08-DEC-2006
Panettone
We are planning a holiday party, with an Italian food theme (but with Mexican touches.) Today, inspired by a post on the lonelyplanet.com Thorn Tree, Get Stuffed Branch, I decided to make panettone. Although I'm somewhat familiar with the process, it took hours and hours for the cakes to rise. Somewhere around 2 1/2 hours for the final rise. Together with the sponge stage and the dough fermentation, the total rising time was on the order of 7 hours.
This is a laborious process. We even made our own candied citrus peels.
I was vindicated in my faith. They turned out very nicely.
08-DEC-2006
Panettoni Just Out of Oven
The first Moment of Truth: taking the finished panettoni from the oven.
The second Moment of Truth is in the eating.
05-DEC-2006
Danish Pastry—Home Made
There are a lot of things about the baking business that I miss. One of them is the ability (when you work on your own) to start a baking project and see it through from start to finish.
Since we returned from the USA in late October, I have been baking several times a week. Yesterday, I made a small batch of rugelach.
Yesterday afternoon, while ruggles were baking, I started a Danish pastry dough, using one of the less demanding recipes.
And now I have the satisfaction of taking these beauties out of the oven. I made Cream Cheese with Cheddar and Dried Cranberry Snails, Lekvar (prune) Pockets, and from the scraps of dough, a few Cinnamon-Walnut Clothespins.
29-SEP-2006
Pozole Estilo Jalisco
Last night we were invited to a pozole supper at our friends' house, near Pátzcuaro. Sra. Betty makes Pozole estilo Jalisco, which she pointed out to us is distinguished from the local, Michoacán pozole in that the latter is "batido" and thickened, while the Jalisco style is not. Anyway, she's an excellent cook, and after openers of "Cabrito Brand" Tequila (cheap but tasty), we sat down to beautiful bowls of steaming pozole. It is red with mild chiles, probably strained guajillos. I forgot to ask.
For accompaniments, we had crisp, finely shredded cabage, and long, hot red dried chiles fried in oil, orégano and minced onion. No radishes.
Dessert was a lattice top butter crusted apple pie.
Desayuno: Queso Fundido con Rajas de Chile
Chilaquiles on the stove
Chilaquiles: dried, fried corn tortillas, simmered in chile salsa, and enhanced with cheese, chicken or occasionally, meat.
Chilaquiles on the plate
Enriched with melting quesillo de Oaxaca and crema; accompanied by frijoles negros refritos, and a mug of chocolate caliente (Just out of the picture, upper right.), and a small piece of pan dulce.