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Simple and Beautiful Holiday Bread

Once again December is upon us. It feels like yesterday when tulips started blooming and rejoiced with their colors, summer heat gave us a good excuse to eat watermelon by the pounds (well, I did), and then the fall air became crispy enough to get us all excited about hats and scarfs. But December has done it again—it surprised us with the smell of hot cocoa and festivities everywhere we turn.

December is festive, fun, colorful, warm, traditional and giving. It gives us the opportunity to reconnect with friends, a chance to indulge on special ingredients, an excuse to get dressed up and a reason to be a little more giving than usual.

This past September my parents came to visit. I am so thankful my husband and I were able to spend almost two months with them. It was like being back home. As expected, most of the time we were in the kitchen cooking, baking, talking. My parents LOVE bread. They have it for breakfast and at tea time, every day. So that sent me into a “bread making kick.” Few things are as good as well-made, fresh bread—the initial crunch, then the softness of the inside. It’s even better when it’s warm and the smell lingers throughout the house.

Artisan bread is my favorite. It’s rustic and very forgiving. I do not own a bread-making machine and I had never made bread in my life until I discovered the 5-minute Artisan Bread. After that I was making bread every day and loving it!

Offering homemade bread is a warm, personal gesture, carrying the best sentiments of the season. Accompanying it with a jar of homemade warm apple compote makes the perfect gift! All you need is four ingredients, parchment paper and a dutch oven (recipe on back). Add fresh rosemary for a more savory flavor, fresh oregano for an Italian twist or even chocolate chips for some sweet fun! It takes almost no time to make but can be a wonderful gift for a party hostess or a neighbor. It tastes and looks good and don’t forget to package it thoughtfully.

But let’s face it, we all get busy and may not have time to make homemade bread for every occasion, but you can add a loaf of Breadfarm artisan bread to your next Klesick order. Make a big batch of apple compote (recipe on back) ahead of time, store in jars and refrigerate. Next time you are heading out to a Christmas party, wrap that pretty bread with parchment paper, grab a jar of apple compote and delight your friends with this tasty treat!

Sara Balcazar-Greene (aka. Peruvian Chick)
Peruvian Food Ambassador
peruvianchick.com
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ARTISAN BREAD

 

6.5 cups all-purpose flour

3 cups luke-warm water

1 tbs salt

1 tbs yeast

 

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt and yeast. Add the water and use a wood spoon to stir together until the mixture is thoroughly combined.

Cover dough with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours. Dough will bubble up and rise. After dough is ready, preheat oven to 500 F. Cut half of the dough and place onto a well-floured surface. With floured hands, form the dough into a ball.

Place on top of parchment paper and let rest for 45 minutes. While dough is resting, put your dutch oven into the preheated oven for 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes are up, carefully remove the dutch oven. Slice 1/4″ deep cuts into the surface of the dough. Carefully lift the dough and place, with paper and all into the preheated pot. Replace the lid and slip it back into the oven. After 15 minutes of baking, remove the lid. The dough only needs to bake in the steam for that amount of time. now it is time to add a lovely caramel color to the bread. Turn the heat down to 450°F and bake for another 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of the loaf. Once the loaf is nicely browned, carefully remove it from the pot with a spatula. Peel off the parchment and allow to cool on a cooling rack. Bread will be golden, crusty and delicious!

WARM APPLE COMPOTE

 

2-3 apples peeled and thinly sliced

Coconut oil

Cinnamon

Maple syrup

Apple cider

 

Sauté apples in coconut oil until slightly brown, add a pinch of cinnamon and maple syrup. Let apples caramelize. Add a splash of apple cider for a more runny consistency. Enjoy on hot toast. Spread almond butter if you’d like and enjoy!

Recipe inspired by Feastingathome.com

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Late Summer Soup

For weeks now people around me have been hinting at fall. “It’s coming!” they’ll say. Or, “Did you feel the chill in the air? It’s almost here.” And I would just simply look at them and shake my head, not yet. I wasn’t ready and fretted a bit not knowing if this would be the one year that I regret the coming of the next season. But I should know this by now; it happens in an instant and I think today is that instant.

We’ve just returned from three days of camping in the woods. A sort of last hurrah complete with a camp fire that never quit, a breezy hike to the beach, bacon cooked until crisp over the fire, stories told with sticky marshmallow covered fingers, and dirt, well, everywhere. As we were packing up our tents, the gray clouds started to sprinkle and the ice cream cone that I craved just the day before turned into a spiced cider craving. Suddenly, thoughts of apples hanging low in the trees made me giddy and raspberries seemed so last season. I’m craving butter baked into pies tucked around tart, crisp apples and sturdier vegetables roasted until sweet then whirred into a light, yet creamy soup that gently warms during the soft coolness of the evenings.

I have that sort of soup today (recipe below). It’s hearty and yet somehow light, which in my mind is the perfect setup for a transitional soup. You know, the sort that can still be enjoyed on a sunny day but satisfies when the days are getting shorter and you need more heft than the salads of summer can offer. This soup uses an assortment of vegetables with cauliflower making up the bulk, but really it could easily be adapted to what you have lying around. The idea is a tray filled with roasted vegetable blends with onions, stock and cooked potatoes, so that it’s creamy but not heavy cream creamy – that wouldn’t be right for a transitional soup.

There’s also the leek, which is a member of the allium family, but the flavor is lighter and somehow more refined. We could boast of all the vitamins found in leeks here too but we don’t want them getting a big head.

Their paper-thin layers tend to collect dirt so I like to cut the leeks in half then run them through cool water. From there I thinly slice them and use them as you would onions. But even raw in a salad they do just fine, as their flavor is less abrasive than their cousin’s. They are just the right match for this sort of late-summer soup.

I should have remembered that my moment would come eventually. The one where I’m suddenly ready for cool weather and cozy evenings at home, or maybe I’m just too tired and don’t want to think of unloading the car from our camping trip. Either way, tonight seems like the perfect one for this soup.

by Ashley Rodriguez                                                                           

Chef, food blogger, and full-time mom.

You can read more of her writings at www.notwithoutsalt.com

Creamy Roasted Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

1 medium head cauliflower,

1 large leek, white part cut in 1/2-inch slices

4 celery stalks, cut in 2-inch pieces

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, sliced

1 potato, diced

1 tsp thyme leaves

Pinch chili flake

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk (or whole milk)

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Pepper

Directions

  • Preheat your oven to 400° F.
  • Toss cauliflower, leeks, and celery with 3 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Roast on a baking sheet for an hour or until vegetables are tender and there is a good deep color on many bits of the vegetables.
  • In a large pot add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. When the oil shimmers add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the roasted vegetables, potatoes, thyme, chile flakes, stock, coconut milk, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Bring to a boil then reduce to the heat to medium low. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
  • Carefully puree the soup in a blender. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Recipe adapted from the book Small Plates and Sweet Treats


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Grilled Green Beans and Peaches

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 peaches, cut into ½ inch wedges

1 lb. green beans, trimmed

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons slivered almonds

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

Directions

Toss peaches and trimmed green beans with the olive oil; season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Cook in a grill pan or in a skillet over high heat, tossing often, until beans are crisp-tender and peaches are lightly charred, 8–10 minutes.

Toss with toasted slivered almonds and Sherry vinegar. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit