Bistro Bijou

[Anschul]

Requesting. It's my beloved's favorite, having grown up in San Franscisco. I've seen recipes for it and I think I can just start some, feed it once a week and wait about ten days to use it, correct? I started baking all our bread a few months ago (I had never made bread before then). I've made farmhouse white, wheat, honey bran, challah (easy cause I remember my mom making it every week), foccacia and rye, but no sourdough yet. Any tips you care to share are gratefully appreciated.

PS I am currently reading Bill Buford's Heat. What a fascinating book!

I promise to get back to you with the last word on sourdough. I got it, just not the time. The best easy tip I can give you is that you have to keep making it. Sourdough isn't bread, it's commitment. I'll give you the best I got (another post), but be prepared. Sourdough used to be the standard in Atlantis, and you know what happened there.
Chefzilla

Well, I'm back.

For several years, I used a starter I got in SF. You can buy it now at a terrific web site called sourdo dot com slash culture dot aich tee em (got it?). They will sell you a culture of the true SF-bacteria-laden starter for fourteen bucks, and it's very good. I recommend cruising their site for recipes, and following any of their instructions (to the letter). I like the willow basket recipe. It makes a bread with an amazing, genuine crust. Use a pizza stone in the oven. (that's another of the secrets). Keep the oven atmosphere moist (that's another).
The reality is, sourdough is a pain in the ass. It means actually using the starter and refreshing it within ten days, or rejuvenating it is iffy at best. You could cruise for recipes, and make your own starter (it works), but I truly believe the bacteria in the SF culture makes the bread taste different, and I swear EE will taste the difference--it will taste like home. It's sort of like Philly and cheese steaks. They make them all over the country--even fast food joints make something called a "Philly Cheese Steak," but you gotta go to Passyunk Avenue to get a real one. Sourdough is the same. If you're going to make the commitment (and I mean it IS a commitment), then get the real thing. Sourdo dot com has the best culture I have ever tasted, and I have used it.
I hope you actually attempt this. Its reward is WAY worth the effort, and the time commitment at any one time is no different than any other breadbaking. But still...

Break a leg
Chefzilla

 

[Anschul]

Tut we don't get any of this variety of food here or perhaps I have been lving too quiet a life lol I suppose it's available in places like London but not generally ... I've never tasted any of this stuff

My darling UYS, the stuff I made tonight is good, and as bj said, very Zen. But if you've never had Zabaglione, please, PLEASE make it yourself, but not alone, and leave yourself time for play later. It's easy. Follow this:

4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup dry Marsala wine
8 long-stemmed strawberries

Bring a pot of water to a simmer over medium-low heat. Combine the egg yolks and sugar in a glass heat-resistant bowl (like Pyrex) and whisk until foamy. Set the bowl over the simmering water, without letting the bottom touch the water, and continue to whisk constantly. Gradually pour in the Marsala while continuing to beat - don't let it boil. Keep whisking the stuff vigorously for a good 5 minutes, until the custard has doubled in volume and is very thick and yellow.

Spoon the Zabaglione into wide-mouth wine glasses (this should make about four servings--it's very rich) and serve it with fresh strawberries. Or smear it in private places (but not when you're alone). Either way is great.

I guarantee you great sex.
Chefzilla

 

[Homburg]

Those thingies that you have to go around to make a U-turn or a left turn are called "jug handles." Imagine my surprise when I found out they're not everywhere. And you may have noticed that NJ has some of the most awful traffic circles anywhere. When I was in high school we lived in an apartment right down the street from a very busy one. Every Saturday morning I heard at least one crash from there because some nudnick would fail to yield and would get wacked. Every Saturday morning. Without fail.

Jug Handles? I called them something pithy like "Where the hell are the real intersections? What moronic asshole designed these stupid things? Oh, sure, pave these stupid frikken loops instead of putting up turn lanes." Drove me mad. LA has no turn lanes either. What the fuck is wrong with road designers?

