It’s July. They’re lots of blueberries bopping around. For myself, I was taken in by an enormous $7 carton last week. When I looked in the fridge over the weekend and saw a mostly-full container of almost-shrively little berries staring back at me, I grabbed flour, sugar, eggs, and my favorite blueberry recipes to take matters into my own hands (literally! ha ha). Continue reading
After returning from France, I was desperate to continue many of the delicious culinary habits I’d learned, one of which was a steady diet of croissant and coffee in the morning (okay, not every day, but at least with regularity!). It will not surprise you that Columbia, South Carolina, is not a haven of French patisseries. So the self-described intrepid baked set out to recreate the dream herself. From scratch.
There’s no way (that I’ve found) around the three-day process, but the time is worth the reward. No one day demands very much time–the first day is easiest by far (the mixer does all the work!)–and each day’s activity, while unique, is meditative. The entire process is both mystical and deeply calming (yes, making croissants is starting to sound like a spiritual experience. I wouldn’t deny it).
I found and followed this recipe, with much success. However–as aforementioned, I was making the delicate bread in an especially hot and humid climate, things which significantly affect the moisture of dough, the activity of yeast, and therefore, the finished product.
So, I started again, adjusting the recipe’s ingredients to account for a significantly warmer and moister environment:
1 lb. 2 oz. (4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for rolling
4 oz. (1/2 cup) cold water
5 oz. (1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs.) cold heavy whipping cream
2 oz. (1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs.) granulated sugar
2 Tbs. soft unsalted butter
1 scant Tbs. active dry yeast
2-1/4 tsp. table salt
For the butter layer
10 oz. (1-1/4 cups) cold unsalted butter
For the egg wash
1 large egg
All the directions are the same, but the liquid amounts vary from the original recipe from Fine Cooking; below is the quick-and dirty narration–do consult the real original recipe for actually attempting croissants!
Day One: assemble dough, cover and refrigerate.
Day Two: Make “butter layer,” fold up in the dough like an envelope, and roll…
Day 3: Roll again, cut, form, proof…
Bake–and if you’re not eating them ALL immediately, wrap ’em up in foil for the freezer (highly recommended! Each one I’ve eaten out of the freezer–heated at 350 degrees for 10 minutes exactly–has been absolutely perfect).
My most-fave homemade dessert, which has only six ingredients and is ready in 20 minutes, is made more than twice a week in the Hylden house.
Gather: 2 tablespoons Smart Balance or butter, 2 ounces chocolate (I use 85% cacao, but you can use your favorite), 1/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 whole egg, 3 tablespoons flour.
First, melt the butter & chocolate together in a small bowl and stir. Then add the sugar to the mixture and stir well. Next, add the egg–stir until the mixture changes texture, it will pull away from the side of the bowl. Add vanilla, if desired, then gently fold in flour–stir until just combined.
Divide between two greased ramekins (or teacups, or small bowls) and bake at 375 F for 13 minutes. Immediately remove from oven, invert a plate on the ramekin, and then invert the ramekin onto the plate–remove ramekin and serve.
not interested in turning on the stove? me either, these days–summer makes me dread anything that would add even a degree to the temperature inside my house.
As long as you’ve already cooked up some farro (I make a double or triple batch at once) and toasted some almonds, this salad is totally free of any heat-emanating device, and it’s the lunch and dinner that’s both virtuous enough and delicious enough that we eat it by the bagful:
Dressing:
Dump all the ingredients into a big bowl; pour dressing ingredients into a small jar or covered container, shake vigorously, pour over ingredients–mix everything well.
Because the kale is strong, this can sit in the refrigerator for a few days; because it is so delicious and balanced, it won’t last that long
Since the first seeds dove into the soil the end of February, the weather has been rather dramatic. There are strong, sunny days when heat seems to rise off the dark soil, and I imagine the seeds waking up warm and cozy, opening themselves to the nutrition of the dirt and the affirming warmth of the sunshine. There are lots of chilly, wet, very cloudy days, when I imagine the seeds soak up the wet, even soggy, nourishment floating around them, loosening the hard seed covers, encouraging the seed’s stretching and growing–like those little sponges that start out as colorful pills but become great animals for bath times.
The little seeds–and me!–don’t get to choose which are sunny days and which are cold, rainy days. They’ve got to just keep doing their thing, growing and stretching and taking in what they’re offered, using all the resources of the moment to help them grow.
How are you using the resources you’re being offered this very moment to help you grow?
hope of things not seen 