Rustic Bread

Rustic Bread is one of the 3 recipes that we MellowBakers are baking this month of April, 2010. The other 2 are Bagels, and Light Rye Bread.

Jeffrey Hamelman's Rustic Bread recipe is a fairly easy bread to make although it takes 2 days. The first day is for the preferment which is making a stiff dough with flour, water, salt, and a small amount of commercial yeast, leaving it on the kitchen counter for 12 to 16 hours. The next day is pretty much the same, mix bread flour, a little whole rye and whole wheat flour with water, salt, yeast, and the preferment. Bulk fermentation is 2½ hours with two folds after every 50 minutes, then the dough is divided and shaped into rounds [I shaped mine into fat batards] and made to rise for 1½ hours then off they go in a 450°F steamy oven . Easy peasy.

The bread is soft, chewy, and flavorful and I like it even more the next day, but not after that. Well, they didn't last beyond 3 days so no problem there. This could be a regular bread in my house. It's good for sandwiches or dipping into soups or stews.

Pork Belly Sisig

I have made pork belly sisig a few times already and it has become one of my favorite Filipino dishes. Its yummyness factor is way at the top, even Anthony Bordain loved it. Crispy pork is maybe the reason I won't consider being a vegan. I love vegetables as a side dish and tofu in all its forms but it's not fun to eat without meat and poultry dishes. The original pork sisig has a whole pork head but where in the world would I find that? Maybe at the farmer's market? Anyway, I made pork belly confit (bagnet or lechon kawali) and boiled some pork ears together with a few pieces of chicken livers. With lots of fresh calamansi juice I was in spicy hog goodness heaven. 

Pork Belly Sisig 

2 pork ears water 

2 pieces chicken liver 

2 teaspoons sea salt 

1 cup pineapple juice 

1 cup water 

¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorns 

1 tablespoon calamansi or lemon juice 

freshly cooked lechon kawali, homemade or store bought 

1 tablespoon white coconut vinegar 

1 sweet onion, chopped 

sea salt and ground pepper, to taste 

bird's eye chili, chopped, to taste

• Wash the ears well and place in a medium saucepan. Add water to cover and let boil. Drain and discard water. Add the chicken liver, salt, juice, water, and peppercorns. Let come to a boil, cover, and simmer over low-medium heat for 45 minutes.
• Remove pork and liver and discard the boiling liquid. Grill the pork ears until brown and crisp.
• Heat a cast iron skillet to sizzling hot.
• Chop the lechon kawali, pork ears, and liver into small cubes and place in a glass bowl. Add the calamansi or lemon juice, chopped onion, vinegar, salt, pepper, and chilis. Mix well. Place the meat mixture into the sizzling skillet. Serve immediately with calamansi and chilies on the side.

Apple Caramel Turnovers

stewed apples with gooey chewy caramel in flaky buttery crust

I can't remember the last time I ate Mickey D's apple pie turnovers. They are yummy and sweet and I like them even if they are so greasy and very hot they used to burn my tongue. Inspired by those turnovers I stewed some apples in a little sugar and water and baked a few pieces. Maybe I'll deep fry some just to compare the flakiness of the crust. For the filling I added 1 chopped caramel candy on top of the apple filling. The flavor of apples and caramel together is just divine. The apple becomes so soft and the caramel candy gooey, chewy, and sticky. Mmmmm.

Apple Caramel Turnovers
2 apples, peeled, cored, and finely diced
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons sugar
½ tablespoon butter
homemade or store-bought pie crust
caramel candies, chopped

• In a small skillet, cook the apples, water, and sugar until apples are tender but not mushy and the mixture is almost dry. Stir in the butter. Transfer into a small container, cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
• Roll pie crust into a rectangle until of desired thickness. Cut rectangles 8 x 3 inches long and wide. Place a tablespoon of apple filling in the middle of the half part of the rectangles. Top with 1 chopped caramel candy. Fold the other half over and seal the edges.

• Place turnovers on a baking sheet. With the tip of a knife, make 2 small slits on top of each turnover. Bake in a 425°F oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Pie crust recipe is here.

Egg and Mushrooms In A Cup

This is my version of oeufs en cocotte, the soft, creamy, and delicious eggs baked or poached in small pots or ramekins called cocottes. I don't have those mini cast iron or ceramic pots so I cooked the eggs in my small glass coffee cups because my ramekins are presently occupied. The coffee cups are a bit tall which I found out is better because they hold more yummy sauteed mushrooms. I also didn't bake them as it's easier and faster to poach them in a saucepan directly on the stove and there is no need to heat up the oven.

There are many versions of this egg dish. Some have bacon, cream, and/or cheese and some recipes don't have anything but 2 eggs in a buttered ramekin, but you can use whatever fancies you. I prefer the eggs with button mushrooms simply sauteed in extra virgin olive oil with shallots and seasoned with sea salt and a little minced parsley. The cooked mushrooms are layered alternately with a spoonful of crème fraîche before topping with an egg and poaching in gently simmering water. I love it with slightly sweet toasted brioche fingers which you can use to poke the egg to reveal the pretty runny yolk. I don't mind having this often for breakfast, brunch, and yes, for dinner too.

Oeufs en Cocotte
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or butter
2 large shallots, sliced
20 pieces button mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
a pinch of ground white pepper
2 teaspoons minced flat-leaf parsley
crème fraîche
4 eggs
sea salt

• In a skillet, heat oil or butter and saute shallots and mushrooms over high heat until mushrooms are golden. Turn off heat and stir in salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon parsley.
• Divide mixture into 8 portions. Spoon one portion on the bottom of a ramekin, add a tablespoon of cream, repeat one more time. Crack one egg on top of each filled ramekin and sprinkle with a little sea salt.
• Bake in a bain marie in a preheated 350°F oven until the tops are set but yolks are still runny, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining parsley. Serve with croutons or toasted brioche fingers.

so simple to make yet so satisfying

To make homemade crème fraîche: In a small jar, stir 1 tablespoon buttermilk into 1 cup heavy cream. Cover the jar and leave on the kitchen counter for 24 hours or until the mixture has set. Refrigerate immediately. This will keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator. This is very good as topping for baked potatoes or sweet potatoes.