On Thurs, May 13...celebrating the launch of Dennis Danziger's novel, A Short History of a Tall Jew at Village Books in Pacific Palisades.....great read....I'll be multi-tasking....baking (since Jami is out of town) and singing some tunes..

An Instrumental A Week: Night Soliloquy

Musical Guest, Rebecca Dru in: Leftist Ladies and THEE Christian Wright

Ann Oldenberg of USA TODAY said...Anyone who listens will fall under the spell of Rebecca Dru's rich vocals and dreamy lyrics... She's back, after 24 years.... Rebecca Dru at The Santa Monica Playhouse ☆•*¨*•.¸¸❤❤¸.•*¨*•☆☆•*¨*•.¸¸❤❤

Please join us on Thursday, April 8th at 8:00 PM for this eclectic evening of talented artists as they present original works of story and song.

Leftist Ladies and Christian Wright is an evening of solo works in progress featuring musical guest: Rebecca Dru, Essayist: Barbara Friedman, Solo Artists: Mara Shapshay, PJ Dwan, Erin Brown, and Jody Vaclav and of course, the one and only Mr. Christian Wright

Produced by Wendy Hammers

Thursday,April 8th at 8:00PM

Santa Monica Playhouse

1211 4th Street

(a few feet south of Wilshire)

Santa Monica CA 90401

Tickets are 10 dollars cash at door. No reservation required

Join Our Mailing List! wendy@wendyhammers.com

CHICKS WHO ROCK at The Hollywood Fringe Festival!!!!

theatre

Chicks Who Rock & Roll

produced by allison cameron gray, rebecca dru & p. j. dwan, 90 minutes, ages 16+

a world premiere.

PJ Dwan and Allison Cameron Gray and Rebecca Dru wil be performing at the Fringe Festival in Chicks Who Rock & Roll on Sunday June 20, 10pm at the Hudson Theater. A world premier event. Ticket prices tbd. It's going be a fun festival, thank you Hollywood.

Sicilian Candied Grapefruit Peels and Grapefruit Infused Caramel with Creamy Pine Nuts

Sicilian Candied Grapefruit Peels

Grapefruit Infused Caramel with Creamy Pine Nuts

I finally caught up with all the peels I had and candied 4 gallons worth of citrus peels. It's interesting to see the variations that arise because, perhaps I got busy doing something else and wasn't paying attention or the peel was a different variety of that particular citrus. In the case of the grapefruit, these peels were slightly thicker than the last batch and took longer to reach the point of translucency. My trick is I slow cook them for HOURS in the simple syrup over a very low heat after initially bringing it to a boil. In this case, the simple syrup became very thick and caramel like and gave a lovely coating to the tangy grapefruit peels. You’ll notice the color is much darker, more orangey than my previous batches, which stayed the color of the yellow fruit. While the flavor is generally intense, so much that it’s hard to eat more than 2-3 strips in one sitting, these are even more so, plus they’re chewy like caramel. I rolled them in sugar and left them overnight on the drying racks, but because of the thicker coating, I had to toss them in sugar again the next morning to lightly coat them.

Usually I save the left over simple syrup and add it to the juice I previously squeezed of that juice. I call it my “Rock Candy Lemonade or Grapefruit Juice” because it gives it that candy type flavor with the acidity of the juice. It really pops in your mouth and is quite refreshing. This time, because the sugar had cooked down, what remained was caramel..it just needed a little butter and cream, but this time I decided against it. I wanted that creamy flavor so I added pine nuts. I decided against toasting them because I was going for the texture of them with the flavor of the grapefruit. I tried it out before actually following through. It was creamy goodness in my mouth...a taste of heaven. In went the pine nuts...I poured it out on silpat and the next morning, cut them in squares, tossed them in sugar so they wouldn’t stick to the jar and filled it up.

The idea is no waste. Every part but the pith of the fruit is used as well as all the sugar. What’s left over from rolling...goes into the pot for the next batch of simple syrup. It becomes a system that works..and draws me into a zen like trance as I go through the process of creating the peels.

