Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Hold on to your butts, we're gonna make a Cook's Illustrated recipe. So, I'm gonna need you to block off, oh, the next 6-7 hours for this.

Seriously.

Don't get me wrong, it's delicious. But you're going to have to accept that you won't be able to go 20 feet from your kitchen for approximately 4 hours. There are steps, then half steps, then little quarter steps. This is the definition of a long-term recipe.

But, it's Cook's Illustrated, which means every part of this 180-step recipe has been tested and re-tested, so in a way, it's more or less fool proof. Or as fool proof as a yeast-based bread recipe is ever going to get.

Ingredients

Dough
8 tbsp unsalted butter
3 3/4 cups bread flour, plus extra for work surface
3/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon (or 1 packet) instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (approx. 110 degrees F)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten (but keep separate)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups golden raisins

Filling
 1 cup confectioner's sugar
3 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt

Method

1. For the dough
Cut butter into 32 pieces and toss with 1 tbsp floor. Set aside to soften while mixing dough.

Whisk remaining flour, milk powder, sugar, and yeast together in bowl of stand mixer. Using stand mixer fitted with dough hook, add water and 1 beaten egg and mix on medium-low speed until cohesive mass forms, about 2 minutes, scraping down bowl if necessary.

Cover mixing bowl and plastic wrap and let stand for 20 minutes.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and place a large dish, loaf or cake pan on bottom of oven. Remove plastic wrap from mixer bowl add salt, and mix on medium-low speed until dough is smooth and elastic and clears sides of bowl, 7 to 15 minutes.

With mixer running, add butter, a few pieces at a time, and continue to knead until butter is fully incorporated and dough is smooth and elastic and clears sides of bowl, 3-5 minutes longer.

Add raising and mix until incorporated, 30-60 seconds.

Transfer dough to large greased bowl and, using bowl scraper or rubber spatula, fold dough over itself by gently lifting and folding edge of dough toward middle. Turn bowl 90 degrees; fold again. Turn bowl and fold dough 6 more times (total of 8 folds).

Cover tightly with plastic and transfer to middle rack of oven. Pour 3 cups of boiling water into loaf pan in oven, close oven door, and allow dough to rise for 45 minutes.

Remove bowl from oven and gently press down on center of dough to deflate. Repeat folding process (total of 8 folds), re-cover, and return to oven until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.

2. For the Filling 

Whisk filling ingredients together until well combined; set aside.

3. Shaping and Putting the Filling in the Dough

Grease two 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pans. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and divide into 2 pieces.

Working with 1 piece of dough, pat into rought 6 x 11 inch rectangle. With short side facing you, fold long sides in like a business letter to form 3 x 11 inch rectangle.

Roll dough away from you into a ball. Dust ball with flour and flatten with rolling pin into 7 x 18 inch rectangle with even 1/4 inch thickness. Using spray bottle (or flicking water with your hands), spray dough lightly with water.

Sprinkle half of filling mixture evenly over dough, leaving 1/4 inch border on sides and 3/4 inch border on top and bottom. Spray filling lightly with water (filling should be speckled with water over entire surface).

With short side facing you, roll dough away form you into firm cylinder. Turn loaf seam side up and pinch closed; pinch all ends closed. Dust loaf lightly on all sides with flour and let rest for 10 minutes.

Repeat with second ball of dough and remaining filling.

Slicing the loaf lengthwise

4. The Russian Braid

Working with 1 loaf at a time, use bench scraper or sharp chef's knife to cut loaf in half lengthwise; turn halves so cut sides are facing up.

Gently stretch each half into 14 inch length.

Line up pieces of dough and pinch 2 end strips together. Take piece on left and lay over piece on right. Repeat, keeping cut side up, until pieces of dough are tightly twisted (this is known as the Russian Braid technique, keeping the dough together while providing escape routes for excess air). Pinch ends together. See photos below for how to braid:

Making the Russian Braid

The completed Braid

Transfer loaf, cut side up, to prepared loaf pan; push any exposed raisins into seams of braid.

Repeat with second loaf.

Cover loaves loosely with plastic, return to over, and allow to rise for 45 minutes.

Remove loaves and water pan from oven; heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Allow loaves to rise at room temperature until almost doubled in size, about 45 minutes (top of loaves should rise about 1 inch above lip of pan.

5. Baking (finally)

Brush loaves with a mixture of 1 egg lightly beaten with pinch of salt. Bake until crust is well browned, about 25 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to about 325 degrees, tent loaves with aluminum foil, and continue to bake until internal temperature registers 200 degrees (I have no intention of ever checking the internal temperature of bread), which should take between 15-25 minutes longer.

Transfer pans to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove loaves from pans, return to rack, and cool to room temperatures before slicing, about 2 hours.

