Tracy Cooks in Austin

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Brioche (muffin size)

I feel like a treatie. I feel like something decadent, delicious, and worthy of a morning with a good cup of coffee and a paper.

There are few things so delightful on a Sunday morning than warm brioche.

I have no plans for tomorrow and think I need a delightful Sunday morning. Look at what we're going to make!! *we as in you and I, no one here will play with me*

I'm making Brioche. The dough is rising in the fridge. In theory, I will take it out of the fridge, punch it down and form it into 12 mini brioches, let them rise an hour and bake them.

I don't make these too often for me. I am sort of cheap and feel the half pound of butter in it is prohibitive, well, to make something just for me. I make these for friends regularly. That's out the window today, I need a treat and apparently, I'm the one to make it.

Tracy's Brioche Mini's

In the bowl of a Cuisinart (food processor), combine:
4 Tbsp water
2 tsp sugar
2 1/2 tsp yeast (or one packed)
Allow to proof about 10 minutes.

ADD (all at once)
3 eggs
3/4 tsp salt (kosher)
2 cups a/p flour

Pulse until just combined. Add 2 sticks (1/2 cup) cool, but softened, butter

Pulse until it's sticky and smooth, don't overwork it

Use a rubber spatula and put it in a bowl in a relatively round shape. Cover with plastic wrap (I butter the plastic with the butter wrapper) and put in the fridge. Leave in there overnight to rise.

In the morning, remove the risen dough to a lightly flour dusted board and divide into 12 balls.

Roll each ball into a round then roll the side of your hand along one quarter of the ball to form a second, smaller, ball (see picture) Pick up by the small ball and drop into a buttered muffin tin.

Repeat... make a ball, chop/roll the top third, pick it up my it's little head and drop/press into a buttered tin. No, I don't own brioche molds, maybe one of these days I'll spring for some.

Brush with egg and leave to double, about an hour.

30 minutes into the rise, preheat the oven to 375. I put mine to rise in a makeshift proofing box, yes, it's a roasting tin over them. *sigh* After they've risen, about an hour, brush them with egg again and pop them into a preheated oven.

When the brioche has risen (not doubled but definitely puffier), brush a second time with egg and bake until brown, crispy, risen, beautiful, puffy and airy. BAKE, 375 for 25 minutes. Remove immediately from the tins and leave to cool for a few minutes at least.

Here's the beauty shots:

They are crispy and airy and buttery and light...

I slather them in butter and then put a blob of my homemade strawberry jam... yeah, that works.

These are high bang for the relatively easy dough making, just wait overnight, buck. Go make them. They are light, airy, buttery, crispy, soft, and feel extravagant.

Seriously, go make them.

I like mine slathered with the homemade jam I made. Even though you have to think about these the night before, they're easier than regular bread and so rich and decadent and delicious.

Truly, go make these.

/enjoy

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Pasta Primavera (my version) Pasta with Vegetables

This isn't a recipe, it's a list. It's one of my favorites... Connor absolutely loves it. It's my "there's nothing to make for dinner and I'm starving and need something right now" go to dish.

This absolutely serves more than two of us but this is how I make it for Connor and I. There's a small second helping for each of us and then a bowlful for later. He's 13 and perpetually hungry mid evening.

Here's how I do it:

Put a giant pot of water, heavily salted, on to boil. I learned the water should taste like the sea, if it doesn't, add more salt.

Grab 1/2 pack of angel hair pasta, I prefer Barilla. Break the pasta into thirds and put in a bowl, waiting. Get another serving bowl and throw a handful of frozen peas in it, set it aside.

You'll need a little cream and a little chicken stock, I always have both on hand. You CAN use water in place of the stock and you CAN use half and half in place of the cream, it's no excuse not to make this.

While the water is on to heat, chop into small pieces and put into separate piles on your cutting board:

2 slices of bacon

1/2 small onion

1/2 small zucchini

2 small tomatoes

2 garlic cloves

handful of whatever fresh herbs you have, parsley, basil, thyme, oregano (be judicious, it's strong when it's fresh)

*you can add ANY fresh vegetable or greens you have on hand

Put a medium sized fry pan on medium high and start to fry the bacon in a drizzle of either olive oil or bacon fat, just to get it going... fry it until it's pretty and brown and it's rendered it's fat.

ADD the onion and fry for a moment then add the zucchini and garlic cloves. Shush it around a bit on a medium high heat. If you're in the mood, add a little butter for flavor and richness. Butter and bacon and bacon fat and onions, really, there's few things so spectacular in the kitchen.

