confit pork shoulder

Yes, I know this is a picture of flowers and not food.  I cannot find the picture of the confit pork shoulder I made.  I mentioned yesterday that I made cassoulet.  One of the pieces of that was to confit a pork shoulder.  The preparation takes 36 hours and then you wait a month.  That is how I lost the picture.  Or maybe when the computer crashed.

All I know, confit pork shoulder is so yummy you do not need to wait to eat it for a cassoulet but - oh my!  I actually found that true for all the bits of the cassoulet.  Each was worthy to eat by itself.  

confit pork shoulder

Note:  adapted from local milk.  The shoulder sits for 24 hours and cooks for 12 hours so plan enough time

2 pounds boneless pork shoulder cut into 3 inch cubes

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 bay leaves

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon sage

1/2 teaspoon basil

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

a pinch allspice

a pinch of nutmeg

1 bunch of green onions, sliced 

4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 teaspoon thyme

about 1/2 quart melted lard, enough to cover the meat by 1 inch.

Put the pork in a gallon freezer bag.  Mix everything up to the onion together.  Pour over the pork.  Close the bag.  Massage the spices in.  Let sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours

Heat oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.

Layer the onions, thyme, and garlic in a pot big enough to hold the pork and lard.  Melt the lard.  Layer the pork on top of the onions.  Pour the lard over and make sure it covers by 1 inch.  Put in the oven for 12 hours.

After 12 hours, the pork is very tender.  Strain, reserving the lard.  Place the pork in a container.  Cover with the lard.  Cover by 1 inch.

Let sit in the refrigerator for at least two weeks.  The longer it sits the better it tastes.  You can eat it earlier if you wish.

To eat, rewarm and strain the pork when ready to use.  Save about 1/4 cup of the lard for use in the cassoulet if you end up making that.

This smells so good when baking that it is hard to resist.

mashed sweet potato and apple

I cooked on Sunday.  Almost all day.  Which is really not unusual but I did an actual big meal type deal.  Cassoulet.  It was fun and only took a couple months to put together.  I had to confit duck and pork!  But it so disappeared.  Well, it would have if I had a few more people to feed but I fed the freezer.

This was the side dish.  Mashed sweet potatoes and apples.  I would do this again even without the cassoulet.  Everyone really liked it and by the time I got into the kitchen to put the leftovers away, the pot was empty.  Scraped until the last bit was gone.  That says it was quite good around here!

mashed sweet potato and apple

Note:  adapted from local milk

2 smallish sweet potatoes  (I used jewel), peeled and cut into chunks

2 smallish apples (I think they were fuji but the recipe calls for honey crisp), peeled, cored, and into quarters or eighths

water

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons whole milk goat yogurt (you could use cow or the original recipe calls for creme friache)

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

a small pinch cayenne

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar (or to taste)

Put the potatoes and apples into a pan that has a lid.  Add about 1 inch water.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and turn down to a simmer.  Let cook about twenty minutes or until both are very soft.

Take off the heat.  Pour off the water.  Add the butter.  Mash.  Add the yogurt, cinnamon, cardamom, cayenne, and sugar.  Mash very well. 

Serve along side the cassoulet I will be writing about.  Or a roast of some type.  

Or just in a bowl.  That way someone is not scraping the pan with a fork.

cinnamon swirl bread

We finished off the cinnamon rolls earlier this week.  I realized that I missed something I used to make a lot of, which is cinnamon swirl bread.  When I was growing up, at my Grandmother's, she would have cinnamon swirl bread.  I would have toast made of it and I always thought it was the best.  She had an Albertson's there and we did not in our city.  It was where she bought the bread.  I remember it being very Scandanavian at that point, which I know it is not anymore.  Childhood memories.

After the cinnamon rolls were gone, I still wanted cinnamon.  I made cinnamon swirl bread with my trusted helper.  It is my everyday bread but made a bit richer with eggs, milk, and butter.  Then there is a swirl of cinnamon and brown sugar.  My Beloved actually likes it better then cinnamon rolls because he thinks that it stays moister.  I like it toasted with butter.  And memories from my Grandma's.....

cinnamon swirl bread

Note:  adapted from Tassajara Bread Book

sourdough starter

1 cup flour

3/4 cup water

1 cup milk

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 to 4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Combine the starter, 1 cup flour, and 3/4 cup water in a large bowl.  Cover and let sit over night.  When ready to use, remove a couple of tablespoons of starter and refrigerate for next time.

