Chugging Along...With Some Oat Soda Bread

So...where was I? Oh yes, I'm back from Europe and my visit to the Midwest (about a month now), and I have tried to focus all of my mental, emotional and physical energy into the one thing I REALLY need to be working on: my script. Are you surprised? I wouldn't think so, considering I've been talking about my writing for the past millenia (or at least it feels that way). Writing is a wonderful art, and my first love, but I can't help but start to feel antsy. Honestly, since August of 2009, I haven't had such a huge amount of time for me to do whatever I please. By the end of summer, I'm going to see about getting a part-time job, hopefully in development or in writing. Might help to stave off the cabin fever. ANYWAY, you could hardly care about that with such pretty pictures of bread loaves distracting you. This, my friends, is my first attempt at soda bread, and even though I'm not really sure what the original version tastes like, I'm never going back. It's only oat soda bread for me from here on in. 

I've stayed away from bread making because I honestly have a sub-concious aversion to anything that needs yeast. I assume if a recipe calls for yeast, it's going to take centuries to make, and will use every pot and pan in the house. I know this is an irrational fear. And I have known for a while that soda bread is a "quick bread", meaning it doesn't use yeast as a levener, but still, I decided not to bother. Until along comes this really intriguing recipe from 101 Cookbooks that I finally couldn't pass up. It was a lazy evening, and I had a box of oats I wasn't doing anything with, so why not. And oh man, the oats. Seriously the oats are really what give this bread its wonderful flavor. It's toasty, hearty, and all around delicious. Take a fresh baked piece of this bread, slather it with soft butter...oh man...maybe I should make another loaf right now...

The one thing I will say about this bread is that processing the oats down to the point where they reach a flour-like consistency is not easy. Be patient, I took the better part of an hour processing, sifting, then processing again to get my oats to where they needed to be. I promise your patience will be rewarded. The rest of the recipe is a snap to whip up. Just that damn oat flour is a bit of a bitch, but as soon as you cross that hurdle, it's smooth sailing.

Not sure if you can tell, but there's a big chunk of crust taken out of the left half of this loaf. I couldn't wait to take pictures.

Now you can put whatever you like on top. I happened to have poppy seeds, and felt that a bit of sea salt would add a nice kick. I was right. I'd recommend adding a touch more salt to the top regardless of your seed combination, for an extra kick of flavor. And I will definitely be keeping a few more seeds around the house to play more with the crust. I might even be tempted to add a few in the dough, to be honest. Why not live a little. But first, I need to get 10 more pages down on paper. Then I can reward myself with bread.

Oat Soda Bread (Heidi’s Recipe - http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/oat-soda-bread-recipe.html)

2 cups rolled oats (or a scant 2 cups oat flour)

2 ¼ cup flour

1 ¾ tsp baking soda

1 ¼ tsp sea salt, plus extra for top

7 tbsp powdered buttermilk

1 ¾ cup water

1 tbsp honey

butter (for pan and for top of loaf)

a variety of seeds (caraway, poppy, sesame, etc.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and center rack in middle. Butter and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.

Make oat flour by pulsing oats in a food professor till it becomes a fine powder.

Sift flours, baking soda, salt and buttermilk powder into a large bowl. Make a well in the flour and pour in water. Drop the tbsp of honey in there too. Stir still ingredients just come together as a dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured counter and knead for about 30 seconds, until the dough comes together as a cohesive, slightly flattened ball without any cracks or fissures. If your dough is a bit too dry, add a splash of water just a bit at a time.

Ease the dough into the pan and brush top with melted butter (or cream) and sprinkle generously with the seeds and some extra sea salt. Bake for about 30 minutes, then move rack up a level so the top gets nice and toasty. Bake another 20 minutes, or until a hard crust forms and the bread is baked through. It will feel solid and sound hollow when you knock on it. After it’s cooled for about 10 to 15 minutes in the pan, life carefully out and allow to cool on a wire rack. 

I've Been Gone for So Long...Double Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

You thought I was one of those "fairweather food bloggers" didn't you? I leave for months without a trace, which means I've obviously have lost interest. Not so. The past few months have been...eventful. I have finished classes at NYU's Grad Film program (still need to make a thesis film, more on that later), I spent 7 weeks in Europe and walked across Spain (photos and stories to come), I worked as a line producer on an NYU thesis film and made some amazing friends, and I am rewriting my feature script from scratch. So it's safe to say...I've been a tad busy.