OH look, it's time to toss the pasta in the boiling water, stir it around and set the timer for 4 minutes.

Add some stock to the vegetables and bring it to a vigorous boil, add some cream and the tomatoes. Boil it for a minute or so then add most of the herbs. Salt and pepper to taste, add the frozen peas and let it simmer for the rest of the pasta cooking time, it'll reduce and the flavor will absolutely become richer.

When the pasta is cooked, keep about a cup of the pasta water then drain it well. Add the pasta to the sauce in the pan and add a little of the pasta water to loosen it up. Toss well, add the rest of the fresh herbs and toss around again.

Serve in 2 deep bowls with loads of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and more freshly ground pepper.

Eat with abandon and joy

The sauce simmering down...mixed with the vegetables...piled high in a bowl

Shave fresh Parmesan over it, quick, delicious, hope it'll become a 'go to' for you as well.

/enjoy!

Monday, July 9, 2012

Portuguese style rolls

I'm not a purist, I play, futz and make up recipes. I have become remarkably adept at making bread. I do it every other day. My husband doesn't like any of it and smiles politely when he walks in. Kiddo and everyone else I know is a fan. It keeps me going, "culinarily" speaking.

I have had a hankering for good, real, Italian and Portuguese rolls. I have searched Austin, Texas and can't find anything worth the money to buy. I have flour, yeast, some bread knowledge and the inclination. I worked at paying with amounts, times, processes and how the dough feels...BINGO; I've mastered the Portuguese style roll. I don't claim it's authentic, regionally or historically correct. It is, however, the most delicious bread I've ever made. I'll put it up against any similarly named/described bread in Austin and considering I'm eternally insecure, and get all my support online, that's quite a statement out of me.

Get a pen, here we go;

Tracy's Portuguese (style) Rolls

1/2 cup warm water
2 1/2 tsp yeast
1 Tbsp honey

1/2 cup warm water
1 cup a/p flour

2 Tbsp lard
2 Tbsp margarine
2 tsp salt (kosher, 1 1/2 tsp if you use *shudder* freeflow or table salt)
3 cups a/p flour

1+ cup warm water

Combine water, yeast and honey in bowl, leave to proof and get poofy about 5 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup warm water and 1 cup flour. Combine to a batter like consistency. Leave to proof and get puffy and lump looking, about 10 minutes.

Add lard, margarine, salt and flour and combine using dough hook on KitchenAid. Add warm water to make it a soft dough. I use about 1 cup, it might take more depending on your flour, it might take less. Add it a little at a time. Turn the mixer on high and knead for 10 minutes. It will clear the side of the bowl and become smooth and a little shiny. It is a very soft dough.

Remove it from the KitchenAid and knead briefly on a lightly floured board. Really, this isn't entirely necessary I just like to feel involved and as though it needs me.

Form into a smooth ball and toss back in the mixing bowl, no need to grease. Cover with a damp towel and put it somewhere warm (I put mine in the garage!) and leave it to rise to at least double (set timer for 45 minutes and check). You'll see from the beauty shots below mine was substantially more than double and it took 32 minutes.

Turn on the oven to 475, put a pan of water in the bottom of your oven and heat it at the same time. I use a small cast iron skillet because it fits, use whatever you have. Don't use too large a pan or else you may have soggy/underdone bottoms and that's no good. The other alternative is throwing some ice cubes into the bottom of your oven to create steam. This dough loves a very steamy environment!

Remove and gently deflate the dough. Divide it into 12 balls. Leave it to rest about 5 minutes. Yes, this part matters.

After 5 minutes, flatten the balls and make a crease down the middle with the side of your hand. Fold the dough in half and put it folded side down on a board (or towel) and cover it. Leave them to get puffy and a little wobbly, about 10 minutes.

Flip them right side up, gently, on a floured sheetpan and spritz them liberally with water. Put them in the preheated oven and spray them again at the 3 minute mark (without removing them, just open the door and spray some water on them, avoiding the oven bulb!!)

Bake them at 475 for 18-20 minutes. Check them at 12 minutes then and spin the sheetpan if you have to, then bake them about 6 minutes longer.

Remove them to a rack to cool, take them off the sheetpan.

EAT! They have a hard, crisp bottom and a slightly crispy top.

They are light but dense and have a fantastic flavor. As I said, the best things I've ever made. Here's the play by play and gratuitous beauty shots.

Mix the water, yeast and honey then add some flour and water to make a batter...let it rest.