Try the Mastoris Diner off Exit 7 sometime. Everything is good there, but their breakfasts are really wonderful and every diner gets two mini loaves of homemade bread that they set on the table when you sit down: one sweet cheese bread and one cinnamon bread. It's great road food. People have Mastoris cater their functions just for that damn bread.

Exit 7. I will attempt to remember that. Thank you.

 

[UnderYourSpell]

My darling UYS, the stuff I made tonight is good, and as bj said, very Zen. But if you've never had Zabaglione, please, PLEASE make it yourself, but not alone, and leave yourself time for play later. It's easy. Follow this:

4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup dry Marsala wine
8 long-stemmed strawberries

Bring a pot of water to a simmer over medium-low heat. Combine the egg yolks and sugar in a glass heat-resistant bowl (like Pyrex) and whisk until foamy. Set the bowl over the simmering water, without letting the bottom touch the water, and continue to whisk constantly. Gradually pour in the Marsala while continuing to beat - don't let it boil. Keep whisking the stuff vigorously for a good 5 minutes, until the custard has doubled in volume and is very thick and yellow.

Spoon the Zabaglione into wide-mouth wine glasses (this should make about four servings--it's very rich) and serve it with fresh strawberries. Or smear it in private places (but not when you're alone). Either way is great.

I guarantee you great sex.
Chefzilla

Custard? Waits for sky to fall in ..... and how big is a cup for goodness sakes don't you have proper measurements ? BTW don't you read your mail ? I sent you a question about the GIMP days ago

 

[champagne1982]

Custard? Waits for sky to fall in ..... and how big is a cup for goodness sakes don't you have proper measurements ? BTW don't you read your mail ? I sent you a question about the GIMP days ago

That's just crazy. A cup is 8 fluid ounces ... jus' sayin'

 

[Anschul]

Custard? Waits for sky to fall in ..... and how big is a cup for goodness sakes don't you have proper measurements ? BTW don't you read your mail ? I sent you a question about the GIMP days ago

Sorry...sorry, I forgot you're metric. Here are the measurements:

4 large egg yolks
60 ml marsala
60 ml sugar
as many or as few strawberries as you can handle.

Better?

I'll go check my email right this sec

A

 

[UnderYourSpell]

Personally I am still stuck in fluid ounces but my jug has both on .. I think lol have dreadful feeling I have sent my mail to wrong place and am wondering who is reading it now good job it was clean!!

 

[WickedEve]

I won a makeover where they promise to make anyone beautiful then charge you the earth for the photos. I went up to London for the day and with a touch of powder and paint and without my specs they took the pics. I couldn't believe it was me you see I always thought I was ugly that old insecurity thing I guess. I thought it was just a fluke and some clever camera work. When I met Ron he kept telling me I was beautiful but then again I just thought he was biased anyway. A while back I looked back at some pictures taken when I was 21 and I did a double take and thought my goodness who was that lovely girl ..... all those years wasted and I never knew and now it is too late and I start to get lines maybe still young looking for my 58 years but I wonder what could I have done if I had known long ago?

What a good story. It really is and I hope you know that you have a great poem hidden in your post.

 

[loststar]

my war cry of self pity

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
I am going fucking crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I dont know what I want
I dont know what really matters to me any more
I am trying really hard not to be miserable
but it seems that everything I take joy in is being stripped away from me
one thread at a fucking time
I scream about these fustrations
and suddenly I am the bad guy
I am the evil bitch with no sense of reason
Well thats right I am the fucking evil bitch of unreasonability

I would say that I am sorry to vent
but I am not
I am glad that I can come in here,
scream and yell, and maybe get some coffee

sincerly
the evil bitch of unreasonability

 

[Angeline]

I promise to get back to you with the last word on sourdough. I got it, just not the time. The best easy tip I can give you is that you have to keep making it. Sourdough isn't bread, it's commitment. I'll give you the best I got (another post), but be prepared. Sourdough used to be the standard in Atlantis, and you know what happened there.
Chefzilla

Well, I'm back.

