kolaches

One of my friends has started a bit of a tradition. She plans a big party for a specific occasion or theme. I ask what I can bring. She gives me a baking project. I make something new-to-me and find out what 20 random taste-testers (ahem, partygoers!) think of that item. In the end, we both win! Oh, and the parties are usually fun too.

Last year for her Texas Independence Day party Leigh had me make sausage and cheese bites. This year she suggested kolaches. Which I had never heard of before.  Turns out, they’re very popular at Texas potlucks (for good reason). They’re like little homemade Hot Pockets^®, except 20 times more delicious.

Kolaches (adapted from a Homemade Mamas recipe)

INGREDIENTS

Dough
1 packet of active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1/2 cup sugar, plus 1/4 teaspoon for proofing the yeast
3/4 cup warm milk

4 cups of all-purpose flour
3 eggs (2 for dough, 1 for egg wash)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon of salt

Filling

14 oz. to 1 lb. of skinless Polish sausage, fully cooked

8 oz. shredded cheese (I used a Mexican cheese blend)

Pepperoncini or jalapeño peppers, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Proof the yeast by adding the contents of the yeast packet to a very warm 1/4 cup of water and 1/4 teaspoon of sugar (I always do this in my liquid measuring cup).  Yeast should start rising/bubbling within five minutes. Once you’re sure you’ve got an active batch, combine yeast, warm milk, the rest of the sugar and one cup of flour in a large bowl. Cover and let it rise for at least 30 minutes (or until doubled in size).

In a small bowl beat the 2 eggs, then add the 1/2 cup of melted butter and salt and blend well. Add the egg mixture to the yeast mixture and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Stir in the flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Amount of flour for the right dough consistency may vary, and you may need to knead it in with your hands. You want to end up with soft, slightly sticky dough.

Knead dough for about 10 minutes either on a well-floured surface or in the bowl (adding more flour as necessary). Place dough in a well-greased bowl – I used a liberal coating of olive oil to do the trick. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size. The original recipe said that would take about an hour, but I let it rise for three hours while I watched a playoff hockey game and it was fine.

While dough is rising, prepare the filling. Slice the sausage lengthwise, then chop into smaller pieces. Mix together the sausage, cheese and diced peppers in a medium bowl and set aside.

After dough has risen, punch it down. Now you’re ready for kolache construction! Pull off egg-sized pieces, and using your hands, flatten them out into disks, about four inches in diameter. Place 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of filling in the middle of the disk, and close the dough around the filling. Pinch dough shut and place seam side down on a baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 20 minutes. In the meantime, preheat oven 375 degrees F.

Beat the third egg in a small bowl. Before you place the kolaches in the oven, brush tops with egg wash. Bake for 13 to 18 minutes. Tops should be lightly golden brown when done. Let cool for five minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to cooling rack. Wait 10 minutes, then enjoy! Makes 24 kolaches.

Real talk time: This recipe is flipping delicious. It was a huge hit at the party. It was also somewhat stressful to make (for me, because I don’t usually bother with bread dough). I had to schedule in time for dough to rise, and my first two packets of yeast were duds. So I was running behind, I had other plans during the day, and I ended up leaving the dough to rise on my counter for three hours. Oops! Luckily, it all worked out. Another confession: I used Papa John’s pepperoncini peppers left over from the delivery boxes the night before, because I’m lazy. But hey, that bite of spice was perfect.

In all, this is a major crowd-pleaser of a recipe. And the ingredients are easy to source. It may become one I pull out for special occasions when I’m away from my own kitchen (Christmas, Thanksgiving & the 4^th of July, hmmm?), because while it’s not exactly simple, it’s uncomplicated and delicious. And technically, it’s finger food.

Recommended for: parties, and any other occasion when you want to wow the crowd with savory finger food.

Interested in other food-related posts? Check out Beth Fish Reads’ Weekend Cooking!

pão de queijo (cheesy bread bites)

I spent one of the most delicious summers of my life in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  I lived in an apartment in the Copacabana neighborhood with three other girls and a house mother, and attended language school every day.  As you can imagine, I ate my weight in tropical fruit, drank many caipirinhas on the beach, and had an amazing time in general.  One of the treats I learned to appreciate? Pão de queijo, cheesy little bread bites that everyone eats for breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack throughout Brazil. 

With the World Cup going on in Brazil right now, I’ve been reminiscing about that summer in all of its delectable glory.  I decided to find a recipe and try my hand at making these treats for myself.  I was worried they wouldn’t turn out, but this recipe is super easy!  I may even get brave and move on to bolinhos de bacalhau (salted cod fritters) and feijoada (pork and black bean stew) next!

