Tamale thoughts

This week, while I was up in San Jose, I got to see B's landlords Jacob and his wife Maria (as well as a helper friend from their church) making up a HUGE batch of tamales.

They had giant steam trays full of cooked masa. Pretty thick consistency, probably like stiff cottage cheese, but smoother of course. Maybe like potato dumpling mix. Masa looked soft/damp but not too sticky (didn't see it sticking to their hands). Anyways, corn husks were damp (maybe washed, maybe soaked). Lady took a lump, maybe between a large golf ball and tennis ball, plopped on the inside of the husk. She spread it out with the back of a soup spoon (traditional!) on the silky (smooth) side of the corn husk til it was about 1/8" thick (pretty damn thin), right up to the edge of the flat (straight cut) side and about 3/4 ways up to the top (raggedy side), across the entire width of the husk. Then, she folded it tri-fold, like a letter, across the width of the husk, leaving straight cut side on bottom and raggedy side on top. Then, she folded over the raggedy side onto the husk and tied it, to make a square package; the straight-cut side was still open. Then into a giant steamer.

Maria made us some delicious pork tacos for the road. Red sauce, redolent with chiles, beautiful deep flavor and red color but not too spicy. They made 3 kinds: pork (with red sauce); chicken; and cheese with a jalapeno strip in the middle. For the cheese ones, it was masa as usual, a sprinkling of cheese (looked like mozza or cotija), then a sliver or two of green jalapeno, seeded.

Jacob was using a "cheater" homemade tortilla press (made from two heavy blocks of wood with a lever) to create flat disks of masa on wax paper. He would hand the masa "disc" to the woman, who would put it on the husk and "clean it up", to the same thickness and dimensions as the rest.

Anyways, all of this got me thinking about making my own tamales. So I searched around and found/developed a recipe, based on what I've read and some videos I watched, as well as the knowledge I acquired above. So here goes:

Pork Tamales

Based on recipe from Sacramento Bee video site
2009-11-28

Meat:

• 2-3 lbs Pork Butt
• 1 large onion, whole
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• Salt

In large pot of cold water, add 1 whole onion, 4 cloves garlic, pork and salt. Bring to a boil, then cook at a good simmer for 1.5-2 hrs. Pork Should shred easily. Remove pork and veggies; discard veg. Let cool to room temp.

Meanwhile make red chile sauce:

• 3-4 cups dried New Mexico chiles
• 4 cloves garlic

In pot of boiling water to cover, add chiles and simmer for 10 min.
Drain and reserve 1 cup cooking water.
Blend chiles and garlic in blender with garlic. Blend till smooth.
Strain to remove seeds/chunks. Sauce should be smooth and not too thick. Add some cooking water back (if it isn't too bitter); otherwise thin out with water.

Masa:
You will need about 8 cups prepared masa.
Buy it from a mexican market, tortilla maker, or reconstitute it from dry.

Tamale construction and Cooking:

1. Shred meat. Add sauce and mix to combine.
2. Cool meat in sauce.
3. Add about 1/4-1/2 cup of sauce to masa (about 8 cups of prepared masa)
4. Soak husks for 20-30 minutes in warm water, so they are soft.
5. Spread masa on silky side of corn husk, using the back of a large soup spoon (traditional) or a 4" plastic spackle knife (modern). It should be a thin, smooth layer (about 1/8" thick), because masa expands as it cooks, and you don't want it too thick.
6. Wrap tamales in parchment paper sheets OR place open side up in the steamer. Wrapping in paper helps keep steam in and keeps them in tact.
7. Steam for 45-90 minutes. After 45 minutes, start checking every 5 minutes.
8. Husk should be easily removed from masa, and masa should not taste grainy; that's when you know it's ready.

Turkey Pot Pie

Thanksgiving leftover cooking attempt #1:

A great exercise in re-use. Thanksgiving evening, after the clean up, I roasted the turkey bones with some celery, onion, and carrots at 450 for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then into a bug stock pot, cover with cold water, add bay leaves, bring to a boil and simmer for 2.5 hours. Remove bones, strain back into stockpot and simmer overnight, reducing by 50% or so. Turkey stock!

Also separated fat (a HUGE amount of fat from turkey + rosemary butter rub) from gravy, stored fat in freezer.

So here, instead of chicken stock I use turkey stock, and instead of butter I use leftover fat!


Filling

• 2 tbsp turkey fat (or butter)* (see info at start)
• 3/4 c. frozen boiler onions, defrosted, or 1 small onion, minced
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 3 tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 c. turkey stock* (OR 2 cups chicken stock, see notes)
  
• 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed (about same size as carrots, celery and boiler onions)
  
• 1 1/2 c. cubed cooked turkey
• 2 tbsp turkey fat (or butter)
  
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 c. milk (or 1/2 c. half-and-half)
• 3/4c. frozen green peas, defrosted

Preheat oven to 425F.

Add butter to skillet. Cook onion, carrot, celery + spices together for about 2 minutes over high heat. Add potatoes, and cook for 10 minutes. (You are basically "par-cooking" here; remember, the thing is going to bake in the oven!)

In separate pot, make roux from turkey fat + flour, cook for 1 min. Add milk, cook till thickened. Stir turkey and cream sauce into vegetables, and heat for 2 minutes. Mixture should be like a cream of mushroom/clam chowder thickness. If too thick, add more milk/cream; if too thin, let it cook down a few minutes. NOW ADD GREEN PEAS.

Let cool to room temp.

Roll out crust, put in pie pan OR into little ramekins.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, reduce heat, then cook at 350 for 20 more minutes (about 35 minutes total).

Let cool for 10 min, then serve.



Pastry Crust (makes single shell/top crust only)

• 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) crisco/shortening/lard, chilled
• 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) butter, chilled
• 6 ounces (approximately 1 cup) all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling dough
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/4 cup ice water, in spritz bottle
• Approximately 32 ounces of dried beans, for blind baking

Place butter and lard in freezer for 30 minutes. When ready to use, remove and cut both into small pieces.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt by pulsing 3 to 4 times.

Add butter and pulse 5 to 6 times until texture looks mealy.

Add lard and pulse another 3 to 4 times. Remove lid of food processor and spritz surface of mixture thoroughly with water.

Replace lid and pulse 5 times. Add more water and pulse again until mixture holds together when squeezed.

Place mixture in large zip-top bag, squeeze together until it forms a ball, and then press into a rounded disk and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Results:

• Totally delicious!
• Needed more liquid: try 2 cups milk, half-and-half, or cream. You can always cook it down. It should be a little runny, as the veg is going to absorb liquid as it bakes.
  
• Definitely save green peas for the end, and don't cook all veg too long before going in the pie. Remember, it's gonna bake in the oven.
  

roasted brussels sprouts with pancetta

Been making this one for a few years, it's pretty popular around the holidays here, making it for Thanksgiving here today. Based on a Bobby Flay recipe:

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

Serves 4

3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound sliced pancetta, diced (substitute: bacon)
4 shallots, thinly sliced
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 lemon, juiced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Heat oil over medium heat in a roasting pan or large skillet. Add the pancetta and cook until golden brown and crisp. Remove the pancetta to a plate lined with paper towels. Add the shallots to the pan and cook until soft. Add the Brussels sprouts and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven until the vegetables are cooked through and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the oven and stir in the butter and lemon juice. Transfer to a platter and top with the reserved pancetta.

gettin turkey ready

preparations are being made for thanksgiving. then the question of "what do I do with leftovers" inevitably arises. Here are a few ideas:

1. Turkey pot pie
2. Turkey soup/stock
3. Tortilla soup with corn and turkey
4. Crepes with turkey
5. Mashed potato cakes with creamy mushroom sauce
6. German dumplings (made with leftover mashers), turkey and gravy.
7. Homemade wide pasta noodles with brussels sprouts.
8. Turkey enchiladas
   
9. "Pulled turkey" tacos in red chile sauce
10. Turkey tamales in red chile sauce
    
11. Plum tart (not related, but I've got plums in the fridge)
    

There was one more but I forgot.

We bought a 23 lb. bird last night at Costco, Foster Farms, .89c per lb. We will have our biggest Thanksgiving group here so far (6 people). I hope the bird defrosts in time!

apple pie

Evan Kleiman, host of KCRW's beloved Good Food radio show, presided over a pie contest this weekend. This was the winning recipe, shared on her blog and re-posted for posterity. The sour cherries soaked in Calvados make this one sound killer, I've gotta try it.

Barbara Treves' Forever Favourite Apple Pie

Crust

1-1/2 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup unbleached, organic all purpose flour
2 tsp salt
1 Tablespoon vanilla powder
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
3 T sugar
1-1/4 cup sweet butter, unsalted (freshly made if possible)
1 Tablespoon white vinegar, chilled
6 - 8 Tablespoons ice water

Measure out all dry ingredients, combine and place in freezer, keep butter & liquid ingredients in refrigerator for at least one hour prior to preparation.

When ready, add dry ingredients to food processor and pulse to mix thoroughly. Add butter cubes and pulse until mixture resembles pea-sized meal. Add vinegar, pulse to mix then add ice water, 1 T at a time, until dough begins to stick together and when pinched by hand, holds together. Remove from processor and transfer to work surface. Divide the dough into two equal parts and gently form into balls, and wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Filling
4 Tablespoons sweet butter
12 organic apples from local farmers market (mixture of Granny Smith, Fuji or other tart, crisp apples the best) – peeled, cored and sliced.
1 vanilla bean, split seeds scraped

1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 cup organic sugar

4 Tablespoons organic, unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup dried, sour cherries, soaked in 1/4 cup Calvados for at least 2 hours

Filling Preparation

Mix all dry ingredients, including vanilla bean seeds together. Add 2 tablespoons of this dry mixture to roasting pan, along with peeled and sliced apples. Place under broiler and broil until apples are slightly browned but not cooked through. Once nicely browned, remove and add rest of the ingredients, except butter.

Adding Filling to Pie Dough

Chill pie plate while you roll out 1 of the dough discs on a lightly floured surface until you get a disc that measure slightly larger than your pie plate and about 1/8 “– 1⁄4” thick. Pull out pie plate and gently place rolled out dough in plate.

Add broiled apples mixture, then dot with 4 T butter. Roll out 2nd disc into a circle about 1/8” – 1⁄4” thick and place on top of apples. Pinch top and bottom dough edges together and form a decorative edge.

Final Topping

1 egg
1 Tablespoons Cream
Turbinado Coarse Raw Sugar

Beat the egg and cream together in a small dish then brush top and edges of pie with mixture, sprinkle with sugar.

Bake

400 degrees for 45 mins. Cover edges of pie with aluminum foil if starting to brown too quickly. Turn pie in oven and cook an additional 15 mins. or until done.

Cool for at least two hours prior to serving.

DiMuzio's Pizza Dough with Biga

DiMuzio's Pizza Dough with Biga #1 and #2

This recipe looked intriguing. The biga is essentially a starter with commercial yeast. Have-ta try it!

Based on following straight dough percentages (by weight):
Bread flour 100%
Water 65%
Salt 2.2%
Yeast 0.4%

Makes 2 12" pizzas (170g dough balls)

BIGA
Bread flour (100.00%) 60g
Water (60.00%) 36g
Instant Yeast (0.10%) 0.06g (a micro pinch)
(final BIGA weight: 96.1g)

FINAL DOUGH
Bread flour 180g
Water 120g
Salt 5.28g (1 tsp + small pinch Morton's Kosher)
Instant Yeast 0.90g (1/4 tsp)
Biga 96.06

1. In a bowl, combine water + pinch of yeast to dissolve. Let sit 2 minutes. Mix in bread flour til smooth. Cover & let sit at room temp (70 degrees) for 24 hours.
2. The next day start the final dough: first dissolve yeast in water. Let sit 2 minutes.
3. To mixing bowl, add flour, then biga, then salt. Knead in stand mixer for 10 minutes at speed 1-2 on Kitchenaid.
4. Cover & let rest for 15 minutes.
5. Cut dough in half, and shape into two rounds.
6. Place in FLOURED covered container, and refrigerate 4-12 hours.
7. About 45 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 550 degrees.
8. Remove dough from fridge.
9. SHAPE IMMEDIATELY, onto cornmeal or semolina dusted peel.
10. Add cheese first, then toppings, then a little sauce, maybe a little more cheese, and finish with olive oil.
11. Bake at 550 for 5-6 minutes.

