New Chef. Today, she’s no longer a new chef but she is one of the best chef’s in this country. Suzanne Goin will be part of the Chefs' Holidays session that runs from Sunday January 24 - Tuesday January 26, 2010.

Recently, I got the chance to ask Suzanne a few questions. Here's what she had to say:

Q: For our readers that may be unfamiliar, please share with us you culinary journey.  When did you decide you wanted a career in food?

A: I have always loved food, restaurants and cooking since I was a child -- my parents were really into food (I always say they were foodies before the term was coined). On weekends when I was bored I would open a cookbook and just make something. My sister and I even "catered" my parents' dinner parties starting from when I was about 10 years old. But my parents were into education and being a chef was just not a career that people really talked about then (pre-food network, pre-celebrity chef). Most chefs were French men so it didn't really occur to me. So I followed the college track, went to brown, but as soon as I got there I found myself looking for a restaurant job.  I ended up at al Forno, which was amazing. While I loved school, my heart was really in the restaurant, so when I graduated I started cooking full time. I got a job at Chez Panisse, went to work in France for Alain Passard, came back to Boston and worked for Jody Adams and Todd English. I moved back to LA in the mid-90's and worked for Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton, Joachim Splichal and eventually opened Lucques.
 
Q: What trends in the food world right now have you most excited and why?

A: I sort of hate the idea of trends and food being trendy. That being said I'm excited that people have embraced the idea of slow-food, shopping locally, farmers markets, handcrafted artisan products and organic and sustainable thinking. I just hope it's not a trend.

Q: Could you tell us a few restaurant secrets/tips that home cooks could benefit from?

A: Sharpen your knives (or get them sharpened). Think in terms of Mise en place - do your prep and set yourself up for success so you can enjoy cooking and your guests.

Q: When you're not at your restaurants/businesses where can we find you?

At home with my husband and 3 kids (doesn't happen that often!) Or at the spa (my vice)....or ideally on Kauai!

Q: After 11 years, Lucques is still one of the most well-known and celebrated restaurants in this country, what is the secret to your success?

A: Lucques is a very personal place. My partner and I really poured, and continue pouring, our hearts and soul into it. I think people can feel that even if they don't know what they are feeling. And the space is great, it's warm and cozy. I think you just feel good when you are there and hopefully the food is good too!

Q: What tips do you have for women in the restaurant business, or those who want to get into the business in regards to balancing family and career?

A: Wow, I need someone to give me some tips! I guess my advice is that it's really really hard. I mean the work is hard and the hours are hard and in many ways its not conducive to family life at all. I'm sort of struggling with that now... You have to love it (the business) incredibly and be really dedicated to it or it just doesn't make sense (personally I couldn't imagine doing anything else). So many people drop out because it is too much. Up until we had kids it was easy to balance because my husband is a chef too. We would just hang out late at night, in the morning and on Mondays. But now with the kids it's really hard because they don't want me to go to work and I really miss them. I'm working it out, but I feel like it's almost impossible to balance it - which is hard.

Thank you Chef Goin for taking the time to speak with us along with Chefs David Kinch, Carla Hall, and Christopher Lee.  If you have a chance to get to Chefs' Holidays this year then go, with such great culinary talent there it sounds like an event not to be missed.  

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