For several years, I used a starter I got in SF. You can buy it now at a terrific web site called sourdo dot com slash culture dot aich tee em (got it?). They will sell you a culture of the true SF-bacteria-laden starter for fourteen bucks, and it's very good. I recommend cruising their site for recipes, and following any of their instructions (to the letter). I like the willow basket recipe. It makes a bread with an amazing, genuine crust. Use a pizza stone in the oven. (that's another of the secrets). Keep the oven atmosphere moist (that's another).
The reality is, sourdough is a pain in the ass. It means actually using the starter and refreshing it within ten days, or rejuvenating it is iffy at best. You could cruise for recipes, and make your own starter (it works), but I truly believe the bacteria in the SF culture makes the bread taste different, and I swear EE will taste the difference--it will taste like home. It's sort of like Philly and cheese steaks. They make them all over the country--even fast food joints make something called a "Philly Cheese Steak," but you gotta go to Passyunk Avenue to get a real one. Sourdough is the same. If you're going to make the commitment (and I mean it IS a commitment), then get the real thing. Sourdo dot com has the best culture I have ever tasted, and I have used it.
I hope you actually attempt this. Its reward is WAY worth the effort, and the time commitment at any one time is no different than any other breadbaking. But still...

Break a leg
Chefzilla

Dear Chefzilla, you are the best! I ordered some SF starter last night, which if I understand the way starters work correctly, I can keep using (just save some dough from the first batch to start the next one--and so on). I still don't understand the purpose of the willow basket for letting the dough rise: what is the benefit? The willow baskets I saw online are rather pricey--can I improvise with a (cheap) willow basket from my local garden shop? I know they have them there. And I've used a pizza stone for baking foccacia (which came out wonderful--great crunchy crust), so I'm set there. Lotsa poeticness in this bread-making methinks. There's something so zenly satisfying in making one's own bread. And oh my eagleyez is gonna be one happy camper when he spreads some peanut butter on the homemade SF sourdough. Many thanks!

 

[UnderYourSpell]

What a good story. It really is and I hope you know that you have a great poem hidden in your post.

Goodness have I ? will have to look it over but don't know if I can do it justice in poetry form I have always been better at just writing prose I mean all you have to then is type what you would be saying

 

[champagne1982]

Dear fucking evil bitch of unreasonability,

We have all you want and all you need,
We don't have stern judgements
that threaten to stifle your dissatisfaction
and tell you it's not ok to feel this way.

Fume, rant, rail and scream... just let it go
and then you can sip your coffee. Muffin?

Love,
The Bistro Staff in charge of amoral squalor maintenance.

 

[Anschul]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
I am going fucking crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I dont know what I want
I dont know what really matters to me any more
I am trying really hard not to be miserable
but it seems that everything I take joy in is being stripped away from me
one thread at a fucking time
I scream about these fustrations
and suddenly I am the bad guy
I am the evil bitch with no sense of reason
Well thats right I am the fucking evil bitch of unreasonability

I would say that I am sorry to vent
but I am not
I am glad that I can come in here,
scream and yell, and maybe get some coffee

sincerly
the evil bitch of unreasonability

Loststar, our sweet, here you are loved. Never forget that. Sidle up to the bar and have some tea. And hang in there. We love you.

 

[UnderYourSpell]

Dear fucking evil bitch of unreasonability,

We have all you want and all you need,
We don't have stern judgements
that threaten to stifle your dissatisfaction
and tell you it's not ok to feel this way.

Fume, rant, rail and scream... just let it go
and then you can sip your coffee. Muffin?

Love,
The Bistro Staff in charge of amoral squalor maintenance.

LOL @ fucking evil bitch

 

[Anschul]

Dear Chefzilla, you are the best! I ordered some SF starter last night, which if I understand the way starters work correctly, I can keep using (just save some dough from the first batch to start the next one--and so on). I still don't understand the purpose of the willow basket for letting the dough rise: what is the benefit? The willow baskets I saw online are rather pricey--can I improvise with a (cheap) willow basket from my local garden shop? I know they have them there. And I've used a pizza stone for baking foccacia (which came out wonderful--great crunchy crust), so I'm set there. Lotsa poeticness in this bread-making methinks. There's something so zenly satisfying in making one's own bread. And oh my eagleyez is gonna be one happy camper when he spreads some peanut butter on the homemade SF sourdough. Many thanks!