Notes:

• The biga is very similar to the firm starter that I keep, in terms of consistency, but perhaps a tiny bit softer. #1 is made with the biga as in the original recipe, #2 is being made with firm (Columbia) sourdough starter.
• #2: went in fridge 745p this evening. They will have been in the fridge for about 48 hours when they are baked off tonight.
  

#1 Results:

• Makes for a thin crust, 12-14" pie.
  
• Baked for about 7 minutes at 550F on new Saltillo quarry tiles.
  
• Decent browning; crust bottom was really thin but hard (I hesitate to use the word "crisp"), with a good bit of "tug" and chewy...interesting texture. Not very thick so there's not a whole lot more flavor to the crust. Wasn't bad at all, fairly tasty in fact. Flavor-wise, I couldn't taste any sourdough.
  
• Overall, kinda "meh"; fine I suppose if you want a thin crust pie. I think I like the last 2 pies (yeast #1 and #2) better.
• Tell you what though...THE NEXT DAY this pizza reheated better in the micro than any other EVER, and had a fresh Papa John's texture after reheating! The amazing reheatable pizza!!
  

2009 thanksgiving plan and timings

Looks like Beckey's folks and our friends Ray and Patrick are coming up for Thanksgiving.

Proposed menu:

1. 20-22 lb roast turkey (no stuffing, stuffed with thyme, lemon, and onion)
2. roasted garlic mashed potatoes
3. roasted brussel sprouts with pancetta
4. cranberry sauce
5. gravy
6. Beckey's family sausage stuffing
7. green beans
8. roasted beets
9. yams
10. brandied white onions
11. pumpkin pie

------
Here are the actual timings for 2009 Thanksgiving

23 lb bird, 16-17min/lb, 6.1 - 6.5 hours

Night before:

• Stuffing is made
• Cranberry sauce is made
• Make rosemary compound butter (2 sticks unsalted butter, about 3 tbsp fresh rosemary, 1 tbsp fresh sage)
  

The next day:

Preheat oven to 500F: 800am
Prep turkey: 830am
Turkey in the oven: 900am (actually, 850am)
Garlic goes in to roast: 930am
Make bacon-wrapped dates: 945p
Garlic comes out: 1130am

Set table: 200p
Peel potatoes:200p
Start potatoes in cold water: 230p
Stuffing goes in to bake: 230p
Prep brussels (wash, cut and peel): 230p

Turkey comes out to rest: 330p
CHECK STUFFING FOR DONENESS! 330p
Oven goes up to 425F: 330p
Start green beans: 330p
Start onions & yams: 330p
Onions & yams & beets & brussels go into oven: 345p
CHECK STUFFING AGAIN: comes out?
Heat soup: 400p
Make gravy: 400p
Heat rolls: 415p

DINNER TIME: 430p

Notes:

• Turned out fine! LOTS of turkey for leftovers.
  
• Turkey was done in probably 5 hours! Turkey must've rested for 45min to 1 hour but was still hot and juicy. Skin was beautiful crisp and brown.
  
• I really felt "in the weeds", b/c most of the production took place AFTER the turkey went in: peeling & cutting potatoes (2 person job), brussel sprouts, onions, yams, stuffing going into the oven.
  
• Took about 45 minutes to do stuffing (brought it up to about 167 degrees). It was in one of those 1/2 size aluminum serving trays.
• Gravy turned out really well; our friend Patrick really liked it.
  
• It was great that our friends Ray and Patrick brought homemade butternut squash soup and pumpkin pie.
  
• Fresh green beans: added to 1" of boiling water in large skillet, flipping with tongs took about 15 min, covered with foil and let sit.
  
• Boiler onions: the frozen ones took longer to cook, and were tiny! Still good flavor.
  

yeast pizzas #1 & #2

(ed note: post written between 11/2 and 11/3!)

ok, cooked some chicken thighs, and want to try to recreate alfredo chicken pizza! These are a different crust, I think I used the CPK crust for the previous version.

yeast #1: this one is based on sourdough #2, but without sourdough this time. Please note that while you can use the volumetric measurements, I definitely recommend the weight measurements, you will get more consistent results, and it will scale more accurately. My Salter scale only does even-numbered measurements in grams, and doesn't do gram fractions.

Makes 1 large pizza (14" to 16")

3 c + 2 tbsp bread flour -439g - (100%)
1 c lukewarm water 242g (55.1%)
2 tbsp wheat germ 12g (2.7%)
3 tbsp white sugar 44g (10%)
2 tbsp olive oil 28g (6.3%)
1.5 tsp active yeast 5.5-6g (1.2%)
2 tsp table salt 15g (3.4%)

Assume room temp 75 degrees; if warmer, shorten rise times; if colder, increase, etc.

1. Combine flour, water, wheat germ, and sugar in mixing bowl; knead with hook for about 2 minutes at speed 2, until combined.
   
2. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
   
3. Now add yeast, olive oil, and salt.
4. Knead with dough hook for 5 minutes at speed 2.
   
5. Place in covered container to rise about 1 hour; didn't quite double; fold dough and replace.
   
6. Refrigerate covered for 17.75 hours (went in at 11pm, out at 450pm next day)
   
7. Remove from fridge, let come to room temp for 1 hour.
   
8. Preheat oven to 550F, pizza stone 2nd shelf from top. No steam this time!
9. Let dough rise 1 more hour (2 hours total)
   
10. Shape dough, place on parchment, dock, sauce, cheese, meat, and more cheese.
    
11. Bake for 8 minutes.
    

Results:

• Probably my best commercial pizza imitation to date!
  
