Homemade Rocks! Bread Made Easy

Posted on October 26, 2011

Much as I love homemade bread, baking it has always scared me. The thought of wasting hours babysitting dough to produce what could be a flat hockey puck has kept me from making it, at least up until now.  The epiphany came when I decided to order Artisan Bread in Five Minites a Day: The Discovery that Revolutionizes Home Baking by Jeff Hertzberg, M.D. and Zoe Francois from amazon, along with the recommended 6-quart food storage container (to mix and keep the dough in), and the Danish dough whisk.

When the book arrived, I took a deep breath opened it. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the authors made producing a perfect loaf of bread sound. I followed the directions exactly, and a day later baked my first two loaves of delicious bread (see the two loaves in the bottom of the photo…I added walnuts to the one on the right). Miraculous, really. The best part is the dough, which makes three loaves, and can last in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Feeling confident, I decided to play around with the master recipe. To make a healthier whole wheat version, I substituted 3 cups of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, added 1 tablespoon more yeast, and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Perfection again. If you want to try your hand at baking bread, I highly recommend this book.

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Homemade Rocks! Luscious Lemon Mousse

Posted on September 14, 2011

The other day my kitchen counter was covered with plates of luscious lemon mousse, garnished with sugared strawberries, fresh flowers (that I bought to coat with sugar, along the lines of candied violets, but my attempt failed miserably), and crispy, Aussie-style coconut-cornflake cookies. I think my guests liked it…or, at least, the glasses came back clean. I was one dessert short (you can see the missing mousse in the front row), so I filled my husband’s glass with homemade banana ice cream. No one noticed the difference except him, though I have to admit, I felt pangs of guilt because I know this mousse is one of his favorite desserts. He said he liked the banana ice cream just fine, but he still missed his share of the mousse. Guess I’ll have to make it again. Here’s the recipe if you want to give it a go.

Luscious Lemon Mousse

You will need three bowls to make this mousse: one for the whipped cream, another for the lemon-yolk mixture, and a third for the egg whites. It can be made a day in advance, which is perfect for entertaining. If you want to make a pretty garnish, instead of 1-1/4 cups of heavy cream, you can whip 1-1/2 cups and reserve some to make rosettes on top of the mousse. (Please note that this dessert contains raw egg.)

Serves 8 to 10
1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
1-1/4 cups heavy cream
3 large eggs, separated
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
Grated rind of 2 lemons
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  1. Have ready a medium serving bowl, glass cups, or ramekins to serve this mousse.
  2. In a ½-cup metal measuring cup, combine the gelatin and ¼ cup cold water; set aside. (Note: The reason for the metal cup is that you will be placing it in hot water to dissolve the gelatin later on.)
  3. Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
  4. In  a large bowl, combine the yolks and 1 cup of the sugar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until thick and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Add the lemon rind and lemon juice and beat on low speed for 30 seconds; set aside.
  5. In a large bowl (make sure the bowl is very clean), combine the reserved egg whites and cream of tartar. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds more, until frothy bubbles begin to appear. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, increase speed to high, and continue beating until soft, glossy peaks form, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
  6. Soften the gelatin by placing the metal measuring cup in a shallow pan filled with boiling hot water. Stir until the gelatin becomes a smooth liquid with no lumps.
  7. Using a whisk, mix the gelatin into the reserved lemon-yolk mixture, stirring until well combined. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the reserved egg whites; be careful not to deflate them, but make sure they are evenly incorporated. Then, gently fold in the whipped cream, and transfer the mousse to the serving bowl, or evenly divide it among individual serving cups.
  8. Cover and refrigerate until set, about 2 to 3 hours. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired.



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Homemade Rocks! Grilled Chicken-Veggie Skewers

Posted on September 7, 2011

Well-marinated chicken on the grill makes a perfect dinner. Here, I drizzled a bit of yogurt-herb dipping sauce over the top of the chicken and served it alongside spice-infused basmati rice. I can’t claim to have invented this delicious recipe. It comes from a magazine called Backyard Barbecue: The Absolute Best Recipes for All Your Summer Favorites (August 2011)…a publication from the hit TV show Cook’s Country http://www.cookscountry.com/. Definitely a keeper.