Hey Darlin' (never Dumplin'--I guess I'll keep that one for my daughter), I admire your courage in taking this on. You are absolutely correct about saving the starter--that's the whole point. The thing that makes this such a commitment is that you really do have to attend to the saved starter periodically (i.e. make more bread), to keep it viable. If it goes too long in the fridge, it becomes work to rejuvenate it. I've seen starters last a month in the fridge, but they require effort to get them out of dormancy. Once you've gone down this road, you're best to keep baking. Actually, if you are really happy with the results (I was...), you will find a rhythm in the process, and it will sort of become second nature. But it is work, not like other breads. But I have always believed that the best stuff comes from the hardest work (Isn't that a good credo to live by? Works for poetry as well as baking).
The willow basket is not a necessity, just a nicety if you want to try it, and a cheap one is fine, as long as it's sturdy. They don't use 'em in SF. Be too expensive. However, the baking stone is a necessity, as is the humidity of oven. I have found that one good squirt from a spray bottle every thirty seconds for the first five minutes works pretty good (I think that is the recommendation at sourdo dot com--check and see what they say). What also works pretty good is to have some sort of oven mop (like a big, soft basting brush--I use a big soft paint brush I bought at Home Depot), and paint the crust every five minutes with water. There are some interesting techniques for keeping the moisture right (What did we do before Google?).
I truly believe that breadmaking is an art, not a craft (if you will). Making a great loaf of bread is like painting a great picture, writing a great poem, having great sex, you know? The end product is way more than a sum of its parts.
good luck.

Chefzilla (I love that name!!!)

P.S. and by the way, I did spend some time near Exit 40 (GSP). Details some other time, but reading the posts on NJ diners and traffic circles is a hoot. NJ is a diner culture. My fave is called Olga's on Route 70 in Marlton, between Philly and the shore.

 

[Homburg]

the evil bitch of unreasonability

Some of us have an unreasonable fondness for evil bitches.

 

[UnderYourSpell]

Then you don't love me sob haven't you heard I am sweet

 

[Homburg]

Then you don't love me sob haven't you heard I am sweet

Darlin, when begging for attention, proper form is to be on one's knees.



*kiss*

 

[Anschul]

Darlin, when begging for attention, proper form is to be on one's knees.



*kiss*

You silver-tongued devil, you!

 

[Angeline]

Hey Darlin' (never Dumplin'--I guess I'll keep that one for my daughter), I admire your courage in taking this on. You are absolutely correct about saving the starter--that's the whole point. The thing that makes this such a commitment is that you really do have to attend to the saved starter periodically (i.e. make more bread), to keep it viable. If it goes too long in the fridge, it becomes work to rejuvenate it. I've seen starters last a month in the fridge, but they require effort to get them out of dormancy. Once you've gone down this road, you're best to keep baking. Actually, if you are really happy with the results (I was...), you will find a rhythm in the process, and it will sort of become second nature. But it is work, not like other breads. But I have always believed that the best stuff comes from the hardest work (Isn't that a good credo to live by? Works for poetry as well as baking).
The willow basket is not a necessity, just a nicety if you want to try it, and a cheap one is fine, as long as it's sturdy. They don't use 'em in SF. Be too expensive. However, the baking stone is a necessity, as is the humidity of oven. I have found that one good squirt from a spray bottle every thirty seconds for the first five minutes works pretty good (I think that is the recommendation at sourdo dot com--check and see what they say). What also works pretty good is to have some sort of oven mop (like a big, soft basting brush--I use a big soft paint brush I bought at Home Depot), and paint the crust every five minutes with water. There are some interesting techniques for keeping the moisture right (What did we do before Google?).
I truly believe that breadmaking is an art, not a craft (if you will). Making a great loaf of bread is like painting a great picture, writing a great poem, having great sex, you know? The end product is way more than a sum of its parts.
good luck.