• Crust browned perfectly on bottom, super thin browning, with perfect spongy chew
• Dough cooked all the way thru, very tender and light.
• Dough has a sweeter flavor; I don't miss the honey at all!
• Didn't notice any effect of the wheat germ at all?
  
• Crust edges have nice browning
• Would I change anything? Probably not! :) This is almost as good as it gets.

For next time:

• Possibly pull the dough out a little thinner; a true "pizza screen" would be great for this, not that bullshit aluminum disc from Target, which seems to reflect more heat than it absorbs.
  
• Possibly a bit more wheat germ? Or try some whole wheat? Not very nutty, probably could use a bit of nuttiness, but even if not, this crust is "da best" so far.
  

Ratings:

• Crust thickness (1=thin CPK, 3=normal PJ Dominos, 5=thick Chicago style): 3
  
• Crust rise (1=no bubbles/some bubbling/5=big bubbles everywhere): 3
  
• Crust crunch (1=eiscafe soft, 5=cracker hard): 3
  
• Crust blistering (1=no blistering, 5=clear, perfect blistering): 2
  
• Crust chew (1=not chewy,5=very chewy): 4
  
• Crust doneness (1=dough still raw, 5=browned and cooked through): 5
  
• Crust texture hole size (1=small, 3=med, 5=large): 3.5
  
• Crust texture hole regularity (1=even, 3=a little irregular, 5=very irregular): 3.5
  
• Crust browning: (1=pale/white, 3=browning, 5=chocolate brown): 4.5-5
  
• Crust sourness (1=not sour, 5=very sour):1
• Crust sweetness (1=not sour, 5=very sour):3-4

yeast #2: this one is built roughly on Petezza's Papa John's clone and uses the Expanded Calculator, and close to Pete's percentages with these changes:
--slightly higher hydration
--significantly more yeast
--slightly less oil
--honey instead of sugar, and slightly less amount

It has more yeast than the original recipe, but only about 1/2 the yeast of #1, so it will likely need to stay in the fridge for about 48 hours.

Makes one 21oz dough ball, for one 14" pizza

Flour (100%): 358 g - slightly less than 2.5 cups
Water (57%): 204 g - about 3/4c + 2 tbsp
Honey (4%): 14.3 g - a hair over 2 tsp
Active dry yeast (.6%): 2.14 g - a hair over 1/2 tsp
Vegetable (Soybean) Oil (7%): 25 g - about 2 tbsp + 1/2 tsp
Salt (1.75%): 6.27 g - about 1.5 tsp - SALT IS MORTONS KOSHER, weights are for such.
Total (170.35%): 607.71 g | 21.44 oz | 1.34 lbs

NOTES: this dough was VERY oily to come together, and didn't knead well in the mixer (oild just caused it to flop around a lot, using the same recipe style as #1 above, so I'm modifying it now.

1. Combine all ingredients EXCEPT SALT, about 2 minutes.
   
2. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes
3. NOW ADD SALT.
4. Knead in stand mixer for 5 minutes.
   
5. Cover in tub and let rest in warm place for 1 hour.
   
6. Refrigerate for ~18 hours (in at 1135pm, out at 545 pm the next evening)
   
7. Remove from fridge, let come to room temp for 1 hour.
   
8. Preheat oven to 550F, pizza stone 2nd shelf from top. No steam this time!
9. Let dough rise 1.25 more hour (2.25 hours total)
   
10. Shape dough, place on parchment, dock, sauce, cheese, meat, and more cheese.
    
11. Bake for 8-10 minutes (check at 8, maybe leave in 10, depending on the size of the pie).
    

Results? We'll see on Friday, probably.

11/5 results update:
Well, I made the mistake AGAIN of using that worthless perforated pizza pan. That POS aluminum seems to reflect more heat (think aluminum foil) than it absorbs. As a result there was no browning on the bottom crust at all.

On the upside the crust was flavorful, and after 10 minutes in the oven, at least it was cooked thru and not raw. The crust edges were nicely browned too.

Also, using the pie pan, I was able to stretch the crust super thin, which, in addition to the docking, would have made a really nice thin crust, closer-to-NY style pie. In addition, I know now that this recipe makes enough for a 16" pie with a nice thin crust (that's the size of my pan.)

This crust had less sweetness than #1, and perhaps a little more crispness/less softness due to lower sugar. Seemed just about as oily. I like the oilier crust, tastes more "tender"; I know my tastes will change as I refine my recipes, though. I would consider doing this recipe again, but FOR SURE baking it on a baking stone or set of tiles. 16" is a good pizza size, and I think it's a perfect amount of dough for a nice thin-crust style.

To get: a REAL pizza screen, or a set: maybe a 14" and a 16". It's handy and it's a confidence builder.

behold...the german taco

I am proud of my latest culinary creation. Behold!

The German Taco: a cross-cultural, trans-national fusion of deliciousness!

You'll need:

• Corn tortillas
• Cooked taco meat (carne asada, ranchera, tri-tip, or steak; any kind of roasted or braised pork would also be excellent)
• Red cabbage braised in red wine (recipe follows)
• Spicy mustard
• "Senf" Crema (recipe follows)
• Minced onion or shallot
• Minced parsley

Assembly:

• Toast your tortillas on a flame or grill (I like them double-stacked)
  
• Spread tortilla with mustard, then taco meat
• Top with red cabbage, crema, minced onion and parsley . Throw down with some German weissbier (try it with lime!) and maybe some "El Yucateco" hot sauce for a kick.

