Socca

Socca is a French crepe made with chickpea flour. I found this very interesting because it is so similar to the Maharashtrian dhirdi. The big difference is that this crepe is cooked under the broiler as opposed to the stove top. The thickness of the crepe can vary and I tried different thickness. We liked the medium thickness better than the thin crepes.

I sourced the flour from Whole Foods and bought just enough for a very small batch. I used thyme and oregano along with some paprika to spice it up. The web is flooded with a lot versions of the recipe so not sure which is the original. I referred to this one and this one.

You will need (3 crepes)
1 cup chickpea/garbanzo flour
1 tsp. oregano
1 ts. thyme
paprika to taste
salt to taste
1 cup water

1 tsp. olive oil

In a bowl add all the dry ingredients along with the water. Whisk to make a batter. Keep it aside for 30-45 minutes.

Place an iron skillet on the top rack of the oven and switch on the broiler. Once the oven is heated take the pan out with a mitten and place it on the stove top. Add a ladle of batter and swirl the pan to coat. Drizzle a few drops of oil along the sides.

Place the pan back in the broiler and let the crepe cook for about 5 minutes. Watch the broiler to prevent burning. When the top is cooked flip it over and cook the other side.

When both sides are cooked take the pan out of the oven. Slide the socca out to a plate and repeat for the remaining batter. I enjoyed eating this crepe on its own.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week three, day three of BM #64 for the theme European cuisine (French). Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#64.

Whole Wheat Sourdough Batard

After all the fun last week it is time to move on to some real bread. This week I will post my attempts at recreating old bread recipes. These traditional artisan loaves are usually very tasty. They need work and time to allow the flavors to develop. But the end result makes it all worthwhile. The yeast in these recipes is either homegrown, a combination of commercial yeast with homegrown or just commercial yeast. The dough is either plain or enriched. The first of the lot is a sourdough batard.

My first attempt at baking the batard did not go so well. The bread tasted great but was a little misshapen. I had decided to try a single score line through the length of the bread but at the last minute I made two. I guess I didn't quite do it right because the bread bulged to one side. I knew the next time I baked the batard I would stick to the single score.

I finally got my chance to bake the batard again and this time I got it right. The score line through the middle allowed for a even oven spring. I was happy with the look and taste of the bread. The crumb was open and even if I don't have a very good picture of the crumb I am going to share it.

This was a recipe I put together with whole wheat flour and sourdough. It is similar to the baguette recipe but the proofing times were all crazy. I started it on a Sunday afternoon but forgot about it. The fold and stretch technique I use to strengthen the dough was not done on time. It was a little delayed. That left me with no time at night to let it rise. So I put it in the refrigerator overnight. Next day I did not get to it until late evening. That was an almost 24 hour bulk fermentation. I shaped the dough and placed it on a floured paper towel and put it back in the refrigerator. It was two and a half days before I got a chance to bake it. The taste was awesome. I have to say the long bulk fermentation may have helped. The next bread I make I will try an extended bulk fermentation again.

For one batard

You will need
200 gm white whole wheat flour
130 gm water

100 gm fed sourdough starter
20 gm olive oil

6 gm salt

In a large mixing bowl add the dry ingredients. Then add the wet ingredients and combine to form a very soft dough. The hydration on this dough is over 70%. Keep aside covered for half an hour. Take the bowl and reach to the far side of the dough. Pull it up over the top of the dough towards you and tuck in. Turn the bowl a quarter turn. Repeat the stretch and fold. Repeat until you go all around twice. Cover and keep aside. Repeat the stretch and fold another two times. You will notice a difference in the texture. At the end of the last fold and stretch the dough will be smooth and elastic. Cover and keep aside for 6-8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Take the cover out and transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Press down on the dough with floured hands. Fold the far side towards you about 3/4th of the way and press down gently with the heel of your palm. Fold the side close to you over the top and press down, like sealing an envelop. Now fold the dough in half and seal. Roll it a little to form the desired shape. Transfer to a floured towel and keep aside for the second rise. I usually keep it overnight (10-12 hours) in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 450 F. Place a baking sheet in the oven as it is heating. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Using a very sharp blade or a lame score the top of the loaf end to end.

Transfer to the hot baking sheet and let it bake for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 400 F and bake another 25 minutes or until the top is brown. Remove from oven and allow it to cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing.

Enjoy!

Heirloom Tomato, Zucchini and Goat Cheese Galette

Everyone at home had the day off yesterday, President's day. My teenage daughter spent a good deal of the long weekend with friends. Yesterday she was going out with a friend for lunch and then to work on a project. I decided to entice her with a dish that she would simply not be able to resist.