Chefzilla (I love that name!!!)

P.S. and by the way, I did spend some time near Exit 40 (GSP). Details some other time, but reading the posts on NJ diners and traffic circles is a hoot. NJ is a diner culture. My fave is called Olga's on Route 70 in Marlton, between Philly and the shore.

I like calling you Chefzilla. It's cute.

I had this epiphany a while back that I just don't want to eat overly processed food anymore--and when it is processed, I want to be the one who decides with what and how much. We have a wonderful food coop here in town, so I can get mostly organic ingredients pretty inexpensively (for example, white bread flour is 49 cents a pound, whole wheat 79 cents). So I guess I'm kind of committed to it all already. And I'm pretty sure I can manage the care and feeding of the starter, having raised two children and ending up doing most of the upkeep of their assorted pets (cats, dogs, lizards, fish) over the years.

And making bread, I've discovered is not only satisfying in an artistic way, it's a damn good workout! I just did the first kneading of dough for farmhouse white bread and I'm still breathing hard and sweating lol.

I'll forgo the willow basket. And I'll keep the foodie questions to a minimum.

 

[Anschul]

I like calling you Chefzilla. It's cute.

I had this epiphany a while back that I just don't want to eat overly processed food anymore--and when it is processed, I want to be the one who decides with what and how much. We have a wonderful food coop here in town, so I can get mostly organic ingredients pretty inexpensively (for example, white bread flour is 49 cents a pound, whole wheat 79 cents).

Welcome to my world. No foods processed by others welcome in my house. We're as organic as humanly possible, including the small garden in which we grow what veggies we can manage in this heat (some things are amazing all year, others not so much). But rare is the use of white flour--we're pretty much whole wheat kind of folks, even in our setting up for the fry pan.
Keep that thing alive. It's amazing.

Chefzilla

P.S. I posted a new poem HERE, and I have you to thank for idea. THANKS.

 

[Anschul]

Okay friends, here's what's on the menu today. I've spent most of the day making turkey sausage with fennel, and ricotta and basil tortellini. I thought I'd fry up some sausages, slice them up and braise them with onions, peppers, basil and tomatoes, then serve them over the tortellini, with some fresh sautee'd first spring baby spinach and garlic, and a nice imported Chianti. BJ, you've got the Chianti, so pour up, and let's see who's coming to dinner.
Chefzilla

 

[Homburg]

I'll forgo the willow basket. And I'll keep the foodie questions to a minimum.

Foodie questions are pretty on-topic here, I'd say.

 

[loststar]

Ill be in for dinner please let me know when its ready, just look for me in the corner, ill be behind the mountans of paper, and probobly cursing up a storm, thank you for the encouragement, it helps put things into perspective

 

[loststar]

a crumpled up piece of paper

You tie me up in your words
not even giving me the satisfaction of the rope burns
You beat down my spirit
with out leaving a single mark
You rape my dreams
with out even touching me

I escape you in my mind
but from your words I can not hide

Every pleasure seems to have been stripped away
the memories of such fading fast
and with out them I do not know
how long I shall last

The warmth has been pulled out of the day
The taste gone from the wine
The jokes lost
The ambitions a far way gone

I search and I search
and the novelty of life is a stop gap
That keeps me here for one more day
I am worn thin,
who I am is stretching over too much time

The fire is fading from my eyes
but its not really that much of a surprise
I scramble to replace my significance
yet as the days tick by it melts away
What was it again?
I knew it only yesterday

Who was I again?
The fake stripped away to discover the good
The good stripped away to discover the evil
The evil stripped away to discover the strength
The strength stripped away to discover a vulnerability
that I can not hide from those passerbys

The moment I wait for is not what it used to be
what ever happened to you and me

You that used to wrap me in love
You that used to fill me with hope
You that used to count on my dreams
You have changed and so have I
Can we survive until a day when I can know you again?
Do I have the patience?
Do you have the will?
What will become of this?
Only time can tell






I ask for a critique or two, this is very unfinshedand I would like some imput