Steamed Salmon with Zucchini braised in Coconut Milk

Steamed Salmon with Zucchini braised in Coconut Milk 

Weirdly enough from Buzzfeed

Serves 2 

Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced
1 pound zucchini, cut in coins 1/2-inch thick
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 6-ounce skinless filets of salmon
chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large sauté pan (one with a lid, which you’ll need later) over medium heat. Add sliced onion, season with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has started to soften, about 2 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and aromatic, about 2 minutes more. Add zucchini, mix everything together. Cook, covered, until zucchini is soft but not mushy, about 10 minutes. Add coconut milk and fish sauce to the pan, mix everything together, and increase the heat to medium. Cook, uncovered, until some of the liquid has evaporated and the zucchini is extremely soft, about 5 minutes. Stir the mixture to break down the soft zucchini a little bit.

2. Meanwhile, season the salmon liberally on all sides with salt and pepper. Place the filets on top of the zucchini mixture in the pan, making sure they’re not touching each other or the side of the pan. Cover the pan and cook until the salmon is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, about 5 minutes.

3. To serve, divide the zucchini mixture between two plates and top each with a salmon filet. If you want, garnish the plates with chopped cilantro.

Carrot Bread

From the Prepared Pantry

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients

2 cups grated carrots
1.5 cups all purpose flour
.5 teaspoon salt
1.5 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons cinnamon

2 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
.5 cup vegetable oil
.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a medium loaf pan by greasing and dusting with flour or lining with parchment paper.

1. Grate and measure the carrots and set aside.
2. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
3. Whip the eggs together in a medium bowl. Stir the sugar in and then add the oil, extract, and milk.
4. Make a depression in the dry ingredients and add the wet mixture along with the carrots and nuts. Mix with a spatula until combined.
5. Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake on the top shelf of the oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until the loaves test done when a toothpick is inserted in the middle of the loaf. Remove the loaf from the pans and cool on wire racks.

Bearnaise Sauce

One of the classic French sauces, perfect for beef en croute. It's a bit finicky, but don't let the sauce see your fear. With just a little bit of attention, it'll come together just fine.

Ingredients
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
30g shallot, finely chopped
3 tbsp snipped tarragon leaves
10 cracked white peppercorns
4 egg yolks
250 butter, freshly clarified & cooled to tepid (for instructions on making clarified butter, see the larger recipe for beef wellington/beef en croute)
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp snipped chervil leaves

Method
In a small heavy-based saucepan, combine the white wine vinegar, shallots, and 2/3 of the tarragon, and the cracked pepper. Bring to a simmer over a low heat and reduce the liquor by half. Leave to cool completely.

Add the egg  yolks and 3 tbsp cold water to the cold reduction. Set the pan over a very low heat and whisk continuously. The sauce should emulsify and the temperature increase gradually. Whisk for 8-10 minutes until the mixture has become rich and creamy.

Off the heat, whisk in the cooled clarified butter, a little at a time. When it is all incorporated, season the sauce with salt and pepper, pass it through a chinois (a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth) and stir in the rest of the tarragon and chervil. Serve without delay.

Beef Wellington (aka Fillet of Beef in a Pastry Crust)

Mmmm. Pastry. Mmmmm meat in pastry. There are about a thousand variations on it, but almost all of them (let's be honest, all of them) are absolutely delicious. And don't the British know it. This perhaps could be the most supremely British of all dishes, I mean it's named after a duke for goodness sake. Of course, the French, being French, insist on calling it simply by the descriptive name: beef en croute. And that, since we used a French cookbook to make it, is perhaps the best way to describe this epic dish.

This dish brings "multi-step cooking" to a whole new level. Not only do you have to make your own pastry. Not only do you have to make your own crepes to be a "buffer layer" within the pastry. Not only do you have to make the mushrooms and blanched spinach that goes within the pastry. But the cookbook insists on accompanying this fine meal with a lovely bearnaise sauce which, you guessed it, you also have to make yourself. All in all, this escapade probably took about 36-48 hours. So if you're looking for a dish to impress dinner guests with, this one will take the cake. But set aside your whole weekend, folks. You're gonna need time.

So let's get to it. For simplicity's sake, I've isolated the various components of the dish into the main wellington/beef en croute, so that you can follow the steps of assembly in order. Because, if you hadn't guessed already, there are many.

Serves: 6

For the wellington pastry (similar to a brioche dough but a little firmer and less rich)

Ingredients
260ml tepid milk
12g fresh yeast (8g active dry)
450g plain (all-purpose) flour
10g fine salt
3 egg yolks
90g butter, slightly softened
45g caster sugar

Method

Put the milk and yeast into a bowl and stir to dissolve the yeast. Put the flour, salt, and eggs in an elective mixer fitted with a dough hook and pour in the milk and yeast mixture. Mix on low speed to combine and knead the dough for 5 minutes.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then knead at medium speed for about 10 minutes. By this stage, the dough should be smooth, elastic, and well amalgamated.

