Bagel Secrets

I realize that the prospect of making bread can be quite frightening. However, as the title of this post implies I have a secret bagel recipe that will have you making bread in under an hour. Easy-peasy fresh bread. And the good news is that you can even use dried yeast instead of fresh yeast and your bagels will still turn out perfectly well. Did I mention that these are Montreal style bagels? Whenever I'm not in New York I always find myself missing my breakfast or lunch bagels, so when I'm home I just quickly whip up a batch of these and top them off with some sesame and some rock salt. Isn't it ironic that bagels are such a New York trademark these days, even though bagels were originally invented in Poland and known since the early 1600s?

I got this recipe from one of my favorite easy recipe cook books, and have linked to it at the end of the post! Also if you want to read a post on my favorite bagels in NYC, you can read about Black Seeds Bagels here.

Recipe

50 g sugar
525 ml water
42 g fresh yeast, or 2 packets of dried yeast
20 g salt
1 kg all purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
Sesame, poppy seed, rock salt, garlic or any toppings you desire

First, stir together the water, sugar and yeast until fully disolved. Add the salt and the flour and place the mixture in a large bowl (now would be the time to use a kitchen aid if you have one) and knead your dough until smooth, or for about 10 minutes. Cover your bowl with a kitchen towel and place in a warm place to let the dough rise (I like to put mine in the oven at about 30-35°C to help the yeast do its magic).

Preheat your oven to 225°C and boil a big pot of water together with the tbsp of sugar. Form your bagels without using any extra flour by rolling sausages from the dough and attaching the ends. Leave them to rise another couple minutes on a baking sheet. Then place a couple bagels at a time in the simmering water. Once the bagels reach the surface of the water, you can remove them and put your toppings on them. It's important to add the toppings while the bagels are still wet and you can add a bit extra of the toppings, because some of it will probably fall off before you can eat it. Place the finished bagels on a baking sheet and in the oven for about 22 minutes or until golden. And there you go, fresh bread in no time.

Cynthia Barcomi's Backbuch (German Edition)

By Cynthia Barcomi

Buy on Amazon

Orange Almond Scones

Some breakfast ideas stay with you forever, some are fleeting memories. Once we visited Napa valley and some of their famous vineyards. We stayed in a cosy Bed & Breakfast place. I remember vividly how it smelled early in the morning, as the entire valley harvested their grapes and the air was filled with sweet smell of freshly pressed wine. Did you know that a 3 day old grape juice is already fermenting and very sweet? I was so surprised when we got to sip on a Mondavi that was still virgin. One morning we got up really early and against all our instincts we climbed into the basket of a hot air balloon and travelled with all the other balloons through the valley. The most "uplifting" experience. The sun rises and you are high up there almost no sound except the heating of the air balloon. I will never forget the coming down as well. A little breeze got us off track and we motioned towards a ridge and some bushes. All the other balloons landed safely, except ours. The captain then asked all the men to jump out , take a rope and pull the balloon down, but with less weight and only us 2 girls in the basket the wind took us right into the ridge.

I was terrified and couldn't help but think: " Why did I ever get into that balloon in the first place, I might die today!" Of course I didn't but most of us got some scratches and bruises because the balloon then got caught in the trees, the men wanted to help rescue their wives and we had to descend from up there! A balloon ride with an adventure for free!

The B&B we stayed in was called "Sunny Acres" in St Helena and the owner of the house was previously the pastry chef at the Mondavi Estate. Her breakfast each morning was just awesome and she kindly shared one of her recipes with me. I still have it in her handwriting, back then when you actually wrote with a pen on paper ...

You Need:

3 cups all purpose flower
1/4 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 baking soda
> mix all in bowl

8tbsp or 115 grams butter
1/2 sugar
1/2 almond finely chopped or almond meal 
> add to the the flour mix with the help of your pastry blender

1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup buttermilk, yoghurt or milk
1 large egg
1 tbsp grated orange peel
1/4 tsp almond extract
Mix all in a large enough glass and and then into the other ingredients until a soft dough forms.
Turn onto your bored and knead 5/6 times, put into round and cut it with a knife into 12 or 16 equal pieces before baking.

Bake for 25 minutes at 185°C or 375°F. Let cool. Best enjoyed with butter and jam or clotted cream even with whipped cream. The orange and the almonds are really a great combination and it is easy to make - just scones!
 