But I'm back! And with so much to tell you all, and so many recipes to share. Actually, funny enough, I somehow have photos and recipes of several things I made before I left stored up in my folders, so I'll try and make up for lost time by giving you guys more than the usual weekly entry. At least for a little while. Oh! And a horrible thing happened on my travels: I lost my trusty digital SLR. I know, I'm an idiot. It hurts me every single time I think about all the wonderful memories that are now being flipped through by some random Spaniard.

Anyway, let's start off again with a wonderful recipe that I'm going to give you guys right in the nick of time. We've still got some hot weather hanging about, so who feels like enjoying a rich, delicious, yet still completely refreshing homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream? I certainly do. This may be some of the best mint ice cream I've ever tasted. And I'm a BIG fan of mint chocolate chip. The combination of both spearmint and peppermint really gives a lot of depth, and the extract gives it that slight extra punch to make it a MINTY ice cream. And of course, no mint ice cream is complete without a little bit of dark chocolate mixed in. I use plain old Trader Joe's bittersweet, but any kind you feel like adding is fine.

Oh, in case you're wondering if I suddenly, in a spurt of anger towards this unbearably hot summer, bought an ice cream maker for my tiny kitchen, let me explain. My parents went to William Sonoma to buy a juicer, and came back with an ice cream maker. If you're confused, then that makes two of us. At any rate, my mom started making a new ice cream flavor every two or three days, to the point where we ended up with four different cartons of ice cream stuffed into our freezer. Things were getting deliciously out of control. Honestly, it's criminal how easy it is to make homemade ice cream. These little machines should be outlawed. When I speak to her next, I'll make sure to get her recipe for mango and kulfi (Indian ice cream) and share them with you.

Alright, I've got to get back to writing another 90 pages of a script. Please send me some ice cream when you can, I'm going to need a snack soon.

Don't mind the strangely blue coloring. My sister and I took the opportunity to play with food coloring while we were cooking.

Double Mint Chip Ice Cream (based on David Leibovitz)

3 cups heavy cream

¾ cup sugar

5 egg yolks

1 cup loosely packed peppermint leaves

1 cup loosely packed spearmint leaves

Pinch of salt

Splash of vanilla

Splash of peppermint extract (optional)

1/3 cup dark chocolate chopped fine

Combine 2 cups of cream with the sugar and salt in a stockpot and set over medium low heat. Stir. Gently crush mint leaves in your hands and add to pot. Let mixture come to ALMOST a simmer and turn off. Leave to steep for about 2 hours (you can taste every now and then to see if the mixture is as minty as you’d like).

Spoon out mint leaves and squeeze any excess liquid into the cream mixture. Add a bit into the eggs and whisk together vigorously. Add back into pot and set on medium low heat. Stir until mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Take off heat and strain into a clean bowl. Add vanilla and extra cup of cream and mix to combine. Taste. If you’d like more minty flavor, add a touch of peppermint extract.  Chill completely in fridge for at least 4 to 5 hours, or overnight.

Freeze according to ice cream machine manufacturer’s directions. When ice cream is almost completely done mixing, add chocolate. 

One week....and Loaf Cakes (Chocolate and White Chocolate Almond)

One week. One week left of school. I can't believe that I am almost done being a student for good. And my little film family is growing up! And I'm writing a feature! I'm backpacking through Europe in two weeks! Phew...that's a lot to ingest. But it's not so much that I can't also enjoy a piece of cake or two. One of the reasons I've had so many double-recipe blog entries is because my baking instincts are in overdrive. I cook a lot when I'm stressed, and at this point I've got enough sweets to turn my apartment into the new hip Williamsburg bakery. Luckily, you don't need a crazy baking fetish to enjoy either of these cakes. You just have to like tasty things and have minor league skills in the kitchen. And trust me, these two beauties are worth it. 

This chocolate cake is really wonderful, but you MUST use good cocoa. The intense flavor from really good cocoa powder just gives this cake such a chocolatey punch. I add some bittersweet chocolate chips just for a little extra choco-goodness, and because I think they add a nice bit of moisture. This recipe is adapted from Smitten Kitchen's, who names this (very aptly) an "everyday chocolate cake", which it really is. One bowl, great for a party or a boring Tuesday.

The one thing I should warn you about is that this is a crumblier, slightly drier cake. It's delicious, but don't expect one of those moisture explosions that comes with some chocolate cakes. This is actually perfect with some fresh whipped cream and a few berries. Or, if you're crazy (in a good way), a touch of thin chocolate ganache. Either way it's a great way to relieve a bit of stress in not too much time. Which is great when you've got a lot of writing to do.

Left a few pieces of cake for my roomies. Next to them are some (slightly) failed macarons w/ Meyer lemon mascarpone filling. 