Grilled Chicken Kebabs
Serves 4
½ cup plain yogurt
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large red onion, halved and sliced into pieces big enough to skewer

  1. Whisk yogurt, ¼ cup oil, 3 cloves garlic, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper, and cayenne in large bowl. Stir in chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 to 6 hours.  Whisk remaining ¼ cup oil, remaining 1 clove garlic, basil, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate while chicken is marinating.
  2. Remove chicken from yogurt marinade; discard marinade. Thread each skewer with 2 pieces pepper, 1 piece onion, 2 pieces chicken, and 1 piece onion. Repeat twice more, ending with 2 additional pieces pepper.
  3. For a charcoal grill: Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts, about 100 briquettes). When coals are hot, spread them evenly over bottom of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and heat until hot, about 5 minutes.
  4. For a gas grill: Turn all the burners to high, cover and heat until hot, about 15 minutes.
  5. Clean and oil cooking grate. Grill kebabs, uncovered, until vegetables and chicken are charred around the edges on all 4 sides and chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes per side (3 minutes per side if using gas). Transfer to serving platter and brush kebabs all over with lemon dressing. Serve.

Yogurt-Herb Dipping Sauce

Makes about 2 cups

1 cup plain yogurt

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh basil

1 tablespoon minced fresh mint

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and chopped

  1. Whisk yogurt, oil, lemon juice, garlic, basil, mint, salt, and pepper in medium bowl.
  2. Add the cucumber to the bowl and mix to thoroughly coat. Cover mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate until flavors blend, about 30 minutes. Serve.


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Homemade Rocks! Maki Mania

Posted on September 3, 2011


The other day my husand and I hosted a cocktail party, and just to shake things up, I decided to serve homemade maki. I’ve never made maki before, but reading Sushi: Taste and Technique by Kimiko Barber and Hiroki Takemura, http://www.amazon.com/Sushi-Taste-Techniques-Kimiko-Barber/dp/0789489163 gave me the needed courage.  Scoping out the offerings in a couple of local Japanese restaurants, I came up with a good idea of what I wanted to make. The results were stunning. And, I must admit, that once I assembled the ingredients, which was admittedly a bit time-consuming, the rolling and slicing were easy.

I don’t have a recipe to share (it would take me a week to accurately record and photograph everything I did), but I will share two key points: make sure you season your rice well with a mix of rice vinegar, mirin, sugar, and salt, and make your rolls tight so they hold together nicely, especially if you include a lot of ingredients in large rolls. You can see from the photos that I used various combinations of smoked salmon, cucumber, steamed French beans, steamed carrots, omelette, sauteed mushrooms, and crab sticks. I did the traditional seaweed on the outside, and then tried rice on the outside coated with black and white sesame seeds.

Wasabi, soy sauce for suhi, which is a lot milder than regular soy sauce, and Japanese pickled ginger are all essentials. Hungry yet?

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Homemade Rocks! Oreo Ice Cream

Posted on July 19, 2011

Maybe it’s time to worry when you’re kids tell you to go into the ice cream business. “Mom, you could be the next Ben and Jerry’s. I like your ice cream better than theirs.”

Hmmm. Not going to happen. But, I must confess that the reason why I make my own ice cream is because there is nothing better than freshly whipped ice cream. I was spoiled working in the restaurant business for many years, where the ice cream I sampled was always freshly made and perfectly whipped. I particularly remember the ice cream at the two-star Michelin restaurant called Arperge in Paris, where I did a internship for two weeks. I fell in love with the chef’s curry ice cream, made by infusing a caramel base with Indian spices. Spicy and cool at the same time…perfectly luscious.

This oreo ice cream get s a two-thumbs up from both my kids, and everyone else who takes a bit. To make it, start with my recipe for rich and creamy vanilla ice cream (blog dated January 31, 2011) and once it’s churned, add 1 cup coarsely crushed Paul Newman’s Organic O’s (I use Newman’s because they don’t contain partially hydrogenated oils, plus they’re really good and proceeds go to charity…win, win, win). Freeze for a few hours and serve. It’s a great way to escape the heat, even for just a few minutes.

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Happy Birthday America! Totally Cool 4th of July Orange Cupcakes

Posted on June 27, 2011

If you’re looking for a fabulous dessert to serve at your Fourth of July BBQ, picnic, pot luck, or fancy dinner….you’ve landed at the right cooking blog. This recipe, from one of my favorite baking books, Sweet Gratitude: How to Bake a Thank-You by Judith Sutton, produces cupcakes with a rich yet light crumb balanced by a creamy orange frosting. Decorate to your heart’s content…I went for red-white-and-blue stars and hearts, and wisps of ribbons in between. Happy Birthday America!

Judith Sutton’s Orange Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 85 mini cupcakes, or 24 regular cupcakes
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure orange extract
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1-1/2 cups whole milk

  1. Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin cups, large or mini, with foil or paper cupcake liners.
  2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the orange extract and zest. On low speed, beat in the flour in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions and beating just until incorporated.
  4. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling each cup about two-thirds full. Bake for 17 to 19 minutes (less for mini muffins), or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. (The cupcakes can be baked up to 1 day ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.)

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

One 8-ounce package cold cream cheese, cut into chunks
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1 teaspoon pure orange extract
2 cups confectioners’ sugar

  1. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and creamy. Beat in the orange zest and extract. On low speed, beat in the confectioners’ sugar in two additions, beating until smooth.
  2. Spread the frosting generously over the cupcakes. Or, for a fancier presentation, transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a star-tip and pipe a generous swirl or rosette of frosting onto each cupcake. The frosted cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

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Happy Father’s Day! Treat Dear Ol’ Dad to Some Ol’ Fashioned Ginger Snaps

Posted on June 16, 2011

Perfectly gingery, sweet, and slightly chewy, these ol’ fashioned ginger snaps are some of the best cookies ever invented…and here’s a fabulous recipe for them. Bake a batch and watch your dad smile! Serve with a glass of cold milk, or a cup of freshly-brewed coffee or tea. Happy Father’s Day!

Old-Fashioned Ginger Snaps

Makes about sixty 2-1/2-inch cookies
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 tablespoons ground ginger
1-1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
3 teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar, plus ½ cup for rolling the dough balls before baking
2 large eggs
1/4 cup molasses

  1. Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Have ready 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
  2. Sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  4. Add the eggs and molasses and continue to beat for 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. The batter will be quite creamy.
  5. Add half of the reserved  flour mixture and beat on low speed for 15 seconds. Repeat with the remaining half. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover, and refrigerate the dough in the bowl for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. (Chilling makes the dough easier to roll into balls.)
  6. Place the 1/2-cup of sugar for rolling the dough in a pie plate. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Scoop out 1 tablespoon of the dough for large cookies (2-1/2-inch size), or a ½ tablespoon for small ones (1-1/2-inch size), and form it into a ball with your hands. Place the ball in the sugar. Repeat  until you have  5 to 7 balls in the pie dish. Then, roll the balls to cover them with sugar and arrange them on the baking sheet, spread at 1-1/2 inch intervals.
  7. When the first baking sheet is filled, bake until the outside of the cookies are firm but the inside gives just a little when pressed, 8 to 10 minutes. Do not open the oven during the baking process or the puffed cookies will fall. While the cookies are baking, repeat the ball-making procedure with the remaining dough.
  8. Remove the finished cookies from the oven, allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack. Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

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Homemade Rocks! Hale’s Perfect Banana Split

Posted on May 22, 2011

Wow! Get a load of this stunner made by my eleven-year-old son, Hale. I had just made a batch of chocolate-walnut-coconut-milk sherbet from David Lebovitz’s Room for Dessert…super yummy and light, and I added chopped walnuts for texture…and boom, my son takes one look at it and says, “Mom, can I make a banana split?”