Pão de Queijo (from this recipe – translation is mine)

INGREDIENTS

400 g heavy cream

250 g grated parmesan cheese

250 g shredded mozzarella cheese

500 g cassava flour (also known as tapioca flour – I found a package at Whole Foods)

salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 355 degrees F.  Butter or spray a couple of baking sheets with baking spray, set aside.

In a large bowl combine dry ingredients until well mixed, then add in the cream.  Knead until mixture holds together when you squeeze a handful.

With your fingers, gather small portions of dough and form balls (2-3 tablespoon-sized).  You may need to squash the dough into balls, but they’ll hold together in the oven.  Don’t give in to temptation to add more liquid!

Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet and bake in the oven until golden brown, around 18-20 minutes.  Let cool a bit, and enjoy!  Makes 3 dozen cheese bites.

Yay!  The texture is what really make these: on the outside they look dry and nondescript, but the inside is sticky, cheesy goodness with little air pockets.  Plus, they’re gluten-free!  And delicious.  So, you know, make them, and then brag to all of the folks at your World Cup party that you made an authentic snack.  *grin*

Recommended for: a delicious, gluten-free savory snack, an authentic Brazilian appetizer, and a special treat for the cheese-obsessed.

Interested in other food-related posts?  Check out Beth Fish Reads’ Weekend Cooking!

the whole fromage (+ giveaway!)

We all have to eat to live.  Eating well is an art form and, for the French, a necessity.  After all, France is the birthplace of some of the most recognizable foods and food traditions in the world.  One of those time-honored gustatory categories is cheese.  Kathe Lison’s The Whole Fromage: Adventures in the Delectable World of French Cheese is an American’s take on French cheese – from basic history of the major French varieties to cheesemaking techniques to tastings to serendipitous encounters with cheese producers.

The French, sans doute, love their fromages. And there’s much to love: hundreds of gloriously pungent varieties—crumbly, creamy, buttery, even shot through with bottle-green mold. So many varieties, in fact, that the aspiring gourmand may wonder: How does one make sense of it all?

In The Whole Fromage, Kathe Lison sets out to learn what makes French cheese so remarkable—why France is the “Cheese Mother Ship,” in the words of one American expert. Her journey takes her to cheese caves tucked within the craggy volcanic rock of Auvergne, to a centuries-old monastery in the French Alps, and to the farmlands that keep cheesemaking traditions alive. She meets the dairy scientists, shepherds, and affineurs who make up the world of modern French cheese, and whose lifestyles and philosophies are as varied and flavorful as the delicacies they produce. Most delicious of all, she meets the cheeses themselves—from spruce-wrapped Mont d’Or, so gooey it’s best eaten with a spoon; to luminous Beaufort, redolent of Alpine grasses and wildflowers, a single round of which can weigh as much as a Saint Bernard; to Camembert, invented in Normandy but beloved and imitated across the world.

With writing as piquant and rich as a well-aged Roquefort, as charming as a tender springtime chèvre, and yet as unsentimental as a stinky Maroilles, The Whole Fromage is a tasty exploration of one of the great culinary treasures of France.

Lison introduces herself as a native of Wisconsin with dairy running in her family line.  That doesn’t exclude her from having early, beloved memories of Kraft macaroni and cheese, but it does provide a starting point for her adventures in French cheese knowledge: ground zero. Lison’s subsequent lessons in cheesemaking and eating are varied, but her main aim is to discover the history and methods behind some of the most well-known of French cheeses, and break down the processes, locales and people involved in making this delicious dairy product.

Each chapter is arranged roughly around a type of cheese, and anecdotes and history related to its development and modern (or not-so-modern) methods of making it.  Lison focuses on Salers, Maroilles, goat cheese, Camembert, Beaufort, Comté, Roquefort and Brebis and Langres, though she does wander at times into disquisitions on other cheeses (including my own all-time favorite, Brie).  The strongest chapter was that on Camembert, called ‘Cheese Is a Battlefield.’  Lison described the struggles of modern methods (science) versus tradition in the cheese landscape and the affect this has on production, community and the consumer. 

Unfortunately, not all of the chapters were as robust.  Lison succeeds in describing intricate cheesemaking methods, the historical provenance of these processes, and her own brief adventure in cheese making.  Her writing falters somewhat in portrayals of individuals and depictions of the countryside, with odd word choice breaking the narrative into pieces rather than bringing it together as a whole.  She also relies fairly heavily on quotes from Patrick Rance, eponymous author of the French Cheese Book (understandable, but sometimes more tedious than helpful).

Nevertheless, The Whole Fromage would be a perfect starting point for American Francophiles who savor food on their trips abroad (or plan to do so in the future), and who want a bit of irreverent back story on the special rituals and effort that go into making that delicious cheese at the end of a chic Parisian meal.