Now, this white chocolate almond pound cake, this is something else entirely. Moist, sweet, buttery with a touch of tang and awesome depth of flavor, this is officially my favorite pound cake now. So much so, I made it twice within one week (for two different events, not for me to just eat in my room while watching Friday Night Lights).

The real trick to this cake is the cream cheese that replaces half the butter. It keeps the cake moist and gives it such depth. The white chocolate is really amazing as well. I'm not even a white chocolate fan, but in this form it really, REALLY works. That paired with the almond extract...mmm...maybe I should make this cake one more time....

I use a bit more almond extract than asked for in more recipes (or in this original recipe) but I really think it makes a difference. The best thing to do is to taste the batter after adding a conservative amount of both vanilla and almond extracts, and then adding more bit by bit till it's got a good, strong taste of almond. Don't worry if it's a little intense, remember you still need to add the flour which will dull the flavor a bit.

Ghirardelli has slowly become my go-to for chocolate chips, both white and brown. Their 62% bittersweet version is great for several applications. I even use it for ganache. It's the same chocolate the company uses in their blocks of bittersweet. I think one reason they tend to be better is that it doesn't have that awful, waxy texture so many chocolate chips come with. Plus they're usually the only kind of chip that my fancy pants Williamsburg grocers carry.

So, another reason I'm baking so much is that I'm in training. For the biggest event in NYU's Grad Film Program. That would be...drumroll please...the official 3rd Year Bake-Off!!! At first I didn't feel too much pressure, but after having every one of my classmates pass me in the halls and claim they are going to take me down, now I'm in it to win it. I've got to make something(s) that are pretty spectacular. More details on what I'm planning will come.

Everyday Chocolate Cake (based on Smitten Kitchen - http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/08/everyday-chocolate-cake/)

Note: Since SK keeps this cake a one-bowl creation I figure my lazy method of making most cakes is acceptable. Just make sure you add the flour last, as after that is when over mixing becomes an issue. And try to use really good cocoa. No Hershey’s crap.

¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

¼ cup canola oil

1 cup light brown sugar

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup room temperature water

4 tbsp dried buttermilk

¾ cup Dutch processed cocoa powder (I used Guittard, Valrhona is good too)

¼ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup and 5 tbsp flour

couple handfuls of chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl combine butter, oil and sugars. Beat until fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the egg and beat until completely combined. Add water and vanilla and mix. Batter will look somewhat curdled, that’s fine. Add cocoa powder, baking soda and powder, and salt. Mix thoroughly with a spatula. Add flour and mix till almost completely combined. Add chips and fold in until batter is just combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top over. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes till toothpick inserted in center comes out with several crumbs attached, but no wet batter. Cool in pan for ten minutes, then flip out and cool till room temperature. Serve with whipped cream and fresh berries, or just pull chunks right off the loaf. That’s more my style.  

White Chocolate Almond Cream Cheese Pound Cake (adapted from Smitten Kitchen - http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/03/cream-cheese-pound-cake-strawberry-coulis/)

1 ½ sticks butter, softened

2/3 package (5-6 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 cup plus 5 tbsp sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

¾ - 1 tsp almond extract

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

1 ½ cup flour

3 handfuls of white chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli)

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray a standard loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Place the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl and beat with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add sugar and increase speed to high and beat until light and airy, at least five minutes (very important). Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, along with salt and baking powder. Add half the flour and fold into batter with spatula. Add half the white chocolate chips. Add the rest of the flour and fold till almost combined, add the rest of the chips and mix till just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out top with spatula. Bake cake four about 30 minutes, till golden brown, then cover with foil and bake an extra 25 minutes, till a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs.

Allow cake to cool in pan for about 10 to 15 minutes, then can be removed to cool completely, about another half hour. Slice and serve at room temperature. 

Slight disasters...chocolate cranberry scones and buttermilk cupcakes w/ chocolate p.b. ganache

Sometimes....I am not perfect. I know: this is shocking news for you. But every now and then I bake something that's just...eh. I mean it tastes good, possibly even great, but the looks aren't there, or something small got messed up. It's painful to realize at the time, but I suppose we make mistakes to learn from them. Here are two recipes that are actually quite good, but for some reason or another, I wasn't 100% happy with them. The chocolate p.b (aka peanut butter) ganache on these cupcakes was pretty awesome. Neither the cake not the topping was too sweet, making this cupcake a lot lighter tasting than it looks. To be honest, these came about from having a bowl of leftover ganache that I didn't know what to do with (other than take a spoon to it and go to town). 

And actually, whether you make these cupcakes or not, definitely remember this buttermilk cake recipe. It's genius, and I use it constantly. The main way I make it is into a 9" cake pan and dotted with fresh berries. Sprinkle some sugar on top of that and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Best cake you've had ever (until you've had the caramel cake I've got a recipe for....)