Braised Red Cabbage In Red Wine
(adapted from A. Green's "Starting with Ingredients")

1 medium head red cabbage, cored and shredded
2 tbsp. bacon or smoked pork fat (substitute olive oil if unavailable)
1/4 cup smoked bacon, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 tart apples (like Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and diced
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c hearty but soft red wine, like Cab, Merlot, Petit Verdot, maybe even Rioja!
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 300. In dutch oven, heat pork fat and cook bacon for 5 minutes. Remove bacon onto paper towels, remove all but 3 tbsp. fat from pan.

Add onion and saute over medium heat until lightly caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add apples, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes more.

At once, add brown sugar, vinegar, wine, and cabbage. Bring to a boil (about 1 minute), stirring to moisten all of cabbage.

Cover and bake in oven for 45-50 minutes.

"Senf" Crema

1/4 c. mayo
1/4 c. plain yogurt
2 tbsp spicy mustard, deli mustard, or Dijon
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. honey
Juice of 1/2 lime
Salt and pepper

Whisk all ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to let flavors distribute. Add more lime juice or mustard to taste.

Columbia bread #4

Again, another 1/2 size recipe (1 loaf)
Levain rose for about 8 hours.
After mixing, rose 945am to 1245pm (3 hours).
Folded once at about 3 hours, then right into fridge in ceramic bowl from 1245p until 700p (6hr 15min)
Remove from ceramic bowl from fridge, rough shape, into floured basket smooth side down, rise in inflated bag on counter from 645p to 1045 (4 hours).
Bake as usual, 450 for about 30 minutes; I forgot to set the timer, but I'm sure it was very close, at least 25 minutes.

Results:

• Again good oven spring like #3.
• Crust: very nice, thin, like #1 and #2. Perfect browning; if you wanted it a bit richer it could have stayed in the oven for a few more minutes.
  
• Texture & flavor: seems like it needed more salt or more barley malt. Otherwise, texture was really moist but not wet, perfectly soft and chewy but not gummy.
  

For next time:

• Try "flower" or "grapevine" slashing of dough next time
  

Columbia bread #3

Making one loaf; halved all of the quantities. This time measuring by weight in grams.

I screwed up the instructions: let it go for an initial rise of about 3 hours without turning. Then turned, put into the fridge at 10am this morning. Removed from fridge at 530pm to come up to temp (7.5 hours in fridge).

3 hours rise time out of fridge in ceramic bowl. (530-830pm)
Remove from bowl, fold, shape and let rise 3.5 hours. (830pm-1200am)
Bread went in the oven at 12am sharp Saturday morning. It had finally (definitely) risen. Spring back test worked well (poked a finger, didn't spring back); this time, when slashes, didn't immediately deflate. Looks like it's getting some good oven spring.

Results:

• Crust was very close to the same as before, possibly slightly bit thicker
• Oven spring was the best of any load I had ever made; I think previous loaves didn't rise enough!
• Texture and flavor was excellent!
  

Columbia bread #1 & #2 (sourdough)

Made some breads based on Glezer's "Artisan Baking" book. Tried measuring recipe in grams, seems much easier, although it seems the scale doesn't do odd-numbered grams! I really like both of these breads; they may replace my LBB recipe as my favorite!

1. Firm Starter

1.5 tsp sourdough starter
1 tbsp + 2 tsp lukewarm water
1/3 c. bread flour

Mix and knead into fairly stiff dough. Let rest for 8-12 hours between feedings.

2. Levain

30g starter
95g lukewarm water
150g bread flour.

Dissolve starter in water. Knead together with flour til smooth. Cover and let rest at room temp 8-12 hours.

3. Bread

600g bread flour
55g whole wheat flour
15g rye flour
20g wheat germ, toasted
450g warm water
20g barley malt syrup (available in health food stores!)
1 portion Levain
16g salt (1 tbsp + 1/4 tsp)

1. Mix levain and let rise 8-12 hours.
   
2. Whisk 1st 4 ingredients in mixing bowl.
3. Dissolve barley malt syrup in water.
4. Add water to flours. Mix until just combined. Let rest 20 minutes.
5. NOW ADD ALL LEVAIN + SALT.
   
6. Knead in mixer at speed #2 (Kitchenaid) for 5 minutes.
7. Put in covered tub, let rise for 1 hour, til it (at least) TRIPLES in size.
8. Turn out and fold once (4 fold: left, top, right, bottom) and return to tub.
9. RETARD? At this point, you can retard in fridge 8-12 hours. If so, then remove from fridge and do step #10.
   
10. Let rise 3-5 hours, until not quite doubled.
    
11. Turn dough out onto floured surface, cut in 2, rough-shape into rounds, and let rest 10min.
12. Shape dough into batards 10" long, or place into proofing baskets.
13. Cover with inflated plastic bag, and let rise for 2.5 hours.
    
14. At 2.5 hours, preheat oven to 475F. Position rack in middle with baking stone, broiler pan on bottom. Let oven preheat for 45 minutes.
    
15. Add 3/4 c. hot water to broiler pan.
    
16. Turn bread out onto cornmeal-and-flour dusted peel. Slash with razor blade.
17. Spritz bread with water (I didn't do this, but the recipe calls for this).
    
18. Bake for 30-40 minutes (mine seem to be done in about 30.)
19. Let rest for at least 1 hour on rack before cutting into (2 hrs. rest preferred)
    

Results #1:

• Final rise of this was about 3.25hrs.
  
• Wow, crust has the best chew of any bread I've made so far; nice and thin, real chew like good restaurant bread
  
• Barley malt adds great flavor and aroma, kind of molasses-y
  
• Good open texture is just as good as "My Florist" sourdough
• Just wish crust was shinier, seemed a little tannish
  
• I also wish it got better oven spring! All my loaves don't rise enough!

Results #2:

• This one has final rise of about 4 hours.
  
• This one sat in a wicker basket. Dough needs to be much better floured in wicker basket before it goes in; it was stuck coming out, which affected the oven spring/deflation
• Nice texture from wicker
• Darker color than #1 overall
• Nicer blisters than #1 (more consistent, but just about the same size)
• Texture-wise, same as #1

Overall:

• Both of these have best flavor and crust of all sourdough breads I've made.
  