Meanwhile, in another bowl, mix the butter and sugar together well. Add a few small pieces to the dough, then with the mixer running at a law speed, add the rest, a piece at a time. When the butter mixture is all incorporated, increase the speed and work for 6-10 minutes until the dough is very smooth and shiny, and comes away from the bowl with perfect elasticity.

Of course, if you're feeling particularly vigorous, you can always forgo the electric mixer and do the whole thing by hand. It will take a bit more time, but will yield the same result (and tone your arm muscles quite nicely).

Remove the dough hook, leaving the dough in the bowl. Cover with a tea towel or cling film and leave to rise at approximately 24 degrees C or 75 degrees F for about 2 hours until the dough has doubled in volume.

Knock the dough back by flipping it over 2 or 3 times with your hand. Cover the bowl again and refrigerate for several hours (but not more than 24 hours). The dough is then ready to use and mould.

Herb Crepes (to serve as a buffer between the main pastry and the beef)

Ingredients 
60g plain flour
150ml milk
2 eggs
salt and freshly ground pepper
15g chopped or snipped fresh herbs (parsley, chervil, chives, etc.)
30g clarified butter (I explain below)

Method

In order to make the clarified butter: melt the butter very slowly/gently in a saucepan and then bring it to the boil. Ladle the clear butter through a muslin-lined sieve, leaving the milky deposit in the bottom of the pan.

Put the flour into a bowl and make a well. Add 1/3 of the milk (50ml), the eggs, a pinch of salt and a grinding of pepper. Mix lightly with a whisk to make a smooth batter, then pout in the rest of the milk and mix thoroughly. Pass the batter through a chinois (a fine mesh sieve). Cover with cling film and leave to rest for about 30 minutes. Stir the herbs into the batter just before cooking the crepes.

Lightly grease a large frying pan with a touch of clarified butter. Give the batter a stir, then ladle in just enough to cover the bast of the pan. Cook quickly for about 1 minutes, then turn the crepe over with a palette knife (or spatula) and cook for barely a minute. Repeat until you have used all the batter.

Stack the cooked crepes on a plate, layering a piece of greaseproof paper between each one to prevent them sticking together.

Wellington Filling and Main Recipe

Ingredients
1 fillet of beef (about 800g- 1kg)
salt and freshly ground pepper
80g clarified butter (see recipe for crepes on how to make clarified butter)
60g butter
500g button mushrooms, finely chopped
juice of 1 lemon
60g shallots, finely chopped
100ml, double cream
12 large spinach leaves
4 herb crepes (see recipe above)
eggwash (1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp milk)

Method

For the beef filled, preheat the oven 200 degrees C or 400 degrees F. Trim the fillet of any membrane, then season all over with salt and pepper. Heat the clarified butter in a roasting pan over a medium  high heat and sear the beef for 3-4 minutes until golden, turning to color evenly. Transfer to the oven and roast for 6 minutes, turning the meat over after 3 minutes. Lift the beef onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely. At this stage, it will be very rare.

For the mushroom duxelles, heat the 60g butter in a pan over a medium heat. Add the mushrooms and lemon juice and cook, stirring from time to time, until all the moisture has evaporated. Add the shallot and cook for another 2 minutes, then pour in the cream and cook, stirring until it is all absorbed. Season to taste and set aside to cool, then chill.

Blanch the spinach leaves in boiling salted water for 30 seconds, then drain and refresh in cold water. Drain well, separate the leaves and pat each one dry with kitchen paper.

To assemble, roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 40 x 25 cm rectangle, 3-4mm think. Trim the sides to neaten. Place 2 crepes along the middle of the rectangle and cover them with 8 spinach leaves. Spoon and spread a 1 cm thick band of mushroom duxelles along the middle of the spinach and crepes. Put the cold beef fillet on top and thickly cover the whole surface, including the ends, with the remaining duxelles.

Cover the mushroom duxelles with the remaining spinach and crepes. Fold the crepes over the beef and if necessary cut off any remaining parts with scissors. Lightly brush the 2 ends of the pastry rectangle with eggwash. Fold one side over the beef, brush it and the ends with eggwash, then fold the other side over the beef.

Roll out the 2 ends of the pastry to a 5-6 mm thickness, and trim to an 8cm length. Brush these with eggwash and fold them over the beef. Turn the pastry-wrapped beef over onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200 degrees C/400 degrees F.

Brush the entire surface of the pastry with eggwash and score it with leaf patterns using a knife tip. Cut a small aperture in the middle of the pastry to allow the steam to escape during cooking. Bake for 25 minutes if you like your beef rare or 35 minutes for medium. If the pastry becomes too brown as it cooks, cover loosely with foil and lower the oven temperature slightly.

Use a palette knife to transfer the cooked beef to a wire rack and leave it to rest for 5 minutes. Carve the beef in its crust into thick slices and serve on warm plates, with a generous spoonful of bearnaise sauce and roast potatoes.