These scones I don't take responsibility for. I know, those things pictured below don't look like scones. They look like funny pancakes. Mind you, this was in the middle of a shoot, and I had slept a total of 4 hours in the past three days. Hence why I may have added a touch too much liquid, because I was near the point of hallucination. However, they tasted lovely. Because of all the moisture, they were more cakey than scone-like, so if that's how you like your English tea treats, add a 1/4 cup more milk than I recommend. 

However, in my defense I'd just like to say that along with my homemade granola bars, these scone were a hit on set. A big plate of them lasted about halfway through one day. Admittedly, people on set are half asleep and hungry so I might have been able to spread some chocolate syrup on cardboard and they would've been happy, but I'd like to think they enjoyed them because I'm just such a top notch baker. And hey, ignorance is bliss.

Buttermilk Cupcakes w/ Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting

CUPCAKES

1 cup flour

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

2 tbsp buttermilk powder

½ stick softened butter

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

½ cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and buttermilk powder together and set aside. Take butter and whip for several minutes till fluffy. Add sugar and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat thoroughly. Add 1/3 flour mixture, then ¼ cup water, then another third of flour mixture, last ¼ cup of water, and last third of flour mixture.

Line cupcake pan with paper cupcake liners. I found it easier to pour batter into a ziplock bag, snip off end and pipe into the liners. Should make 11 cupcakes.

Place cupcake pan into oven and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until tops are lightly brown and a toothpick stuck into the middle comes out with a few crumbs stuck to it.  Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting. 

FROSTING

1 cup spiced chocolate ganache (recipe below)

½ to ¾ cup good peanut butter

½ cup cold heavy cream

Mix peanut butter with ganache. Place cream into large bowl and whip on high with electric mixer till peaks are stiff. Add ganache/pb mixture to cream in thirds, folding each thoroughly before adding the next. Add a touch of salt at the end (I like my desserts to have a tiny kick of salt in them).

SPICED CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Note: This is the ganache I use for pretty much anything I make with ganache, so save this recipe, it’s very versatile.

6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I use Ghirardelli 60% cocoa chips)

2 cups heavy cream

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp instant espresso mixed w/ 2 tbsp water

½ tsp salt

½ tsp red pepper

Place heavy cream in small pot and turn to medium high. While that’s heating up, place chocolate in a heatproof bowl.

Bring cream to a boil. Take off heat and pour over chocolate. Let stand for two to three minutes, then stir. Chocolate should be completely melted at this point. If not, pop bowl into microwave for a few seconds. When cream and chocolate are completely melted and mixed together add the rest of the ingredients and combine. 

To make chocolate p.b. ganache, simply add 1/3 to ½ cup of peanut butter (I use natural Woodstock Farms, creamy style) to prepared spiced chocolate ganache and mix. Continue to add peanut butter till you get the ratio of p.b. to chocolate that you like.

Buttermilk Scones w/ Bittersweet Chocolate and Dried Cranberries

2 cups flour

3/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling

2 tbsp powdered buttermilk

4 tsp baking powder

5 tbsp cold butter, cubed

3 tbsp shortening

½ cup cold water

1 egg

¼ cup heavy cream

3 oz bittersweet chocolate (I use Ghirardelli bittersweet chips)

handful of dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and powdered buttermilk in a food processor and process for a few seconds. Add shortening and butter and process till the fats are incorporated and the mixture has the texture of sand.

Dump into large bowl. In another bowl mix the egg and water, whisking to combine. Slowly add egg/water mixture, mixing the dough with your hands. Stop adding when the dough comes together and before it becomes sticky.

Add chocolate and cranberries and fold into dough with spatula. Lightly flour a countertop and place dough on top. Gently shape into a disc about 8 to 10 inches in diameter, and approximately 2.5 inches in thickness. Cut into triangles (depending on the size of scones you want, 8, 12 or 16 would be good).

Place on baking sheet and brush with heavy cream. Sprinkle extra sugar on top.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown on top, depending on the size of scone you’re making.

How Grownups Play With Their Food....Sauteed Baby Octopus and THE BEST ROAST CHICKEN

Every now and then I think it's imperative to spoil yourself. For me, that means spending far to much on fancy ingredients and making a luscious meal. (Really, who wasn't expecting that.) I experimented with two different ingredients I've never used before: baby octopi, and sunchokes.  

I was wandering through the Union Square Farmer's market (in search of some perfect bone-in and skin-on chicken breasts) and found over three stands selling sunchokes. Which got me curious: what the hell are sunchokes??? I mean, I've heard of them, but I had no idea what they taste like. And the problem with farmer's markets and I are that, I just can't resist. Local dairy farms selling unbelievable heavy cream (trust me)? Why not? A pound of winesap apples? Yes please. Cider doughnuts? Well, ok I say no to those, because they are always disappointing. But really expensive lamb bacon I don't need? Well, you get the picture.

So, in case I haven't mentioned this to you guys before, roast chicken with root vegetables has apparently become my absolute favorite meal. I've roasted two whole chickens in the last month, and while I loved both of them, something was lacking. But I still craved roast chicken. So finally, on a night with a great horror movie on my Netflix queue ("The Thing", awesome) and several pages of my script waiting to be written, I decided to make my own version of roast chicken with root vegetables, with essentially just half the bird.

I bought these chicken breasts from a local farmer at, of course, the farmer's market. At first I was mentally kicking myself for spending almost 10 bucks on two chicken breasts (they were large, in my defense), but after taking one bite, all my suspicions were gone. This chicken was frigging AMAZING. The crispness of the skin, the juiciness of the meat...it took all my strength to not just eat as much as I could hovering over the roasting pan.

The crispiness of the skin was through a trick I learned from America's Test Kitchen. Strange as it may sound: baking powder. Mixing it with the salt and pepper used to season the meat it helps brown and dry the skin. Also, make sure to loosen the skin from the meat, which stops moisture from being trapped between the meat and skin and making things soggy. I should apologize right now for all my readers in the nyc area, for the life of me I can't remember the name of the farmer I got my chicken from. But don't worry, I'll be scouring Union Square till I find him. Oh, and by the way, the sunchokes were fantastic! Roasted them with carrots, yukon gold potatoes, and red onions. The sunchokes reminded me of yucca, which I love. Another fantastic veggie to add to this mix is fennel. Now on to the octopus...



Not sure if anyone remembers the glorious day of warmth we had on Monday, but I just couldn't stay inside, no matter how much work I had. Wandered around, stopped by the Housing Works bookstore (a lovely place to peruse, by the way, I became a member and everything), and finally couldn't stop myself from walking into Dean & Deluca about a block away from the bookstore. At $10 a pound these baby octopi looked amazing. The very cute fishmonger mentioned they came in just that day. I was pretty much sold at this point, and because of the fish guy's cute smile.  =)

I marinated the octopus first with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper for half an hour. Meanwhile, I set about sauteeing sliced garlic and chopped red onion. When the aromatics are soft and cooked through you should take them out of the pan, as the octopus needs to be cooked on high heat, which will burn the garlic and onions. I, of course in my lazy state, decided to skip this step. Big mistake.

I decided to keep it simple with my cooking strategy. The essential flavoring elements are garlic, onion, lemon and parsley. Even with my several stupid (and obvious) mistakes with this recipe, these little eight legged creatures were still delicious. Which is a shame, as that means I'll just be shopping at Dean & Deluca more, a hobby I simply cannot afford.

If these octopi looks funny, it's because they are covered in flour, which I thought would be nice, and make them crispy while being sauteed. No, do not do this. Only batter and flour octopus if you are going to deep fry them, otherwise your flour becomes a mushy mess in the pan, and you get something that very vaguely resembles a strange, seafood-esque oatmeal. Luckily, when I pushed the breading aside, there was glorious, perfectly cooked octopus underneath. Victory! So those are my two wonderfully indulgent, fairly simple recipes you can whip out whenever you feel like doing something special on a Tuesday or any old weekday night. And please invite me over if you're making roast chicken.

Roasted Chicken w/ Root Vegetables

Note: I’m one of those rare fans of white meat over dark, hence why I use only chicken breasts here. However, you’re more than welcome to try this out with chicken legs and thighs. While the breast is done at 160 degrees, thighs and legs should register at 175 degrees.

Another Note: This is quite the decadent meal with the generous use of butter. I really loved serving this over some raw bitter greens which cut through the richness of the chicken and veggies. Perfect “cold night in” kind of food.

Oh Yeah, One Last Thing: The kind of chicken you use is very important. I generally buy only from my local farmer’s market, which has sustainable free range chicken. Not necessary to get the best of the best, but I’d really recommend staying away from Perdu-esque poultry.

2 large bone-in skin on chicken breasts

1 ½ tbsp fresh thyme leaves

1 ½ tbsp. dried tarragon

1 tbsp kosher salt

3 tsp pepper

½ tsp baking powder

6-8 tbsp clarified butter, melted

2-3 carrots, peeled and cubed

3 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 medium red onions, cubed

1 large fennel bulb, cubed

4-5 small sunchokes, peeled and cubed

7-8 cloves garlic, peeled

1 lemon, cut into eighths

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place all vegetables and lemon wedges into roasting pan. Sprinkly 2 tsp of salt and pepper on top, along with 1 tbsp of thyme and dried tarragon. Drizzle about 2-3 tbsp butter on top. Toss with hands to make sure all veggies are coated evenly.