Galette is a rustic French pie. It is baked on a sheet instead of a pie dish and the edges are folded in instead of being intricately shaped. I have always wanted to try the galette. Goat cheese seems to be the recommended cheese in most recipes so I knew I was going to use that. A few months ago I found vegetarian goat cheese at Whole Foods that I love. For vegetables I knew I wanted to use heirloom tomatoes but they are available only in Spring and summer. So when I found the first of these heirloom tomatoes in the market yesterday I decided I was going to bake a galette. I got some organic zucchini at Whole Foods along with some fresh basil.

I made the pastry crust at home using mostly whole wheat flour. I used cold butter and water to get the crust flaky. For added flavor I grated some parmesan cheese into the dough for the crust. I drained the sliced zucchini and tomatoes for half an hour so the galette would not get soggy. I mixed in fresh thyme with the goat cheese and added lots of black pepper to everything. The galette came out of the oven 15 minutes before my daughter was to leave. As expected she asked for a small slice and one bite later asked if she could have a bigger slice.

You will need
For the pastry shell
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup cold butter
~ 1/4 - 1/2 cup cold water
1 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
Black pepper to taste

For the filling
2 large heirloom tomatoes
2 zucchini
3 oz. goat cheese
1 tbsp fresh thyme
5-6 leaves basil
black pepper to taste
salt to taste
1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

In a mixing bowl and using a pastry cutter mix the cold butter with the flour until the flour is grainy in texture. Sprinkle the salt. Now working in small sections moisten the flour using a tablespoon of cold water. Move to the next section to moisten it. Repeat until the flour is moistened and can be worked in a dough. Do not add too much water. The amount of water will depend upon the amount of whole wheat flour used. Add the parmesan cheese and black pepper. Roll up the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Remove the cold dough from the refrigerator and roll it out to the desired size. Place a parchment paper on a baking sheet. Place the rolled dough over the top. Cover with the plastic wrap and place the sheet in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Slice the tomatoes and zucchini separately. Sprinkle a little slat and allow it to drain. Meanwhile in a bowl mix the thyme with the goat cheese. Add a little black pepper and mix with a fork until crumbly. Keep aside until needed.

Remove the sheet from the freezer. Spread half the goat cheese over the top. Arrange a layer of sliced zucchini over the goat cheese. Add a layer of sliced tomatoes. Repeat the three layers. I used lots of vegetables so I got two layers. If you use fewer slices of vegetables you can arrange a single layer of tomatoes, zucchini and cheese.

Fold in the sides over the vegetables. Grate some Parmesan cheese over the top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the crust looks brown and flaky, the vegetables are cooked and beginning to brown. Make a chiffonade of basil. You do this by placing the leaves one over the other, rolling it up and then slicing as finely as you can. Separate the strands and sprinkle over the baked pie.

Let it cool for a 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Enjoy!

French Meal

This is a French meal that I made on a cool rainy day. I built it around one of the most popular French soups. I have already cooked this entire meal two times because of popular demand from family. I am sure winter will see us making this meal over and over again.

French cuisine is so well known it was hard to pick the dishes. French onion soup is one of our very favorites and so I decided to build the meal around it. Pain de Campagne was the perfect rustic loaf for this soup. It does not fall apart when it is floated over the soup and baked. This bread is made of strong white flour with a hint of whole wheat. I leavened it with my homemade wild yeast. For the cheese - I used Gruyere to top the soup bowl and served the delicious freshly baked bread with some Brie. The side dish of roasted tomatoes has a layer of spiced fresh made breadcrumbs on the top. French desserts like sweet crepes and tarts are very popular but I wanted to try something different so I went with Apple Confit. My menu was onion soup au gratin, tomatoes provencal and Pain de campagne with Brie followed by apple confit as dessert.

I did not use any new ingredients in this meal but the use of heirloom tomatoes is a must if you want to try tomatoes provencal. Even someone like me who usually stays away from whole tomatoes enjoyed this dish a lot. Making everything including the bread was the most enjoyable experience. This meal is a fun one.

As they in France, Bon Appetit!

Here are the recipes for the dishes on the menu

• Pain de Campagne 
• Onion Soup au Gratin 
• Tomates Provencal or Roasted Tomatoes 

And for dessert

• Apple Confit

Onion Soup au Gratin

French onion soup is known all over the world and is available in most restaurants serving a continental menu. It is one of the favorite soups in our house. I have a tried and tested recipe used for years.

