Secret in the Sauce -- Roasted and Frozen Summer Tomatoes

This is not my recipe but is becoming mine each year I make it.  Originally it appeared in a friend's comment to a blog post:

"And also? because I am the evangelist of roasted tomatoes, I'm just going to go ahead and preach the gospel: a roasted-and-frozen tomato is so much better than a canned one! Take off their skins, quarter them, douse in olive oil, put in some peeled garlic cloves and some basil, salt and pepper, roast at 375 degrees till a bit caramelized and most of the water has evaporated. Cool and put in freezer bags. This tastes like summer all over again when you use them for sauces or soup in the winter.

"I get regular old hybrid tomatoes from a little brotherhood of potheads at the farmer's market here, because they're cheap, and because you roast till the juice is mostly gone. I would not buy expensive tomatoes, like heirlooms. These, in my mind, are to eat until the season is gone, as many as you can. Get ripe and cheap. I think it would work with paste tomatoes, but I generally have used slicers (see above--ripe & cheap)."

 

As simple as that!

I myself pop the cooled tomatoes into ice cube trays and then when frozen, into freezer bags.  Instant delicious with beans or in winter sauces!

Deep Dark Secret Chocolate Cake (triple- or double-decker)

The secret?  I'll just tell you right now the first one - it's mayonnaise.  Original recipe from Bon Appetit April 2010: Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake for a birthday cake at the end of summer.  I'm not a great cake-eater, except for spice or carrot cakes.  Usually they're too dry, too boring, but this cake?  Amazing.  Moist and rich without feeling heavy.  Not oversweet, so that the real chocolate taste sings through.  

Of course, we further tweaked and adjusted (because we can't help ourselves) and suggest that SALTED butter in the frosting tips the balance just that much further into perfection.  You may consider adding a teaspoon or two of cinnamon to the batter along with the flour if you crave that Mexican chocolate deliciousness.

Deep Dark Secret Chocolate Cake
THE CAKE

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour three 8-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides.

Combine in medium metal bowl:

• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped 
• ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

then add:

• 1¾  cups boiling water

and whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Sift together in another medium bowl:

• 2¾  cups all purpose flour
• 1¼ teaspoons baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon (optional) 

Beat in a large bowl until well blended (2 to 3 minutes):

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
• 1⅓ cups mayonnaise (do not use reduced-fat or fat-free)

then add, one at a time, beating until well blended after each addition:

• 2 large eggs

Beat in:

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add flour mixture to sugars in 4 additions,  alternating with chocolate mixture in 3 additions, beating until blended after each addition and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl.

Divide batter among prepared cake pans (about 2⅓ cups for each).

Bake cakes until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 30 to 32 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 20 minutes.

Run small knife around sides of cakes to loosen. Carefully invert cakes onto racks and let cool completely.



THE FROSTING

Set in a medium metal bowl, over a saucepan of simmering water

• 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped

and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Carefully remove bowl from over water; let melted chocolate cool until lukewarm, stirring occasionally.

Beat in large bowl

• 1½  cups (3 sticks) salted butter, room temperature

until smooth and creamy.

Sift over the butter

• 3 cups powdered sugar

and beat until well blended, about 2 minutes.

Beat in

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Add melted chocolate to the butter mixture and beat until well blended and smooth, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl.

TO FROST: Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread ¾ cup frosting over top of cake layer to edges. Top with second cake layer; spread ¾ cup frosting over. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining frosting decoratively over top and sides of cake.

~ OR ALTERNATIVELY - Frost one layer to take to a lucky neighbor, and enjoy the still generous double layer cake with plenty of family and friends at home.

Basic and Best Whole Wheat Bread

with Cinnamon Raisin Swirl option

makes 6 loaves

Sprinkle

1 Tablespoon yeast

over

1 cup lukewarm water

Lukewarm is the temperature milk (lacto) comes fresh from the cow -- body temperature -- so it should feel neither hot nor cold to the touch.  The yeast likes a little to eat as it comes out of its sleep so I also sprinkle in 

½ to 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)

Then let it soak until all the yeast is moistened.  Gently stir and set aside and let the yeast wake up and start making bubbles.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk together

1 cup oil
1 cup honey
3 Tablespoons salt
7 cups warm water

A few cups at a time, mix in

7 cups whole wheat flour

By now the yeast should be foamy: pour it into the flour mixture and whisk it up.  Then stir in, a cup at a time,

4-6 cups whole wheat flour

until the batter is almost too thick to whisk.

Cover with a damp cloth and let the dough rise about 1 hour, longer if kitchen is cool (or the yeast is old and slow).  The longer the rise, the more tender the crumb, which is why some bakers like to let their bread rise in the refrigerator overnight.

The only danger is that if the yeast gets out of hand it will turn the dough sour.  You want to let the dough rise until dough is almost doubled in size.  What you don't want is to let the dough rise and rise and then collapse in upon itself, turning bitter and souring.

Think of this as a symbol for your dearest relationship - there are no hard and fast rules.  You must allow space and time for the dough to develop.  You must stay near to attend and respond when the dough is ready.

When the dough is doubled, knead the dough in the bowl to deflate.  (Usually we say "punch down" the dough, but not if you're still thinking of it as a symbol of your loving - and in any case, all you are doing is gently deflating the risen dough, allowing the trapped air to escape.  No violence required.)

Turn dough out onto floured countertop or table and begin kneading in

4-6 more cups flour (twice that if using white flour)

This is the true core of bread-making.  The amount of flour you add depends on the humidity in the air, the moisture in the flour.  You want the dough to gently cling but not to stick to your hands too wetly.  But especially with whole wheat bread, the moister to can keep the dough and still have it workable, the lighter your resulting loaf will be.

When I first began to make bread I had to time myself kneading because I'd always give up too soon and end up with heavy, crumbly bread instead of the light, chewy loaf I was aiming for.  10 - 15 minutes did the job admirably - which was about the time it took to get to my favorite song (a male and a female voice weaving around each other) on a Celtic CD I had.  Nowadays though I can tell by feel when the dough is kneaded and it seems to take less time than that.  What you're aiming for is a dough that feels as softly stiff as an earlobe.

Let dough rest as you oil 6 loaf pans -- I use olive oil here, too, because it will flavor the bread. Brush the oil over the whole inner surface of the bread pan, paying especial attention to the corners.

Then divide the dough into 6 balls.  I don't want to cut it with a knife because I've spent so much effort developing the long strands of gluten, so I squeeze it off in the center to divide it in half, then squeeze off smaller balls in thirds.

Let the balls rest a minute or two then flatten the first ball and roll it up into a log, pinching together the edges.

If you are making Cinnamon Raisin Swirl bread -- this is where that happens -- before rolling it up sprinkle the flattened dough with raisins and then cinnamon.  Other dried fruit or spices or nuts or even cheese and bacon and sautéed onions can be added instead. The rolling it up is what makes the swirl. Pinch the edges together very carefully so that none of that added goodness tumbles out.

Press each loaf, smoothest side down, into its oiled pan to make a nice squared loaf and then flip the loaf over, pinched-together side down, and press loaf into the pan.  Let the loaves rise 1 hour (or more) until the dough bellies up above the edge of the pan.

Preheat oven to 400° to get a good hot oven and quickly slide each loaf into the oven, turning it down to 350° as soon as you put the bread in.

Bake at 350° for 35-45 minutes.  It’s cooked through when water on your finger touched to the bottom of loaf pan sizzles and the top of the bread has a nice golden crust.