I will say, it’s nice to be done....before we go gleaning again...it’s time for a break and to focus on other creative vices.... but the results are delicious.

Rebecca Dru opens Bitter and Sweet Chocolates, The Annual TASTY WORDS™ Valentine's Inspired stories

Thursday was a HUGE day for me as it was the first time in 24 years I sang live. I was invited by Wendy Hammers, the creator of TASTY WORDS™, to participate in her show as the musical guest.

Wendy had been "encouraging" me for MONTHS to sing and I finally took her up on the offer. This show was filled with stories about love and the pursuit of it, just in time for Valentine's Day; a great collection of bitter, bad date stories and romantic tales of joyful and requited love.

She had a terrific line up of writers:

Romie Angelich - Being Mrs Peter Moor

Ken Bank - Velcro Boys
Barra Grant - An Irish Hebraic Love Story
Judith Allen - The Captain (A Love Story)

Dave Kessler - True Stories of Dave Kessler, The Dating Daredevil

Wendy Hammers - Jewish Girl Eats Bacon and Finds God
Dylan Brody - True Romance
with musical guest Rebecca Dru

I loaded my gear in the morning. I'm so glad I bought a new mic. I had picked up a HEIL PR 30 at WLA Music and I love it...it's really responsive to my voice. I just didn't want to start back with a Shure SM 58....it's too abrupt. Once set up, I did the sound check with Marjorie Lewis who stopped by to listen...and dance...had a bite with her...relaxed at home with my dogs until it was time to go. I passed by my husband with a big kiss on my way out as he had just returned from an LA PHIL rehearsal...and on my way I went.

You have to understand...I was never going to sing live again...outside my home..so this was a big moment for me...either I was going to love it or not....and baby..I am BACK!! I took those 24 years...and enjoyed my life...my family..and filled it with love...and it made a difference. I'm not doing this for any other reason then for the pure pleasure of it...and let me tell you I had a blast! I did two songs....ANOTHER ONE OF YOU , I wrote with Susan Santiago, which is about meeting someone who's already in a relationship and wishing he/she had a clone. The other was a love song I wrote for my husband. It's the first song in the 25 years we've been together that I've written for him. I started working on a list of why I loved him and realized...I don't need it...I love him JUST BECAUSE. I collaborated on it with a wonderful lyricist out of New York, Carole Blake. Just to side track...I met Carole via my cousin Susan on Facebook. I haven't seen her since I was 3 (and I'm 51 now). I had never worked with someone I didn't know before...but Carole is fantastic! She connected with me on the sentiment of the song. I already had the chorus and the bridge and the line in the verse, " I love the way you...." and she finished it. Now the fun part is she just got married tonight and had been looking for a love song for her wedding.... THIS was her love song that she used for the first dance!

I'm thrilled....I'm relishing in this first performance...I was pleased.... and now I'm getting ready for the next one at The Santa Monica Playhouse on April 8th...where I"ll be doing more songs...new songs...songs that are pertinent to my life now. I'm excited!

Sicilian Candied Meyer Lemon Peels

After juicing, zesting 100 of the 170 lemons, bagging, labeling and freezing, and of the remaining 70 Meyer Lemons, removing the pith, blanching, cooling, blanching, cooling, blanching, cooling, draining and then candying them in a bath of sugar for 65 minutes (yeah..I know it's 20 minutes more than I say so in my recipe)....then carefully hand rolling each slice in granulated sugar and then placing on drying racks and allowing to cool for at least 5 hours...I prefer overnight and into the next afternoon and then packing in glass jars.... I am DONE with the Meyer Lemon Peels. Now don't get me wrong..I am NOT complaining here. They are a time consuming labor of love and the end result is this spectacular burst of intensity in your mouth. I just hadn't planned on that many.