• These are more tender, not as tough/dry as LBB seems to be.
  
• Crusts are super-thin and chewy on both, which is better than LBB.
  

Next time:

• Try making batards instead!
• Try more "turning"/folding? This would be done between steps 7-11 above. More folds should help oven spring. As long as you wait 15-30 minutes between turns, should be fine.
  
• Try retarding it overnight
• Try slightly longer rise time; that should also help oven spring!
  

a possible BBQ rub?

I was watching Guy Fieri's "Diners..." show and he was in Chicago at a BBQ place. The guy he was interviewing won 3rd place in Memphis in May, and here are the ingredients that went in his rub:

The rub:
Crushed red pepper
Salt
Sugar
Paprika
Garlic
Chili Powder
Spanish paprika
Coriander
Dried Ginger
Rubbed sage
Onion powder
Cumin
Cayenne
Equal parts black and white pepper

He used a mustard slather on top of the pork: yellow mustard + beer + pepper + salt + italian salad dressing solids only + apple juice + some of the above rub

Sounds pretty damn good to me!

fish tacos #2

Turned out well, followed my previous recipe. I think the batter could've been a bit thicker. Funny, I used over 1.25 c. flour, and it still seemed a bit thin.

Used a new sauce recipe, based on something I found at Chowhound:

Fish Taco Sauce

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne
Salt + pepper to taste
1 habanero or jalapeno, minced
4 dashes hot sauce

Mix all to combine, and let sit at least 30 minutes.

Results: good flavor, nice tang. I deseeded the jalapeno, so there's not a lot of heat. Habanero or a really hot japaleno would be nice in here too, if you like more heat.

whole wheat bread #1

Made some ATK whole wheat bread this evening. I opted out of a punch down + final rise, as I didn't think it'd help that much. Then again, it might :)

Whole Wheat Bread #1

This is purely ATK recipe.

1 cup milk
1/3 cup water
2-1/4 tsp. instant yeast
3 tbsp honey
4 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
2 cups bread flour
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 tsp salt

1. Combine milk and water in measuring cup. Heat in microwave for 1 minute.
2. Stir honey into milk mixture.
3. Add yeast and stir to dissolve. Let rest for 3-5 minutes.
4. In mixer bowl, combine flours & wheat germ and stir to combine.
5. Add milk mixture to flour
6. Mix with dough hook for 2 minutes
7. Cover with plastic and let rest for 20 minutes.
8. NOW ADD SALT.
   
9. Knead in mixer with dough hook on setting "1" for 9 minutes
10. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
11. Shape into a rectangle, then roll into a log
12. Pinch seam and put seam side down in buttered/floured baking pan
13. Inflate plastic bag and let rise in bag for 1.5 hours
14. (this is normally where you'd punch down, roll into log, and let rise for 1-1.5 more hours)
    
15. Slash loaf
16. Bake on lower rack for 45 minutes
17. Let cool 5 minutes in pan

My mods:
Baked at 375 for 45 minutes

Results:

• Good rise, decent oven spring
• Texture was slightly damp, and slightly mealy, but even and soft
• Crust had good browning on top and sides, albeit possibly slightly thick
• Good saltiness, but not sweet enough, need to increase hone
• Good softness initially; dried up pretty good by the next day; definitely not super soft & fluffy like sandwich bread.
  

For next time

• Could've baked longer @ 375, maybe 50 minutes
• Try higher temp baking
• Try 1/4 cup honey next time, maybe 1/3 cup, and reduce water slightly.
  
• Try overnight retard
• Try less yeast, esp. if overnight retard (2 tsp instead of 2.25 tsp)
  

LBB sourdough adapted #1

I started some starter for my dad in Florida last week. It was really warm in their house (room temp is probably 77 degrees), so in 2 days the starter was bubbly and "cheesy" smelling, just like my LBB starter was. In his case, I just used 3/4 c white flour with a 1/4 c cup rye, 1 cup water, and let it sit 2 days in a tupperware on the counter.

Now I need to send him the recipe. I don't think he has a scale, so I weighed the ingredients of the original recipe on my scale. Here is the adapted version:

For 2 loaves (original):

7.5 cups + 1.5 tbsp unbleached bread flour
1/2 c. wheat germ
1-1/4 c. starter
2-1/4 c. water
4.5 tsp. table salt


For 1 loaf:

3-3/4 cups + .75 tbsp unbleached bread flour
1/4 c. wheat germ
3/4 c. starter
1 c. + 2 tbsp. water
2-1/4 tsp. table salt

1. Add flour + wheat germ to mixing bowl. Then add starter and water.
2. Knead on lowest setting on mixer using dough hook for 5 minutes.
3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.
4. Uncover and NOW ADD THE SALT.
   
5. Knead on lowest setting on mixer for 5 more minutes (10 minutes total). You may need to clear the dough hook if it gets clogged up; however, dough will clear the sides of the mixing bowl.
6. Remove from mixer.
   
7. Form into ball: cup your hands together on the top of the loaf, over the sides and pinching to the bottom, like you are running your hands down both sides of a globe, starting at the Arctic Circle, down through Americas and Asia, pinching your pinkys together at Antarctica.
   
8. Place in lightly oiled ceramic bowl. Cover with inflated plastic bag, and let rise 3.5-4 hours at 75 degrees. If your room is hotter (78 deg), you will need less rise time, maybe 2.5 hours. If your room is colder (72 deg) , you will need 4 hours.
9. Turn dough out onto lightly floured counter.
   
10. Cut dough into two equal pieces. Slap each piece to deflate.
11. Tuck all edges under, rough-shaping into a ball. Let rest for 15 min.
12. Shape each into ball, and place into lightly oiled bowl or floured basket. Let rise for 1 hr.
13. Cover rounds with inflated plastic bag, and put in fridge for about 8-12 hours, no more than 24 hours.
14. Remove dough from fridge, cover with inflated plastic bag, and let rise on counter at room temp for ~3 hours. Dough should be doubled in size and at ~62F.
15. Heat oven to 500. Set your baking rack 2nd from the bottom. Put a broiling pan at the bottom of your oven
    
16. Slash the loaf 2 or 3 times across the top with a sharp knife or razor.
17. Put loaf in, add 1 cup hot water to broiling pan, and bake for 45 minutes as follows:

• first 5 minutes at 500
• next 20 minutes at 450
• rotate bread
  
• 20 more minutes at 450 (total of 45 min).
  