To the remaining starter, add the milk, sugar, and egg.  Mix well.  Mix in 1 1/2 cups flour.  Cover and let sit about one and half hours or until bubbly.

Uncover, and mix in the salt.  Mix in 1 1/2 cups flour.  Turn out on to a floured board.  Knead until smooth.  Smear 2 tablespoons of butter on the board/counter and knead it into the dough.  Return the dough in a shape of a ball to the bowl.  Cover and let rise until double (about two hours). 

Punch down and let rise to double again, about one hour.

Grease a loaf pan.  Turn the dough out of the bowl.  Roll into a rectangle.  Smear about two tablespoons of butter across it.  In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon.  Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the dough.  Starting from the short side of the rectangle, roll the dough into a loaf.  Put seam side down into the loaf pan.

Let rise until double and poufy, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Bake the loaf for one hour.  It will be brown and sound hollowish when the bottom is thunked.

This is one of those to have a big mug of tea with.  I just want to put a smile here.

cream cheese laced cinnamon rolls

My trusted assistant and I decided we needed more cinnamon in our lives.  Or maybe I am the trusted assistant?  I had come across a cinnamon roll recipe from Always with Butter  that looked interesting to me.  I decided to give it a try, with my normal adjustments and help.  Small Mister is loving helping lately and even needs his own apron.

These cinnamon rolls are well worth the effort by the way.  It may just be the cream cheese frosting and cinnamon but they are nice and light and full of flavor.

cream cheese laced cinnamon rolls

Note:  adapated from Always with Butter

sourdough starter

1 cup flour 

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 tablespoon salt

7 tablespoons butter

5 plus cups flour

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons cinnamon

1/4 cup powdered sugar

The night before, mix the starter, 1 cup flour and 3/4 cup water together in a large bowl.  Cover and let become bubbly. The next day, remove a couple tablespoons of starter and put in the refrigerator for next time.

To the starter add the milk, sugar, eggs, salt, and 3 tablespoons butter.  Mix well.  Add 5 cups flour.  Mix slowly.  The dough will be very soft and that is what you wish.  When most of the flour is incorporated, turn out onto a floured counter and knead until smooth.  You wish to add as little flour as possible.  Put back into a clean bowl. Cover and let rise until double, about 2 hours.  This is a rich dough so it may take longer.

When the dough has risen, turn out onto a floured surface.  Pat or roll until it is about 10 inches by 10 inches.  I guess.  Spread 4 ounces of cream cheese across the dough.  Fold into thirds with the edges in the center.  Fold the edges in.  Roll the dough out to 16 inches by 20 inches.

Spread 2 tablespoons of butter across the dough.  Mix the brown sugar with the cinnamon in a bowl.  Sprinkle across the buttered dough.  Roll the dough into a cylinder, starting with the 20 inch side.  Cut into eight pieces and place into a greased baking pan.  The pan I used was 9 inches by 13 inches (my lasagne pan).  Cover and let rise until double.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Uncover the rolls and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden.  

While the rolls are baking, mix the frosting.  Mix 4 ounces cream cheese, 2 tablespoons butter, and the powdered sugar together.  When the rolls have come out of the oven and are cool enough not to burn your mouth, put one on a plate and put a dollop of icing on top.

I made these large because I followed the recipe.  You could definitely make them smaller but....  

My Beloved ate two on in sitting.  The man who has been avoiding grains.  What does that tell you?

galette bressane with lemon curd

There is a group of bakers out in the world who call themselves the Bread Baking Babes.  I read on of them who writes a blog.  They do a monthly bread baking challenge.  The only constant is that all the recipes include yeast.  I have to admit that reading the choices give me ideas.

When I happened across the month where a galette was involved, I was curious  I have really enjoyed the galette bressane I have been making.  I have even started to use part whole wheat flour.  This recipe called for a creme fraiche that was flavored with lemon.  Similar to a lemon curd.  My Mom and Dad had gone on a trip to Bermuda and one of the gifts she brought back was a jar of lemon curd.  I figured why not.

I substituted a half cup to a cup of lemon curd for the creme fraiche in the recipe.  I was pleasantly surprised.  I would call this more a dessert then a breakfast but that is how I feel about lemon.  I now wish to try the original recipe and see how it is.  Of course, there will be changes because there always is!