Marbled Meringue

This has been really hard! I had to make these gorgeous meringue watch them on my countertop, waiting to be enjoyed and I cannot eat them !!! How much torture can one endure? I am almost giving in ....

I am on a little detox and it has been a week without sugar ... A WEEK! already! And here I have this beautiful post for you and while I am writing my mouth waters. My only comfort is that you are able to enjoy them and try them out, it is an easy recipe. The thing I realized is that the baking time I put down on paper can be prolonged another hour! Yes, Ii checked them at the time given but they were not done yet on the inside, so at 100°C nothing burns they only dry as they should so give it a try and make them, most important is that they are thoroughly baked. You can even prepare them days ahead they keep well after they dried ... mine wait for me to finish my inner cleansing ! And THEN I will indulge ! 

And how are you doing, are you keeping your resolutions against all temptations ? You are very brave and committed just like me! It is to our benefit, right? And we can do it: YES WE CAN !

You Need

6 egg whites
350 grams caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
150 grams dark chocolate, melted in a hot water bath

Preheat oven to 125°C / 257°F.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 
Whisk egg whites until frothy. Gradually add in caster sugar, then vanilla and vinegar. Whip until the egg whites hold stiff peaks and there is no sugar grit left. Drizzle 2/3 of the melted chocolate on top of meringue and with a spoon,  carefully and gently fold (don’t mix). With two spoons heap mixture onto baking sheet, you can be creative and make those meringue look all different, but try to give them all approximately the same size so they are ready at the same time.

Drizzle leftover chocolate on top of meringues, in swirls or grids.   

Lower oven temperature to 100°C / 212°F. Bake for about 70-80 minutes (or until meringue no longer sticks to the paper). 

Turn off oven and leave meringues in the oven for an extra 20 minutes.

Let the meringues cool on a wire rack. Best if you love to make desserts with lots of drama and much effect: you can brake them with your thumbs in the center and spoon liquor soaked fresh raspberries on them. Or you make layers of vanilla ice-cream with broken meringue pieces in a pretty glass. That I will definitely try and top it with the liquor infused berries ... mhhhhhhh!

Let it look really messy this time and enjoy the crisp melting texture. It is heavenly. FAT FREE !!!

Cranberry Apple Pie

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While Sophie was still here in Austria, we tried to bake as much as we could eat and every visitor had to sample our creations. The weather was exceptionally beautiful for Christmas break, kind of picturesque. It was snowing lots for hours on end and after extensive walks or hikes on the mountain maybe a relaxing Sauna, what feels more like home than baking warm apple pie? I once heard that the smell of freshly brewed coffee and an apple pie scent would make prospect buyers of a home more prone to purchase than anything else. Just because subconsciously one can imagine to make a cosy home there. Tricky but effective. Sophie and I made this recipe up out of the things we had at home and we used the Pâte Sucrè recipe simplified by Thomas Keller, one of our favorite cookbooks.

Let us know what you think of the look for this post, we tried something new to inspire you. Kind of our "winter look" for food, as the light has just not been too helpful this time. I do kind of like it but I will need a little training still.

You Need

3 peeled apples, no core, cut in slices
1/2 cup fresh cranberries, rolled in sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice

Let the apples marinate in the sugar-cinnamon-lemon juice that you heat up once before. Set aside.

for the dough:

375 grams flour
50 grams icing sugar +
90 grams icing sugar
45 grams of almond flour (bought in store,that is finely ground almonds)
225 grams butter at room temperature
1 egg
vanilla, salt

In a bowl mix together: flour, almond meal, and 50 grams of sugar.
With your electric mixer work your butter until it forms peaks, and looks a bit like mayonnaise. Add the 90 grams of icing sugar and combine it for 1 min, then add the dry ingredients from the other bowl. Lastly the egg and the vanilla. Mix for 30 seconds on low speed. Work it with your hands on a clean surface for a bit and refrigerate wrapped in foil and shaped like a flat disc, that way it is easier to work with it again.
 

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Once the dough has rested for at least 2 hours or up until 2 days in the fridge you can run your rolling pin over it with the tiny help of flour on your work surface and on the upper side of your dough until it is evenly 3 mm thick. Place your buttered and flowered baking dish upside down on the dough and cut 2 cm away, all around the form, lift it away again and set it down near by. Now with the aid of your rolling pin, start on the edge of your circle and roll the dough up, wrapped around your pin, carefully hold it - otherwise it will unroll - and transfer it over to your baking dish. There you can let it unroll as soon as you see it will sit centered over the dish. Viola! you get a perfect edge, clean as if you actually attended a pastry class! If by any means the dough is nosy and looks over the rim, push it back gently and you get there a slightly thicker crust. No harm in that, some love the crust more than anything - my husband only eats the outer crust anyways, I get the fruity centre and every one is happy!