Bring chicken to room temperature. Thoroughly dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, mix the rest of the salt, pepper, thyme, tarragon and baking soda. Loosen skin from meat with fingers.  Sprinkle seasoning mixture all over chicken and under skin. Drizzle butter onto chicken and rub over breasts (don’t giggle) and under skin. Place chicken pieces on top of vegetables and roast in oven for about 30-35 minutes, until meat thermometer reads 160 degrees at center of breast. Remove chicken from pan and let sit for 10 minutes under foil. Let vegetables continue roasting.

Serve atop raw dark greens (kale, collard, turnip, etc.).

Sauteed Baby Octopus w/ Garlic, Onion and Tomato         

Note: I had my fishmonger take care of any prep work for the octopi, so I didn’t need to remove any skin/beaks. I’d recommend if you’re able to get the people at your fish market to do the same, do so. Unless you like butchering octopi, then have at it.

½ lb baby octopi (about 4-5 whole), rinsed

2 tsp garlic chopped, 4 cloves sliced

1/3 cup red onion, chopped

¼ cup and 3 tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup dry white wine

½ cup chopped tomatoes

half a lemon

handful of chopped parsley leaves

salt and pepper

Place the octopi in a shallow bowl. Add ¼ cup olive oil, chopped garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss octopi a few times and let marinate for half an hour.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp oil in sauté pan and gently cook onions till soft. Add garlic and cook till fragrant and soft. About 5 to 7 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. When garlic and onions are properly softened and starting to caramelize, transfer to a plate.

Add remaining tbsp of oil and get to high heat. When pan is good and hot, add octopi, cooking quickly. When the legs are starting to curl up around the body add white wine. Bring heat down just a bit and add back the garlic and onions.

As soon as the legs have curled up tightly turn off the heat. Add chopped tomatoes, juice and all, and stir. Take that half a lemon and squeeze it all over the top. Then add  the parsley. Taste, and add more seasoning if necessary.

Serve atop pea shoots or any other greens.

I'm Insane...Mixed Berry & Apple Almond Granola Bars

Alright, that's it. I've lost it. I've completely lost my mind. In the midst of all this writing/working/chaos I've suddenly decided to attempt making granola bars for a set I'm production managing this weekend from scratch. Why? I have no idea. Well, that's a lie, I have some idea. I saw this recipe for Raspberry Breakfast bars on Smitten Kitchen (one of the great food blogs, of course) ages ago, and since then I've had it in the back of my mind to attempt them. But why, why oh why, did I decide to make them for at least 20 people and in the middle of a week where I'm prepping for this shoot as well as trying to get all my work done??? It's because I'm insane, nothing else to it.

Shooting starts at 5 am and goes till about 5 pm every day, which made me think "Gee, we need really good breakfast foods." Another excuse for me to try and make these. So of course, if you're going to be cooking for a set, you've got to make at least two batches, which is what I did. One is a mixed berry from frozen berries, the other is apples and almonds. I figured if I cut them up small enough, they'd last at least a day and a half (hopefully). Oh, and just to add to my masochism, I made these around midnight, and didn't finish till about 3 am. Yeah, this is not a recipe to just "whip up" any old night. It takes some forethought.

This is the consistency your crumb/crust mixture should reach

Having said that, I knew I was onto something good when I tasted the crumb mixture. If I had a spoon and no conscience, I could've eaten that alone no problem. It was AWESOME. The cinnamon, butter, brown sugar, oats...it's hard to go wrong with a combination like that. The only problem was, my food processor couldn't handle all the dry ingredients. So I just cut up the oats with the flour, and then did the rest by hand. Mind you, it can be done, but mixing 3 sticks worth of butter cubes into a heap of flour, oats and sugar is no small feat. Took a while, but in the end was worth it.

One reason I may have decided to spend my night covered in oats and brown sugar is to distract me. See, I just turned in my application for the coveted This American Life internship a few days ago, and it's been driving me crazy. I want this job. I really want this job. And not only that, I know I would be good at it. But I don't find out for another three weeks. So till then, I spend my nights baking to drown out the thoughts in my head. Thank god there's a bunch of hungry filmmakers to eat most of this stuff, otherwise I'd probably weigh about 348 pounds.

