A Genius in the Kitchen...Most Humbly Spoken, of Course.

Because I seem to be in the habit of posting in twos, here are a few pictures of what I like to think are my "Culinary Masterpieces." They all relate to bread baking as my most recent hobby but so as not to neglect other points of cooking, I'll just mention I've been making lots of soups, pasta sauces, and pizzas recently. Cold weather inspired, of course. Next on the list, however, is coq au vin. I am embarrassed to admit to never having made this classic before, so its appearance on my dinner table is long overdue. Also, not depicted (and for good reasons) is my less than successful crumpet attempt. Apparently one needs "crumpet rings" to pull this one off.

This is the first of many future batches of bialys. I had never heard of them before now, and rue the wasted time I spent not devouring these beauties.

Here is the aerial view of the "Cheddar Loaf." It makes a mean grilled cheese sandwich (or, as I used to say, a "girl cheese sandwich")

Interior view, same loaf.

The Apple-Ginger-Cranberry Pie I made for the family Christmas. This is the pre-oven stage.

Warning: the more you look at this, the more disturbing it becomes (and may not be appropriate for younger audiences...). I recreated the Apple-Ginger-Cranberry Pie for New Years here in Arlington and used this bake sheet to catch the pie's drippings. Needless to say, I was shocked to discover this image burned to the sheet's surface after washing. The Virgin Mary appears to some, but I get explicit images of monsters.

Food for Thought

It isn’t a very well kept secret that at times I wish I were French, or at least living in France. Provence, actually. I am a city girl at heart, but these is something utopian about living in an old Provincial town with enough land to grow my own produce and, well, essentially cook all day. I know nothing about farming, but I think I could learn. Cooking on the other hand, well, that’s different. Those closest to me know that if given the option to eat out or stay at home and prepare a 5 hour meal, I would stay at home every time. Crazy, I know, but there is something beautiful about preparing a wonderful meal and sharing it with people you care about.

So yes, I confess, I’m a bit of a foodie as well. It’s not just about preparing food, but preparing good food. I know this makes me a big of a food snob, but I haven’t heard anyone complain yet (except when I go on anti-fast-food rants). What I mean to say is cooking will take up its fare share of entries, but I don't mean to be labeled a “cooking blog.” With this caveat in place, I would like to introduce my new project.



Grad school reading and job applications can only take up so much of my life before I go mad. So to balance my life, I’ve added a new dimension to cooking. I’ve decided to try my hand at bread baking. I love to cook but I’m not much of a baker, and as some of you may know, I have turned out a number of unsuccessful loaves of bread in my time. I tell you those days are numbered! I’ve more time on my hands than ever before, and as fate would have it, it is more economical to bake your own bread than purchase it at a store (that is, it’s unemployment friendly). I made my first loaves this past weekend and they are not bad, but could improve. So after scouring numerous cooking blogs and websites for tips and recipes, I found this little gem. I left out the rosemary and lemon to make a standard loaf (baby steps, ladies and gentlemen, baby steps). I think this could be the start of something beautiful.

My next project will involve acquiring (by any means necessary) a starter, which is essentially a live, active, thriving and happy yeast colony. You actually have to feed it weekly to keep it alive. Don’t worry, it isn’t carnivorous. I have a few recipes for making my own, but I thought that I would try to bum some off a bakery. Can you imagine how that conversation is going to go?

Um…yes, I was wondering, could I have some of your starter? Yes, I know that’s how you make your living, but I just think you have the most amazing bread – the best I’ve had since returning from France – and I would love to learn from the best [insert other gushing compliments].

It doesn’t hurt to ask, right?