“Sure, but only if you let me photograph it,” I said, smiling.

He agreed, but at the same time made me promise not too take any more food photos when his friends are over for dinner…as I did last night. “It’s just embarrassing when you say, no, don’t eat it yet, let me get just one more shot.”

Fair enough. He’s right. I admit I to being camera crazy sometimes. But I also enjoy a good shot…like the way the blue jimmies match the placemat in this pic. Fun and delicious! Makes me happy. This sherbet will make you happy, too.

Chocolate-Walnut-Coconut-Milk Sherbet
Makes 1 quart
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2 cups Thai canned coconut milk
1 tablespoon dark rum
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

  1. Heat the water and sugar until the sugar has completely dissolved.
  2. Coarsely chop the chocolate, add it to the syrup, and whisk until the chocolate has completely melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut milk and rum (the rum is the key to a delicious flavor, but maybe not for kids!).
  3. Chill thoroughly, then freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

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Homemade Rocks! 20 Minute Spaghetti Sauce

Posted on May 17, 2011

A simple and perfectly delicious tomato sauce, especially if you like your pasta sauces on the light side. I was in a hurry so I boiled some capellini…but, if you can get fresh, flavored pasta, such as basil, garlic, or lemon, you’re in for a real treat. I topped my plate with tons of basil. Not surprisingly, my kids opted for only Parmesan cheese. As with all my family’s favorite recipes…this comes from Eating for Pregnancy: The Essential Nutrition Guide and Cookbook for Today’s Mothers-to-Be. My #1 family cookbook.

Twenty-Minute Tomato Sauce
Makes about 2-1/2 cups
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds (about 7) large, vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into a ½-inch dice (about 4 cups)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste or ½ cup tomato sauce, to taste
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil or your favorite fresh herbs

  1. In a large saucepan, combine 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and the garlic, and sauté over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the garlic turns a light brown color, about 1 to 2 minutes. Be careful not to burn the garlic because it will turn bitter.
  2. Add the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, brown sugar, salt, and pepper, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
  3. Stir in the tomato puree, and continue to simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the basil and the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, adjust the seasoning and serve. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers.

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Homemade Rocks! My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on April 14, 2011

Few things in the sweets category top a still-warm-from-the-oven, perfectly crisp yet melting gooey chocolate chip cookie, and I think this recipe is the BEST on the planet. I’m sharing it under one condition: that you give me credit when people say, OMG where did you get this recipe, and then you send them to my blog, catherinejonescooks.com for more delicious recipes. I love these tasty morsels with a cup of robust coffee, my daughter prefers Earl Grey tea, while my son happily dunks his cookies in cold milk. My husband just stands by the cookie jar in easy reach of the next bite…you can’t eat only one, I’ve tried!

Catherine’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

The secret to this recipe is grinding the oats into a powder, which gives the cookies a wonderful crunch. No nuts are called for here, but add them if you wish. Also, you will notice that I call for baking the cookie sheets one at a time. Yes, this takes way more time, but in my many years of baking in conventional home-ovens (not restaurant ones with serious convection power) I have found that baking one sheet at a time leads to more consistent results. You can bake two sheets at once; see my Cooking Tip below.

Makes about 4 dozen 2-inch cookies
2-1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
16 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and center an oven rack. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
  2. Place the oats in a food processor and pulse about 10 times, or until they are a broken down to a powder slightly thicker than whole wheat flour. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the sugar, brown sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract, and mix on medium speed until light and slightly fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  4. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and reserved oats and mix on low speed just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  5. Place heaping teaspoons of the cookie dough on the baking sheets, allowing about 1-inch of space between the mounds. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are light golden.
  6. Remove from the oven, cool for 3 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. Once completely cool, store in an airtight container. They can be frozen for up to 1 month.

Cooking Tip: To bake two sheets at the same time, position one oven rack one rung down from the top, and the other rack one rung up from the bottom. Place both sheets in the oven at the same time and bake for 6 minutes, then switch the order of the sheets and bake for another 5 to 6 minutes.

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