• inspiration: Flower Rolls (huajuan), p.331-334
• Mrs. Chiang's Szechwan Cookbook
• Szechwan Home Cooking
• By Ellen Schrecker
• (learn more by following this link)

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summary: recipe for Steamed Flower Rolls based on the recipes for Xiang Cong Hya Juan Bao (Chinese flower steam buns) in “Global Baker” by Dean Brettschneider and Flower Rolls (huajuan) in “Mrs. Chiang’s Szechwan Cookbook” by Ellen Schrecker; information about Bread Baking Babes and Lynn’s High5; submission for YeastSpotting; (click on images to see larger views and more photos)

Bread Baking Babes (BBB): Chinese Flower Steam Buns

At last!!

My promise to bake all the previous BBBabe breads continues to haunt me….

I have been thinking for quite a while that I really should try the steamed flower rolls. Every time we go to China Town, I see someone preparing stuffed rolls for steaming (I love that so many of the restaurants have people preparing food in front of those big picture windows facing onto the street!) and remember that we’ve GOT to try them.

And then when we got to the Flower Roll section in Mrs. Chiang’s Cookbook, I was even more resolved to get cracking. The two recipes are not unsimilar so I decided to almalgamate.

I got steamed up!! Finally…

I know. I’m only a couple of years late. I hope the BBBabes will forgive me (again) for my tardiness (and flagrant disregard of some of the instructions). (continue reading…)

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summary: recipe for leek and potato soup (click on image(s) to see larger view and more photos)

Not long ago, one of my friends made leek and potato soup and posted about it on Facebook. Monkey see, monkey do.

Today I made leek and potato soup (otherwise known as Vichyssoise). The Scots side of me refuses to only use the white part, and as a result the soup was a rather lovely shade of green as opposed to pure white. Tasted excellent, however.

- Ken B, Facebook, 5 January 2012

Ah!! The ultimate comfort food for a cold winter’s night: leek and potato soup and baking powder biscuits (Yes, Ken, no worries, we used the green parts of the leeks)

- me, Facebook, 15 January 2012

Don’t you LOVE Facebook? Thank you for reminding us about how wonderful leek and potatoes are together, Ken!

Question: What could be better than a bowl of potato leek soup?
Answer: potato leek soup garnished with bacon

This soup was so good that we had it two nights in a row. It was even better the second night!

We decided that we wouldn’t purée the soup as is traditional. We like seeing the potato cubes and little half rings of leek floating around. (continue reading…)

summary: popovers (Yorkshire Pudding) are insanely easy to make; (click on image(s) to see larger view and more photos)

Several weeks ago, I bemoaned the fact that I had never taken any photos of our popovers and said “I must make popovers soon!” …I did make them the following week. And again at the beginning of January. And again last night. Here at last is the proof:

Back in October, Katie (Thyme For Cooking) posted Popovers – easiest bread possible! Really! I couldn’t agree with her more. They really are the easiest things to make. And SO satisfying too!

I remember almost fainting with anticipation whenever Mum made popovers. I can conjure up the aromas of the roast resting on the counter and feel how chapped my hands were from peeling all those potatoes and carrots and see Mum carving little cross patterns into the Brussels sprouts and hear the gentle clatter of silverware and good china as someone set the table.

Yes, I adore popovers! What am I saying? WE adore popovers. With way too much gravy. It doesn’t matter what kind of gravy either – roast chicken gravy, pot roast gravy, dark chocolate-chili gravy, duck à l’orange gravy – they’re all good. (continue reading…)

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summary: recipe for coconut fish curry; garnishing with toasted peanuts and coconut; we love our Magic Bullet; (click on images to see larger views and more photos)

Swoon… This was so fabulous. It was so good I thought I was going to cry.

T made the curry sauce with, among other things, butter and shredded coconut and butter (did I mention there was butter?) edit after T gave me the recipe: Bzzzzzzzt!!! WRONG!!! There is NO butter. Not one ounce. It’s coconut milk…. and onions. The gorgeous gold colour was from adding a red pepper to the mix and then whirring the whole thing in one of our favourite toys: the Magic Bullet.

Once the sauce was prepared, T dried off some tilapia fillets and coated them with turmeric. He then fried the fish and once it was done, he added the still warm sauce.

(continue reading…)

summary: mushroom risotto orzotto; removing deep seated prejudices about barley; (click on images to see larger views and more photos)

For ages, I held onto the ridiculous idea that I didn’t like barley. Even though Katie (Thyme for Cooking) has been repeatedly reminding her readers about the barley’s virtues. She has also not left out the fact that it tastes good too, noting that barley is not just in beef/barley soup, but is also a primary ingredient in many types of beer and whiskey.

[B]arley [...] has more than 3 times the fiber of brown rice, or blueberries; more than twice that of whole-wheat spaghetti or an apple. In addition it’s high in selenium, tryptophan, copper, manganese and phosphorus. It’s been shown to help lower cholesterol and control Type 2 Diabetes. It’s fiber is particularly friendly to the bacteria that live in your gut, keeping your intestines healthy and happy. And it tastes good.

-Katie Z, Why eat barley?, Thyme For Cooking

Katie uses barley in stir-fries, stews, salads and gratins. The photos and descriptions of the various dishes look fabulous.

So. Why did it take me so long to believe her?!

(continue reading…)

• inspiration: Lemon Anise Snowflakes
• Wild Yeast (wildyeastblog.com)
• Lemon Anise Snowflakes
• By Susan T
• (learn more by following this link)

summary: citrus fennel snowflakes; perfect way to use up syrup after candying peel; submission for YeastSpotting; (click on images to see larger views and more photos)

I was looking through our desktop photos folder and realised that I had completely forgotten to post about this wonderful bread!

It’s January and of course, here in the frigid north, we do have to expect to see snow. I, however, am not the biggest fan of snow. Sure, it’s pretty. And there is something really magical about watching it softly falling and covering the world in a beautiful sparkling white blanket.

But it’s cold. And once the luster has worn off, it turns grey. And lumpy. Or slushy. And then when the temperature plunges, lumpy AND icy.

However, I saw some fabulous looking snowflakes on Susan’s (Wild Yeast) site. Sure she is in balmy California. But SHE knows how to make snow!

I had lots of lemon syrup as a byproduct of the candying of the lemon peels [...] And the shaping was just me playing around to see what showed up, and perhaps longing for the December snow(flakes) I used to know in Vermont

-Susan, Lemon Anise Snowflakes, Wild Yeast

In December, after making Stollen, I too had a lot of citrus syrup lying around. So I decided, as opposed I am to snow even in December, to make some snowflakes too.

(continue reading…)

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summary: recipe for Cuban Bread based on a recipe by Bernard Clayton; information about Bread Baking Babes and YeastSpotting; (click on images to see larger views and more photos)

Bread Baking Babes (BBB) January 2012

Call me Thomas. Yes, even though I saw the other BBBabes’ Cuban bread, I still didn’t believe it.

Bread in two hours? Doubt it, Ralph!

But that’s what the recipe claims. And I just proved to myself that it’s true.

So. Next time someone says “But I don’t have TIME to make bread from scratch!!” I can point them to this amazing recipe. (continue reading…)