Mixed berry granola bars

Now, I said this wasn't the easiest recipe, but the bars are tasty. Now, I say "granola", but they're a bit more dessert-like than that. These could easily be served as a luxurious brunch item, or as a substitute for a scone with afternoon tea. Or just any old time you feel like eating something sweet and delicious, with a bit of fruit. And of course, the great thing about these is you can do pretty much anything to them. My next combination most likely will be chocolate ganache and peanut butter (I know, my heart skipped a beat too).

Other than being antsy, I'm going to start upping my baking schedule because of one very important upcoming event: the annual Tisch Grad Film Bake-Off!!! Yeah, I think it goes without saying that I'm entering, but it's gotten around that I'm the one to beat. And now it seems I've got a fair bit of competition. I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a little bit of pressure: I seriously have to nail this. So if anyone has any ideas as to what might be a sure-fire winner, please, I need help!

Apple almond granola bars

Sadly, since it was around 2 am, I burned the bottom crust of the apple bars. I tasted them later, and they're fine, but not as stellar as they could have been. Just be careful when your bottom crust is in the oven to not let it get too brown. Also, I should mention that there is a higher ratio of crust to fruit in both these bars. While that's not altogether a bad thing (like I said, the crust is dee-licious), but if you're looking for something more fruit-centric, I'd add more. You could probably up the apple bars to three, even three and a half apples, and an extra half pound of berries for the mixed berry ones.

Alright. Time to get my life in order. The bars are done, I've got a few new pages of my script, and I can't do anything more about my TAL application so I'm going to stop thinking about it. Yes, things are going to start falling in place, I can feel it! I'm going to be productive! Hmm...or I could make roasted chicken breasts w/ sauteed kale and sunchokes and just tell you guys how that goes.... (more on this endeavor later)

Mixed Berry & Apple Almond Granola Bars

(by Smitten Kitchen: http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/09/raspberry-breakfast-bars/)

For crust/crumb:

1 ½ cups flour

1 ¼ cups rolled oats

1 cup brown sugar

¾ tsp salt

¾ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¾ tsp cinnamon

¾ cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces (room temperature)

For mixed berry filling:

¼ cup brown sugar

1 tbsp lemon zest

½ tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp flour

½ tsp salt

1 pound frozen berries (I used a mixture of strawberry, blueberry, blackberry and raspberry)

3 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For almond apple filling:

¼ and 2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp lemon zest

2 tbsp flour

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp salt

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced into small pieces

1/3 cup slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9”x13” baking pan with cooking spray. Take a long piece of parchment paper and place on bottom, allowing extra to hang over sides of pan (you’re essentially making a sling for the bars).

If you have a large food processor, put all of the crust ingredients into the food processor and blend till you get a dry, crumbly mixture (about 40 to 50 seconds) If you don’t: put flour and oats in your dinky food processor. Process for 20 to 25 seconds, till well combined, and the oats have been ground down. Dump into large mixing bowl. Add sugar, salt, baking powder and soda, and cinnamon. Whisk thoroughly. Place the butter pieces into the dry ingredients in two batches. With the first batch in, use your fingers to combine and mix the butter into the ingredients, pushing the butter into the flour mixture. When the first batch is pretty much combined, add the second and repeat. This does take a few minutes, but it’s worth it!

Reserve 1 ½ cups of crust mixture. Take the rest and place in prepared baking pan and press into the bottom, all the way to the sides. Put in oven and bake for about 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Take out of oven and cool.

For the fillings, the first step with both versions is to mix the brown sugar, zest, cinnamon (and nutmeg for apples), flour and salt in a small mixing bowl.  Place defrosted berries or apples and almonds in larger bowl and pour sugar mixture on top. Toss fruit to coat completely. Add lemon juice and butter and mix with spatula.

Pour fruit mixture on top of cooled crust and spread out to edges. (The berry mixture will look like it’s not enough, but don’t worry.) Take reserved crust mixture and sprinkle on top, till the fruit is completely covered. Press down on the crumb so it seals the fruit in between the layers of dough.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes till top is golden brown, rotating pan every 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then use parchment paper sling to remove from pan. Cool to room temperature and cut into bars/squares. Will keep refrigerated for 2 days (long if frozen).

Brisket Galore and a Guest Post! (Ann's Shredded Chicken Tacos)

Tip for life: if anyone ever asks you to join them to an all-you-can-eat brisket cook-off against several of nyc's finest BBQ joints at one of your favorite bars, you always say yes. Jimmy's No. 43, a great place for well crafted beers and a big supporter of the slow food movement, hosts several food events every weekend.They're having a duck-off next weekend. Mmmm....