Recommended for: new cheese-lovers, aspiring gourmands, food magazine subscribers, and as a solid selection for food and travel book clubs.

Does The Whole Fromage sound like your kind of read?  Enter the giveaway - simply fill out the FORM for a chance to win one trade paperback copy.  Giveaway open to US addresses only, will end on August 4, 2013 at 11:59pm EST.  Winner will be selected randomly and notified via email.  Giveaway book will be provided and mailed directly by publisher.  Good luck!

Interested in other food-related posts?  Check out Beth Fish Reads’ Weekend Cooking!

Fine print: I received a copy of The Whole Fromage for review from Broadway (Penguin Random House).  Giveaway prize provided by Broadway.  I received no compensation for this post.

chicken, lemon and dill with orzo

I love hosting dinner parties.  It may have something to do with my firm conviction that the best conversation happens over shared a shared meal.  The thing is, many of my friends are booked for the weekends, so we end up having to make it work on random weeknights.  For me (or whoever else is hosting) that means finding no-fuss recipes that will feed several and allow us all to eat, drink, laugh and get home in time for a good night’s sleep.  The following baked chicken and orzo recipe was a huge hit this past Wednesday, and I was able to make Greek salad as an accompaniment while it was in the oven. YUM.

Chicken, Lemon, and Dill with Orzo (modified from an Everyday Food recipe)

INGREDIENTS

4 cups (32 ounces) chicken broth

3/4 cup water

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1 pound chicken tenderloins, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 pound orzo

2 1/2 cups crumbled feta (5 ounces)

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (juice and zest of one lemon)

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a saucepan, bring broth, water, butter, salt, and pepper to a boil.

In a 3-quart (9”x13”) baking dish, combine chicken, orzo, feta, dill, lemon zest and juice. Pour hot broth mixture over orzo and stir once to incorporate.

Bake until orzo is tender and cooking liquid is creamy, 40 minutes.  Remove from oven, sprinkle parmesan on top and let stand 15 minutes before serving.  Yields 6 servings.

Note: the feta, lemon and dill give this dish a serious burst of Mediterranean flavor.  If you’d like to serve with Greek salad, I suggest The Pioneer Woman’s recipe.  I also put a Pear and Cranberry Crisp in the oven – they baked at the same temperature.  It was a supremely delicious night.  Serve with white or red wine.

Recommended for: a delicious and stress-free recipe (if you can chop ingredients and zest a lemon, you can do this!) to serve friends or family and a flavorful baked casserole that will make several meals in one.

Interested in other food-related posts? Check out Beth Fish Reads’ Weekend Cooking!

avocado and gouda grilled cheese sandwich

I’m going to cheat a little bit this week.  And you are going to be complicit.  Okay?  Okay.  (thanks, you’re rad!)  As you read this, I’m in New York City for KidLitCon (a one-day conference for those who blog about children’s lit), an event that I’ve been looking forward to for a while.  I also managed to miss work on Wednesday with a migraine.  Baking?  Farthest thing from my mind.  In fact, my only food prep this week involved cheese, avocado, and nutty bread.  This is where the cheating comes in (we’re going to pretend that it counts for Weekend Cooking!).

Avocado and Gouda Grilled Cheese Sandwich

INGREDIENTS

baking spray

2 slices of oat nut bread (or other bread with crunchy texture and mild taste)

1 tablespoon butter (salted)

1/2 avocado, sliced thinly

1-2 generous slices creamy Gouda cheese (mine is from Spring Gap Mountain Creamery, via farmers’ market)

DIRECTIONS

Place an omelet pan or skillet over medium-low heat.

Spread (or in my case, chop!) butter onto slices of bread, and then layer the Gouda and avocado evenly onto one side.  Place other slice – butter side down – on the top of the pile of ingredients.  Squish down a bit with your hand or a spatula, and then spray the top slice evenly with baking spray.  Flip into the pan, spray side down.  Spray (new) top slice with baking spray.  Turn sandwich after 3-4 minutes, or when dark brown.  When grilled to your satisfaction, remove from pan and slice.  Wait a minute for the hot cheese to cool a bit, and enjoy!

Grilled cheese sandwiches and omelets are my go-to dinners when stressed and tired.  You could, of course, make the grilled cheese with any combination of cheese, bread and filling, but this one is pretty freaking delicious (and looks pretty, too).  Besides: avocado nutrients! Okay, now I’m reaching.  Tell me, what are your favorite grilled cheese combinations?

Recommended for: a quick, delicious meal when time is of the essence and simplicity is the order of the day, for that random cheese craving, and a decadent take on an old standby.

Interested in other food-related posts?  Check out Beth Fish Reads’ Weekend Cooking.