I was first introduced to this soup as a child. I did not care for it then as I preferred soup with thick broth. When I was older I began to appreciate the subtle flavor profiles of broths in soups. When I made it for the first time at home my husband came over to look at what the lovely aroma was. He was none too impressed with the look of the brown mess in the pan. Brought up in an 'Indian food only' household he had never had a chance to try this soup. One sip changed all that.

Unlike most recipes I do not add dry white wine to the soup. Instead I use fresh vegetable stock to deglaze the pan. In the past I used to struggle with the bread to make this soup au gratin. Either the bread was to tough or it fell apart. This was the first time I topped the soup with homemade bread. It was perfectly moist but not soggy and mushy. From now on I will always top it with homemade pain de campagne. My husband prefers this soup without the bread and cheese topping. My daughter and I prefer au gratin. Either way it is loved.

You will need
2 large white onions
3 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. cream
1 1/2 tsp. salt
6 cups vegetable stock (I made it fresh for the soup)
1 cup dry white wine (I used additional stock)

For the topping (to make 4 bowls)
4 slices of French bread (I used Pain de Campagne)
4 thin slices Gruyere

You will need vegetable stock for the soup. I recommend making it fresh or at least use homemade stock. It makes such a huge difference to the flavor of the dish. I have provided a link to my recipe for  vegetable stock.

Cut the onion into thin slices and keep aside. In a thick bottomed pan heat butter until the butter melts. Add the onions, cream and salt. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes until onions are translucent.

Increase heat and let the onions brown without stirring. When the edges and bottom start to brown add a ladle of stock and deglaze the pan.

Spread the partially browned onions on the bottom of the pan and let them brown some more. Repeat the deglazing and browning 3 more times until the onions are a darker caramel color. Add the remaining stock. Adjust seasoning and simmer for about 15 minutes. Turn off heat.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place the four slices of bread on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 2-3 minutes on each side. Meanwhile ladle the soup into oven safe soup bowls almost to the top. Place the toasted bread on the top. Place the slice of cheese over the bread to cover it completely. This bowl is for my daughter and loves it with lots of cheese. You can cut the slices thinner. :)

Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese begins to melt. You can switch the oven to broil to brown the melting cheese. Ensure you do not overcook the cheese. It should melt but the solids should never separate from the liquid.

The soup au gratin tastes best when hot.

Tomates Provencal or Roasted Tomatoes

If you like to plant heirloom tomatoes in your garden or like cooking with these flavorful tomatoes then you must try this dish. Halved tomatoes are sprinkled with salt and spiced breadcrumbs then roasted in a hot oven. Though this dish would taste great with any tomato, heirlooms take it to a whole new level.

Tomatoes of all varieties are a favorite in my house so I use them a lot in my kitchen. In summer I really like to use these heirloom tomatoes. They are so flavorful. In this dish the breadcrumbs are spiced using herbes de provence, a special spice blend made up of thyme, oregano, savory, marjoram and rosemary. I went to my spice rack to ensure I had all the spices needed to make this blend and was pleasantly surprised to find this spice blend among the jars. A few months back I was visiting my sister and she gave me her almost unused spice rack. She thought I would put it to better use with all the new dishes I keep cooking. Finding the spice blend in the rack saved me the trouble of making my own herbes de provence. Now I have to figure out how to use up the rest of it.

You will need
2 heirloom tomatoes
salt to taste
olive oil to sprinkle over the top

For the breadcrumb topping
2 slices French country bread like Pain de campagne
1 tbsp. herbes de provence
2 tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 F. Use organic heirloom tomatoes for this dish if you can find them or if you grow them. The flavors of the heirlooms takes this dish to a different level.

Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and toast them for 5-7 minutes. Keep aside. Wash and cut the tomatoes in half through the stem. Place them cut side up on a baking sheet. Sprinkle some olive oil and salt over the top. Roast them for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile break up the toasted pieces of bread in a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients to prepare the breadcrumb mixture.

Take the toasted tomatoes out of the oven and generously top with the breadcrumb mixture.

Bake for 15 minutes.

The tomatoes are ready to eat.

Best eaten when they are hot.

Pain de Campagne (French Country Bread)

This bread is made of soft white flour with a hint of whole wheat. It is leavened entirely with my homemade wild yeast. The high hydration and long fermentation ensures very good flavor. It goes well with brie and holds up when eaten with soups.

This country loaf was the most popular bread before the baguette took over. It is making a comeback with the resurgence in artisan bread.

