The Dough Experiment

In my culinary explorations, I've been timid with making doughs.  My mom is a fantastic cook and her dinner rolls are coveted at any sort of neighborhood get together or family dinner.  Raspberry cinnamon rules barely have time to cool in our house-fluffy, doughy, and deliciously spice ridden swirls culminate to the perfect rolled center. However, after botching the infamous roll recipe the first time I tried, I have always been hesitant. The science of it is intimidating.  Density, taste and texture depends on precise measurements, kneading time, yeast performance, even weather. Yet, being between jobs and only having on 2-day-week class to occupy my time, I thought it was high time to dive into the realm of yeast, rising, punching, rolling, and baking.  Explorations started with a flatbread, but results were more cracker like than pillowy.  Next, I toyed around with a solid pizza dough recipe. I cook dinner for a group of friends on Fridays, and thought that several differently topped pies would be an excellent Friday supper.   Mostly, I was just looking for some justification for my dough trials and my roommates are good sports.

Fresh Mozzarella and Basil-Friend Voted Favorite

Four pies were delightfully consumed that Friday and the pizzas got progressively better.  The initial pie was a bit too doughy and pale, but the balsamic reduced caramelized onions paired well with rosemary and ricotta.  The next was a rosemary-red potato pie, which still needed  a bit more cooking time.  I do suppose impatience can also be a factor in the perfection of your pizza dough-I was a tad eager to pull them out of the oven.  Pie #3 was an enormous hit-lightly spooned tomato sauce with lots of fresh mozzarella, then topped with basil after being pulled out of the scorching oven. The cornmeal coating on the pizza pan gave good texture, as did a slightly longer baking time.  But the dough was still chewy after that crunch yielded.  Success demanding a repeat, and pizza #4 was an exact replica. I've since played around with pita bread, missing that Middle Eastern staple here in the States.  The dough didn't quite puff into the characteristic pocket, but no where near inhibited it being toasted and topped with honey, cinnamon sugar, raspberry preserves, peanut butter, butter or nutella.  The latest batch didn't even make it past a breakfast item. I think I'll tackle the beautiful bagel next after the success of the Friday pizza night.  For those pies were great- and photographed beautifully.   

à cuire: (Fr) To Bake

Coconut Cranberry Granola Bars

 It's been a spell since my latest post.  College life doesn't nearly produce as many interesting tales as a stay in Jerusalem does.  Not to say that these past months have been dull-not in the least.  Spring has arrived and with that comes much more to time to experiment in the kitchen. It also means I'm a few more months closer to graduating.  Graduating college. Just 2 semesters left.  Seems like a day that would never really come.  After high school, college was a natural step, but after college opens a box of ambiguity.  However, that box for me is looking more and more like a box of chocolates...I don't quite yet know what my post undergraduate plans will be, but I know that they will involve food and travel.  And most definitely chocolate.

I'm staying down in college central this summer which has it's pros and cons. Luckily, my campus has free copies of the New York Times available to students-I read it voraciously. I am sure to snag the Wednesday edition without fail and hoard the food/dining sections in my desk drawers.  It's been a classically Utah spring lately which means the weather flirts between sunshine and storms.  One particularly breezy Monday demanded some serious culinary investigation. The product of that Monday's adventures are pictured above.  Seems silly to purchase granola bars when they are a delight to make and photograph too well, right? Next experiment must include chocolate and peanut butter, with some cinnamon.


My last post hinted at Christmas festivities.  Gift giving this year resulted in the possession of the most beautiful cookbook.  Jerusalem: The Cookbook captures quite brilliantly the beauty of the city through food. That's really all I'm asking for out of life-exploration through food, family, friends and funds for travel.  Naturally when the Times had recent culinary coverage of Middle Eastern cuisine, I had to crack open the pages and test out a few recipes myself.  This cardamom chicken with basmati rice and herbed yogurt sauce was delectable and tasted better than photographed.  Nicely chosen, Ottolenghi and Tamimi.

Friends made in the Middle East have remained friends.  We mostly connect over food-sharing stories and recent finds in Provo.  One friend in particular is quite the culinary accomplice and we had a lovely time recreating Levain Bakery dark chocolate-walnut-chipped-cookies.  Unfortunately for the roommates, spare cookies were savored secretly.  I handled the half dozen share quite nicely on my own.  Yours truly, Emily Ruth: independent college student, cookie munching, Times hoarding, cookbook reading delight.