And there are two new things about "Mmm...Toast". First of all, we have our very first guest post! Ann Erickson, my old roomie and close friend from Illinois Wesleyan University is a fellow foodie, and was kind enough to share her fabulous recipe for shredded chicken tacos. I have yet to try it myself, but I promise that's something I'm going to rectify soon. 

The second new thing is, everyone can comment on my blog now! Yay! I finally figured out how to change the settings on my blog, so those few followers I have who've been dying to tell me things, now you can. Now let's get to the food.

This is Fatty 'Cue's entry. A delicious brisket sandwich with pickled onions, cilantro, a little coleslaw on a hawaiian roll. I'd like to say that the sandwich entry is a bit of a cheat, because this competition is about the brisket, but damn it was a good sandwich. And I've always wanted to go to Fatty 'Cue. Now I have even more reasons why. This sandwich, and the cute guy doling out the 'cue.  =)

This was an entry by the cutest lady named Emma, who wasn't part of any restaurant whatsoever. She just made her own brisket and offered it up to hungry patrons. I'd love to say it was wonderful, because she was so adorable, but while the meat was incredibly soft, it had almost no flavor. The coleslaw was good, though.

Jon is trying to figure out which three entries he liked the best. He wouldn't let me look at his choices. Party pooper. 

I know this seems like a mish-mash of meat, but there are actually two different kinds of briskets here. One was from a Tennesse joint, Mr. Bobo, nice but a bit stringy, one's the Fatty 'Cue sandwich (delicious, as we already know), and Ribs From Within. One of my favorites, soft, great flavor, but a bit on the too fatty side (I know, that doesn't seem possible).

Here is the entry that won 1st place (The Kitchen NYC), and the brisket that won audience's favorite (Waterfront Ale House). The Kitchen's is a wagyu brisket with pickled radish, yuzu, and some other accoutrement I can't remember. I chose Waterfront's as my top pick. Great straight-forward brisket. They also had a mind blowing pastrami with house-made mustard (on top of their brisket above). 

Such a good time. And the embarrassing thing is: we had brunch before coming here. So essentially, we ate two HUGE full meals within about three hours. I even got seconds of some of the briskets. Yup, we're awesome. And now, without further ado, here are Ann's delectable chicken tacos. (I'll be back soon with a few dishes of my own to share with you guys.)

Shredded Chicken Tacos (By Ann M. Erickson)

So to say I love Mexican food is an understatement. I grew up in a south suburb of Chicago, ensconced in some of the best authentic Mexican food around-- not just in restaurants, but in the homes of some of my dearest friends. I have tried to replicate many of the recipes made by those wonderful mothers who insisted that I eat every time I came over, and I have even tried to make healthy versions, with mixed success. These tacos were inspired by a chicken flauta making session at my best friend's house. I wanted to make something almost as delicious, but less greasy and with my favorite taco toppings--- here you have it, spicy shredded chicken tacos!
 

Ingredients:

Package of boneless chicken breasts (about 1.25 lbs)

1 tbsp of kosher salt

1 tsp Freshly ground black pepper 

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp white onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp chili powder

2 tbsp olive oil

Package of corn tortillas

Mexican cheese

1 avocado

Other toppings as you choose.

You start out with three large boneless chicken breasts. I like butterfly them just for ease of having well-seasoned meat and quicker cooking, but if I am lazy, I will just season the breasts and throw them in the stove. (Here is a pretty good tutorial on how to butterfly chicken breasts: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food/cooking/butterfly-chicken-breast).

Once the meat is ready, rub it in kosher salt, black pepper, and then again in red pepper flakes, white onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, ground cumin, and cayenne pepper. It sounds like a ton of seasonings, but I promise it balances out. Drop about two tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and lay the chicken pieces in the skillet. Cook at medium heat.

Once the chicken is cooked all the way through (no pink when split open!), place pieces of chicken into a metal or pyrex bowl. Then, using two forks, shred the chicken breast. Using one fork to hold the meat down and the other fork to pull the meat away in shredded pieces seems to be the best way to get this done.

Once all the chicken is shredded, put it back in the pan and mix in a small can of tomato paste. Taste here for seasonings-- if it needs more salt or spice for your taste, feel free to add! Cook the mixture together for a couple of minutes on medium heat while warming up tortillas on another pan. 

Top with your favorite taco toppings-- I had avocados and a blend of Mexican cheeses to top them with, but feel free to add salsa, sour cream, tomatoes, or lettuce.

If you wanted to do the flauta version, you could pour vegetable oil into another pan--- about an inch deep-- and roll some of the chicken mixture in the corn tortillas. Drop a few flautas in the oil at a time, and fry them until the outsides are crispy. Delicious with guacamole!