Should hit 210F when fully baked, and sound a bit hollow.

Remove from oven.

Let bread cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting in!

Notes:

1. In mixer it came together correctly, definitely cleared bottom of bowl. 10 minutes total kneading in mixer, as listed.
   
2. Initial rise was 3 hours in oiled bowl
3. After punch down and basket, next rise was about 2 hours
4. Fridge retardation time was approximately 13 hours; removed from fridge at 310pm.
5. Rise time out of fridge in bag: 3 hours.
   
6. Preheated oven for 45 minutes prior to baking.
7. Baking on middle rack with stone.
   
8. Single slash in middle of loaf.
   
9. Flour + cornmeal on the peel
10. Loaf in oven, then 2/3 cup near-boiling water in broiler pan.
    
11. Bake for 5 minutes @ 500, 35 minutes @ 450, middle rack on baking stone.
    
12. Let cool for 1 hour on rack.
    

Results:

• Great chocolate mahogany exterior
• Really good oven spring (perhaps best so far)
• Good blistering but not huge
• Good flavor
• Texture was pretty good: cooked through, tender with nice chew. No real problems to speak of, I want bigger holes though.
• Could be a slight bit more sour...maybe add a touch of rye flour?
  
• Crust was a little thick, perhaps too much steam for too long?
• 3 hours seemed like a good new final rise time; could even try 2.5?
  

For Next Time:

• Less hot water in broiler pan (1/2 cup only); OR no steam but brush/mist crust with warm water right before the oven
• More water in the dough, increase to 1-1/4 cup (add'l 2 tbsp) for each loaf.
  
• Slightly longer fridge ferment - 15 hours? 18 hours? Grandma's bread had a nice crust at 24 hours.
  

oven fried chicken

Made this last night, after thinking about what to make with chicken thighs I had and seeing Alton Brown's "Fry Hard" episode. Also make in consultation with my ATK cookbook. The buttermilk pre-soak adds a lot of flavor. The oven baking helps keep the calories lower. If you're even more concerned about such things, remove the chicken skin, or use chicken breasts.

Oven-Fried Chicken

4 chicken thighs
2 cups buttermilk
2 tbsp spice rub (your choice; I used Wolfgang Puck's pork rub)
2 cups breadcrumbs (season with extra garlic powder, onion powder and other spices as desired)
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400.
   
2. Soak chicken in buttermilk in plastic container overnight. Drain chicken, and place on paper towels. Dry off with towels to remove excell buttermilk.
   
3. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and spice rub
4. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place a wire rack on baking sheet.
   
5. Put breadcrumbs in separate container. Using tongs, dredge chicken in breadcrumbs, coating both sides, pressing down to adhere. Shake off excess, and place chicken on rack.
6. Let chicken sit on rack for 2-3 minutes; no more, no less. This helps crumb adhesion.
   
7. Place chicken on sheetpan+rack in the middle shelf of oven.
8. Bake for 30-4o minutes, or until reaches 175 degrees F.
   
9. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes, tented under foil.

Serve with mashed potatoes and a salad.

Speaking of mashed potatoes, the mashers I made last week with yellow potatoes were great. The key was a dash of cream, a reasonable amount of butter, and enough milk to make it more runny than you think it should be...it will set up as it cools!

tale of two tarts

One savory, one sweet. I had some great summer heirloom tomatoes from the farmer's market, and some pears that were really almost too ripe. What better thing to do than bake a tart! Made the tomato tart yesterday, and the pear tart tonight.


Summer Tomato Tart

1 pastry dough of choice (I used Martha's recipe, which follows; use whatever you want)
1 beefsteak (or heirloom) tomato, sliced into thin slices
6 cherry tomatoes, sliced in 1/2
4 eggs
2 italian sausages, cooked and cut into thin rounds (0ptional)
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper
3 oz of fresh mozzarella
1/2 c. asiago cheese, grated
Fresh parsley, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 375.
   
2. Roll out dough, put into tart pan and trim. Use fork to dock the dough.
3. Chill dough for 1 hour in fridge, if desired.
4. Bake for 25 minutes to partially bake, and remove from oven.
   
5. In a bowl, beat eggs with heavy cream until uniform. Season with salt and pepper. Combine with cooked sausage. Set aside.
6. In a small skillet, over low heat, warm up egg mixture.
7. Add 1/4 c. of asiago to bottom of tart shell
8. Next add egg mixture to tart shell. Layer on tomatoes, mozzarella, and remaining asiago.
9. Bake for 25-30 more minutes on middle rack, on top of sheet pan. Bake until shell is golden brown.
10. Remove from oven, let rest for 15-30 minutes.
    
11. Garnish with parsley.

Pear and Cranberry Bourbon Tart

1 pastry dough
4 pears, peeled and sliced
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. apricot jam
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 tbsp. maple syrup
2 tbsp. bourbon (like Jack Daniels)
pinch of salt
1/4 c. dried cranberries
1 tbsp. butter

1. Combine all ingredients except cranberries and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium. Allow to reduce to a syrup, when it starts getting really foamy, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in cranberries, cook for 1 minute, remove from heat.
2. Remove from heat, and stir in butter until melted.
3. Blind bake dough in tart pan for 25 minutes.
4. Arrange pears in a nice even layer. Drizzle sauce over tart.
5. Bake for about 25-30 more minutes (with tart pan on a sheet pan), until crust is golden brown.
   