The best part is the decoration: Here you see Sophie placing all the marinated apples in the form and add some cranberries. Fresh cranberries are very sour so the sugar coating comes in handy. Cover it either with crumbled leftover dough which is perfectly fine and will look great with caster sugar. Or you can roll out the left over and make a grid like Sophie did. Then you need a whisked egg with a sprinkle of milk to brush the pie before baking. And it looks beautiful !!!

Bake at 175°C for 35-40 min or until golden brown.

I couldn't resist to take it outside again and use the rest of daylight and the pretty background with snow in front of the house for this photo.

Red Beet Detox

Done partying ...

Hi everyone, how did you survive the festive season?
This year I left my tree way too long in the house and it was completely dry in the end. Never again! By then a Christmas tree should rank as a weapon with a million shrapnels you can find everywhere. It is a nightmare.

But the best part, once we have it outside the house is that no one is able to bring it away to the dump. Still too heavy to carry it I came up with an idea that is now my favorite tradition. I tie it with a rope to the  back of the car and pull it up the road behind me, slowly but steadily. I get a lot of surprised looks and smiles from neighbors ! Believe me ! Kids love it too!

How do you get rid of your tree?

And in a way my body feels the same after Christmas and the overload on sugar and alcohol. How convenient it would be to just tie all the bad stuff to a car and pull it to the dump. I decided to feed myself now with fresh healthy drinks lots of water and less of comfort food. This is a recipe that will lift your mood, just by the color.

Juice

5 fresh red beets
1/4 of a celeriac
1 lemon
3 cm fresh ginger
 

Blend with the flesh of a 1/4 of a honey dew melon until smooth. Add water if you like.

Good bye Christmas tree, Christmas sins and Christmas tree needles.

Cheers to Detox!

New Year's Day Pasta with Winter Truffles

Good morning !

Good Morning everyone!

A new year has begun!

Welcome 2015 !

What will this year bring? Where will we head with doubledipping ? What will we come up with to inspire you and keep you cooking and enjoying? Who knows, please stay with us through this new year 2015 !

We have some champagne left over from last ... year and it is the best pairing for this dish and will lift some of those yesterday sins. It is a "healing" dish and will bring you back onto your feet.

Promise!

We celebrate not on big scale. I kind of find New Years Eve a bit challenging. One must eat late and long we use to play games like cards or other bord games then we go outside make a little fire in an iron bowl and music and dance into the new year. We stay away from fireworks or crackers. There is a lot of deer in the woods around us and we do not want to scare them. We feed them and love to watch them come real close so fireworks is a no go around our house. They said that on New Years fireworks are responsible for a year's amount of pollution by cars. WOW that really is a reason to stay away from it.

My New Year's day pasta is a simple and heart warming dish and we eat it out of one bowl with lots of laughter and extra cheese.

My mom gave me this wonderful truffle for Christmas and Julian wanted to make lunch for us. In no time I could convince him to enhance his plain noodles with a little bit of truffle oil, cream and parmesan!

You Need

500 grams fresh pasta
400 ml heavy cream
200 gr grated parmesan
salt, grey pepper
2 tbsp truffle oil
a winter truffle thinly sliced

Pour the heavy cream into a saucepan and bring to boil, as soon as the bubbles rise pour in 150 grams of your grated parmesan and let it rise one short time, then turn off the heat. The Cheese will melt while you stir on the stove that is still giving off enough heat. Season to your liking and add the truffle oil last. let sit there while you cook your pasta, drain the pasta and transfer it to a bowl pour the cream mixture evenly over it, sprinkle the rest of the parmesan over the pasta and finally add the truffles.

So easy - so quick - so heavenly!

What will pick you up today ?

Power Cookies Truly Vegan

Friday, 5th of December

Are you searching for inspiration? I am always , and I look for it in the internet, in my cookbooks on the menus of all the restaurants and through the windows of creative food stores and caterers.

Do you know that we cannot just see something and not be influenced by it? When it comes to food, that is only partially true because we do not gain weight as long as we just admire it and I am so thankful it does not end up on the hips for all the cookbooks and magazines I read all the time. But when it comes to movies, let alone the news, we feel strong emotions looking at the pictures. They can lift us up, or pull us down, they can motivate us and manipulate us and we have so little control over it. 

