From Talk
Posted by ChristineB, August 2, 2008 at 12:11 AM
I've been cooking and baking pretty seriously for a long time (well, 9 out of my 20 years...) and I feel like I've become pretty good at both following recipes, and using intuition while cooking. But one thing I just cannot seem to master is baking yeast breads! I'm not freaked out by using yeast, and I've read up on the topic pretty thoroughly, but I always seem to run into minor problems. Well, particularly one problem, which is that my dough never wants to rise properly during the second fermentation/rising. I make the pre-ferment, I mix up the dough, I knead until it looks/feels great, it rises, everything's going swimmingly, I lightly deflate, and then, BAM!, it's like the dough has hit some kind of fermentation plateau and just can't seem to pull through to the finish line! The breads all taste great, but I've never achieved that ethereal, irregular, holey-ness that is the pinnacle of rustic bread baking--plus all of my loaves are quite a bit smaller than they should be!
Photographic evidence of the latest occurence found here: http://flickr.com/photos/cburas/2721818032/
and a previous attempt (ciabatta, which had pretty much identical crumb to the pain de campagne) here:
http://flickr.com/photos/cburas/2723605391/
Advice, anyone?
From Talk
Posted by ChristineB, April 19, 2008 at 12:08 AM
I'm going to a potluck next Friday with the theme "Culinary Intoxication" (give us a break--we're college students!). The food doesn't have to be literally "intoxicating" per se, but it needs to include alcohol in part of the cooking process. I almost always bring dessert to potlucks, so I'd like to switch it up and bring a savory dish. Any good suggestions for (preferably vegetarian) potluck-appropriate dishes with alcohol? Thanks!!
From Talk
Posted by ChristineB, February 22, 2008 at 8:39 PM
So you're at a great restaurant, have just finished your main course, and are ready for the grand finale. What do you order?
For me, I can never turn down house-made sorbets and ice creams if they're available! That, plus an espresso is the perfect way to end a meal.
From Talk
Posted by ChristineB, February 5, 2008 at 1:25 AM
What did you make for the best dinner party you've ever hosted? Alternatively, have you been to any dinner parties that had outstanding, memorable food?
The first that comes to mind for me is a dinner party I threw this summer, where I served various olives and cheeses with good bread, yellow tomato gazpacho, romesco potatoes, grilled skirt steak (all three from Sunday Suppers at Lucques), and mango upside down cake (from Baking Illustrated) with coconut sorbet (Ciao Bella brand). Casual food, served family style, is always lots of fun--and having great recipes and lots of wine doesn't hurt either!
From Talk
Posted by ChristineB, January 1, 2008 at 8:45 AM
What new (and possibly slightly unusual) food did you try in 2007? Did you love it (or was it a little too weird)?
I'm currently on vacation skiing in Vermont, and tried a water buffalo yogurt (2%, vanilla) from Spoondance Creamery (in South Woodstock, VT) that was incredible! Tangier than normal vanilla yogurt (I usually just eat plain yogurt because sweetened yogurts taste like plain sugar to me) and very thick and creamy in an entirely natural, no gelatin added way, it was absolutely delicious! I'm definitely going to find this yogurt at home and add it to my grocery list!
From Talk
Posted by ChristineB, October 31, 2007 at 11:08 PM
What are your favorite food and beverage pairings, from the classic milk and cookies to more obscure combinations? One of mine is definitely
peanut butter (on anything) with diet coke, which may seem slightly contradictory in the nutritional sense, but I can assure you it's delicious!
Website: http://cburas.blogspot.com/
Location: Chicago/Washington, DC
About: I'm a music major (focusing on early music performance) at the University of Chicago. I first got into food through a late night baking compulsion, and now I love to cook anything, including meat (I'm a vegetarian), which makes my family happy!
Favorite foods: margherita pizza from 2amys (amazing pizza in DC), good bread, good cheese, guacamole, carrots, greek yogurt with honey, grapes, beets, frozen yogurt, roasted root veggies, mangos, anything fresh and simple
Last bite on earth: margherita pizza