Bakers percentage for this bread
All purpose flour 90%
Whole wheat flour 10%
Water 78%
Leaven 20%

I mixed the dough in the afternoon. After about 5 hours of bulk fermentation I shaped it and put it in the refrigerator to proof overnight.

In the morning I baked it in the dutch oven at 475 F, covered for 25 minutes and uncovered for 15. I got great oven spring and a fairly open crumb. The bread was very soft and had great flavor. It was good enough to munch on its own or with some Brie.

Apple Confit

Apple Confit is a delicious dessert that is made by baking layers of apple, butter and sugar at a very low temperature for a very long time.

You will need
2 Fuji apple
4 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. orange zest
2 pinches cinnamon powder

For the topping
3 tbsp. heave whipping cream
1/2 tsp. sugar
a couple drops vanilla extract
a pinch cinnamon

Preheat oven to 250 F. Grease two oven proof bowls. Rinse the apples and peel. Cut the apple through the stem and core. Now using a sharp knife cut the apple into slices as thin as possible. Now add a single layer the apples in the greased bowl. Sprinkle some sugar over it and place a little blob of butter. Repeat the layers until you use up all the ingredients.

Sprinkle some orange zest and cinnamon powder over the top. Cover with a parchment paper cut to shape. Over the parchment paper place foil and seal the bowl. Put the bowl in a baking sheet with sides and place a weighted bowl over the top.

Bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Refrigerator for 2 hours. When you are ready to eat warm the bowls in the oven at 300 F for two minutes. Loosen the sides with a knife and invert it on to the serving dish.

For the topping whisk all the ingredients until you get stiff peaks. Alternately run all the ingredients through a blender until thickened. Place a blob over the top of the inverted confit.

Enjoy!

I submitted this as my entry for week 23 to the 2014 52 week cooking challenge for the theme Confit.

Sourdough Petit Pain au Lait (French Milk Bread)

This month for the group We Knead to Bake we baked this petit pain au lait. The recipe provided used commercial yeast but I wanted to use my wild yeast starter. So I converted the recipe to accommodate the starter. Look here for help converting your recipe. The slow fermentation allowed the flavors to develop. The end result was a lovely flavorful bread, light and delicious.

The first thing I did was to find the weight measure equivalent of the provided recipe. Luckily for me the link provided in the recipe had the link to the original recipe that used weight measure. Once I had that I used basic rules to do the conversion. The proportion of starter I added was 40% of the total flour. Based on the total grams of starter I then calculated the grams of flour and water in the stater. I subtracted these amounts from the flour and liquid (in this case milk) amounts in the recipe. This resulted in a dough with texture that was similar to that expected from the original recipe.

Wide yeast takes a lot longer to develop and does well with plenty of time. So the next change I made was the way the dough was kneaded or not kneaded. I have learnt from my experience with wild yeast that the texture of the final product is best when the dough is folded as opposed to being kneaded. As such I applied 3 folds within an hour of forming the dough. I then left it to rise for about 4 hours bringing the total bulk fermentation time to 5 hours. I then shaped the bread, scored the top and let it proof overnight in the refrigerator. This allowed the flavors to develop and the gas to build even though the dough itself did not rise much.

Next morning I let the bread rest on the kitchen counter for about 10 minutes before I put it in the oven. I baked the bread as per the recipe at 400 F for 12-15 minutes. I got great oven spring and the bread puffed up to 3 times in volume. I am thrilled with the result and will definitely try this bread again.

You will need
58 gm 80% hydration sourdough starter
93 gm all purpose flour
20 gm bread flour
36 gm whole milk (I used 1% milk)
1 egg
19 gm sugar
31 gm salted butter (add 1 tsp. salt is using unsalted butter)
Pearl sugar as topping (I did not use any)

In a mixing bowl combine the starter with the milk. Mix in the egg and sugar. Sift the flours and add them to the mixture. Form a sticky dough. Now work in the butter a little at a time until it is well combined. Cover and keep aside.

In the next hour fold the dough 3 times. Keep it aside, covered, for another 4 hours.

Transfer the risen dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide into two portions. To shape each portion roll it out on the work surface to a flat disc the size of a side dish. Starting from one end roll tightly to form a roll. Seal the edges to prevent unraveling during baking.

Using kitchen shears score the top. Transfer the shaped bun to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover and proof overnight in the refrigerator.

The next morning take the baking sheet out of the refrigerator and place it on the kitchen counter. You may not see much difference in the bread. It will not rise much in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 400 F.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. You should see good oven spring.

The buns taste best the day they are baked.