Looking at food however like the photos of this recipe, shall make you happy and lift you up and eating them will give you power as well. Gluten-free and free of guilt.

Another recipe by my friend Claudia !

You Need

Chocolate chips homemade:

120 gr/ 1 cup cashews, soaked for two hours
60gr/ 1/2 cup maple sirup
60gr/ 1/2 cup Cocoa powder
1 tsp Vanilla-powder
pinch of salt

Mix all the above ingredients except the cocoa powder. Add the sifted Cocoapowder and mix until smooth. Squeeze small drops with the help of an icing bag on a parchment paper and let dry at maximum 42° in a dehydrator. They are really worth the effort, much better than the bought version with milk and sugar and chewy, yes chewy! I love them and would eat it any time on its own as a treat!

If you are not allergic you can use the store bought ones look at the label to make sure you get those without sugar.

Cookies:

300gr / 2 1/2 cups fine cashew flour
210gr / 1 3/4 cups Gluten-free oatmeal flour
60gr / 1/2 cup maple sirup
1 tbsp coconut flower sugar
1 tbsp vanilla powder
1/2 tbsp sea salt
1 cup of the above chocolate chips, you can also use real raw cocoa nips, then add a little more sweetness

Mix all except the chips they must be added last and form cookies of your preferred size, mine are 5 cm in diameter and let them dry in the dyhadrator for 1/2 a day/over night if you like them on the chewy side.

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Garlic Confit – Tamed and Sweet

Confit is to deep frying what Barbecue is to grilling - a slow low heat affair to preserve taste and minerals, vitamins, keeping bacteria away.

You often read in my recipes that I do not use fresh garlic, I have a glass of garlic, something like a confit that has been heated and preserved with salt and olive oil and keeps in the fridge for a long time. When I looked at our recipes I felt kind of bad that I let you wait for so long for something as delicious as this. Some people cannot eat garlic at all but this one they can and will enjoy.

Peel your garlic and collect them in an oven proof dish. Preheat the oven to 99°C.

Ok! I know I peeled 2 kg of fresh French garlic for my post but you might get really annoyed at peeling so much garlic, teary eyed and with sticky fingers, and lots of dry garlic paper sticking to them if your garlic is older than mine. I found this neat trick on Saveur and you should check it out, it's a bit courageous, but it seems to work best and is really quick: How to peel garlic in less than 10 seconds. You can also put all your cloves into boiling water for 20 seconds back into ice cold water to stop the cooking process and when the dry skin has softened, the ends cut off the garlic will slip out of its skin easily. I like the other version, its more fun!
Pour the olive oil over it and add the spices and the thyme sprigs.
Set the dish in the oven for 2 hours up to 2 1/2 hours. When done the garlic should have a pale golden color and be soft and tender, the oil only bubbling a little then you can remove the dish carefully, the hot oil is very dangerous, so please be careful! - and set it somewhere safe to cool a bit. Fill your prepared clean jars with the help of a ladle, close them and cool them quickly to help the preservation. 

You can leave all the spices in the oil with the garlic, it looks pretty I even added more red pepper and if you spilled some hot oil it is best to wash the glasses on the outside under running hot water.

The garlic infused oil is delicious over salad or a tender boiled fish and the garlic can be spread on a bread as well as used in all other recipes. Your breath will be fine - promise!

For your jars I recommend adding a fresh sprig of thyme and extra red pepper maybe a fresh small chili will look nice as well. Those make great gifts, I gave one jar to my neighbor and she was a but suspicious in the beginning but today she said she is already addicted to it!

You Need:

1,3 kg of peeled garlic cloves
1 liter of olive oil
2 tsp of salt
1tbsp juniper (Wachholder)
3 tbsp red pepper
2 tsp of madagascan pepper, or black pepper
5 bay leaves
8-10 sprigs of fresh thyme

How to use it?

I would use it instead of fresh garlic, and if the recipe calls for 1 clove of garlic you can use 3-4 from the garlic in your jar: Salad dressing, pasta, on toasted bread with avocado or tomato, in your mayonnaise and endless more possibilities. It will keep fresh in the fridge for a month, if you use a clean spoon each time, but I bet it will be gone in a few days!

Please bring the confit back to room temperature before you serve it, as the oil can harden up in the fridge.