6. Let cool for 10 minutes, then serve and enjoy...ice cream would be good!
   

Pastry Dough

This one turned out very buttery, not too flaky, but not too crumby either. Good savory flavor. Only downside was that it shrank...a lot. This comes from Martha Stewart, but apparently it's a pretty classic pastry recipe. To be honest, I remember more success with the plum tart I made with Roland and Bev's plums, and I think I used Alton's recipe in this blog.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
2. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.

Beacon chicken wings

Watched a video on the delicious Beacon chicken wings that Kazuo Matsusaka makes in Culver City.

He says that he marinates in soy, ginger, and canola oil overnight. Then they are dusted in cornstarch before frying.

Looking closely at the wings on the plate before he puts them in the deep fryer, it \looks like these wings have been blanched in hot oil (they already look golden and crispy), then re-fried for 3-5 minutes. I'm sure that helps with their extra crispy texture.

A little Google search turned up an LA Times Culinary SOS article for these wings. I'm reviewing and adapting this recipe to better suit.

Beacon-like Chicken Wings

12 wings
1/2 cup cornstarch
Marinade (recipe follows)
1 cup Ginger-Soy Glaze (recipe follows)
1/2 tbsp butter (optional)
4 cups vegetable oil (for frying)


1. Make marinade. In non-reactive container, add wings to marinade, cover, and refrigerate overnight (at least 8 hours, but no more than 24 hours preferable). Drain marinade and discard.

2. Season the wings with the salt and pepper, then dredge with the cornstarch. Shake off excess.

3. In a large pot, heat oil to 350 degrees. Fry the wings, a few at a time, until lightly golden about 2 minutes. Drain the wings on paper towels and/or rack and let cool. Repeat with remaining wings.

4. Reheat oil to 375 degrees; working in batches, fry wings for 2nd time, for about 5-8 minutes. Drain the wings on paper and/or rack.

3. When all the wings almost all fried, heat a wok or heavy sauté pan over high heat. Add the reserved ginger-soy glaze and bring to a boil, then add the wings, stirring to coat. Cook the wings in the sauce, stirring constantly, until the sauce reduces enough that it coats the wings in a thick, syrupy glaze, about 1-2 minutes.

4. Remove from the heat. Serve on top of daikon sprouts. Pour remaining extra sauce from pan over wings, and sprinkle with black and white sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Marinade
makes about 3/4 cup

3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp mirin
3/4 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1/2 c. canola oil

Whisk marinade ingredients together, and set aside.

Ginger-Soy Glaze
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup mirin
1/4 cup sake
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon finely chopped ginger

Boil, then simmer until reduced to about 1 cup.

Grandma's Bread #13

Making a going-away loaf for my lady, who will be San Jose at sommelier school next week. No better reason to bake some comfort food that she can bring with her!

Grandma's Bread #13 - Sept 14-15, 2009

Makes 2 loaves

1-1/4 cups water
2 cups buttermilk
1-1/3 cup rye flour

6-1/4 cup AP wheat flour
2 tsp yeast
1/2 cup honey
3-1/2 + 1/8 tsp table salt

1. Over medium-low heat, warm buttermilk and water, stirring occasionally, just until it curdles and remove from heat. Stir in all rye flour, cover tightly and leave at room temperature overnight (at least 12 hours).

2. In stand mixer bowl, pour in rye mixture. Add yeast, then honey, then flour. Using beater attachment, mix on speed "2" for 2 minutes, until the dough is uniform. It will look like a thick, uniform batter at this point. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes (should be 20, but I used 10 min this time).

3. NOW ADD THE SALT ALL AT ONCE. Mix using dough hook for 8 minutes, set to "2" (low speed). You may need to clean the dough hook once in a while. Dough will be very thick and sticky; it will never clear the sides of the bowl, more like a thick wet batter...it will not stop sticking! This is why the stand mixer is so handy. Total kneading time is 8 minutes. You will see some gluten strands forming in the dough towards the end.

6. Grease two bread pans with butter, and dust them with white flour. Using a wooden spoon or stiff bowl scraper, turn out the sticky dough onto a very well floured board. Form into a single round; dough will be very soft but with a well-floured board, won't be very sticky and will form a smooth surface. Cut dough into 2 equal pieces, shape dough into loaves (they will feel pretty soft, not quite baby's bottom but close) and place in bread pans. Press down on dough to get loaf to expand across the bottom of the pan. Cover with inflated plastic grocery bag, and leave in warm place to rise for 2.5 hours.

7. Cover with inflated plastic grocery bag, and refrigerate for 6 hours.

8. Cover loaves with a towel, and let rise again at room temp (~74F) for 2 hours.

9. Preheat oven to 450, adjust racks to put bread on 2nd to lowest rack, and put an empty broiler pan at the bottom. Slash loaves down the center with a serrated knife or a sharp razor blade, and place bread pans on rack in the oven. Add 1 cup hot water to pan to steam and close door. Bake at 450 for exactly 40 minutes; they will look dark chocolate brown (almost black!) on top.

10. Take bread from oven, remove from pans. Let cool on rack, uncovered, for at least 30 min; will still be warm 2 hours later.

11. Store in large Ziploc freezer bags when cool; this will help promote a soft crust.

Results

• Inflatable grocery bag worked very well! Even when dough stuck to it, was easy to peel off without ruining texture.
  
• Crust is as good as #12. There were huge, puffy bubbles on the top crust. Had to deflate these before baking; even then a few popped up.
  
• Interior is less holey (see pix). I think it needs more fridge ferment time, more like #11 and #12
• Flavor is the same, again, slightly more damp, with same flavor and texture.
  
• Good rise and good oven spring.
  
• Overall interior seems more damp than #11 and #12; but not too damp, still good. After 30 minutes of resting, still feels like there's steam/moisture coming out.
  
• Brush tops with butter this time after removing from oven. Gives it a nice shine!
  

Notes/Next time:

• Go back to longer fridge ferment time; 7.5 to 8 hours will be best, or overnight (like v11).
• Might have used 5 extra minutes of bake time, or even letting it rest in the pan after removing from oven.