My sister-in-law, Kathy, is a gleaner. She goes to the Valley with a friend of hers and picks buckets and buckets of citrus from the abundance of lonely fruit laden trees. Some they give to shelters, some they give to friends and some they keep. This week, Kathy made my eyes pop out with her tremendous generosity of citrus gifts; Oranges, Meyer Lemons and Grapefruit; bags and bags and BAGS of fruit. How could I say NO....though I knew the work that was in store. I just can NOT throw out the peels... even if it meant that I were to zest at least 1/2 of them, which I did.There's so much juice that I pour it into labeled quart sized bags and stored them in our new freezer chest that we just purchased for the side of beef we bought from a friend in Durango, CO. Just before my friend, Harriet died, she asked us to come over and pick as many tangerines from her tree as we could, knowing it would our last time in all these years of enjoying this monthly invitation from her...and so in a combination of joy and sadness we did. Now we have tangerine juice to last the winter, peels to candy, which I prepped and then froze as well as enough zest for the months to come.

Tonight...I'm working on the grapefruit. Removing the pith is time consuming. I see recipes where people leave the pith on and some of the fruit or they take the fruit off and live some of the pith..but the true Sicilian way is to remove it all and then blanch and cool it 3 times to remove the bitterness. The beauty comes in as you're candying it and it's close to completion; when you see the transparency of the peel with the glaze of the simmering sugar, truly looks like a stained glass window. It's at that moment when I remember why all the other work was worth it; it's a work of art, the color of the peel so vibrant..truly beautiful to experience. I was hoping to get it done sooner so as to ship some off to a friend's mom who likes grapefruit...but you can't rush the peels... and so they will be candied on Tuesday and ready to ship out the day after Christmas...a lip smackin' way to start the new year!

The Weight On My Back

In the past few months I've dropped 35 lbs simply by changing a few things.. namely, all the women in my family have thyroid issues... and through research, Jami's doc and a friend with a similar problem... I discovered some very simple things. A problem thyroid likes protein, not carbs...and eliminate soy completely as isoflavones destroy the thyroid. I always have been a water drinker and very active, no matter what my size is at present. Basically, it comes down to understanding your body type and the type of foods it needs and doesn't need. Some people thrive on carbs... I don't. I don't eat bread....gave that up after I learned how to make it well. I stopped the rice (my fav) and potatoes (roasted...oh how I love them!)...and pasta.... I have a wheat/gluten intolerance...and that's it. I simply keep lots of protein around...and we're not talking dry fish or skinless boneless white meat that's been broiled dry...we're talking, pork butt, pork belly, steak...dark meat chicken, eggs and of course, fish...some cheese, nonfat organic milk....and then there's plenty of veggies and a little fruit. My rule of thumb...I only eat when I'm hungry...and if I want to use my Sicilian EV Olive Oil...I do! I don't measure out my food... I keep my eyes SMALLER than my stomach...and if I find I need more, I take some. The truth is my appetite has shrunk as a result of what I'm doing. I do have 2 cravings....I like the crunchy baked cheese puffs from Trader Joes and I crave chocolate around my period; those I measure. I'm not going to deny the cravings..but I don't go overboard. I can't believe the level of energy I have and how much better I feel just from that small change. I actually had some roasted potatoes two weeks ago and as great as they tasted...I felt sick...I can't eat them..plain and simple. My walks have gotten longer and harder..I'm doing more hills...and the weight keeps coming off....slowly and steadily...FINALLY.

So here's the last thing I do.... Every week...I fill my backpack with the amount of weight that I have lost and I walk for 2 miles with that weight on my back....so I can remember what it felt like when I was at my starting weight and I never forget what I never ever want to go back to. It's a killer... my knees and feet feel like they're going to give out.... makes me wonder how I lived that way.

Diets don't work..in fact I despise that word used in the context in which most of us know it. Figure out what changes you need to make in the way you eat, work for you...how you want to incorporate exercise into your life....drink that water (10 glasses plus 1 for every 10 lbs overweight you are), keep yourself mentally up...and if you fall...take a look at why...don't play the vicitim...get off your ass and do something as you're the only one who can fix it...and then make sure you try the weight on your back... I even fill it with groceries....

Have fuN!!

4 days to San Miguel De Allende in July 2010

Next July I'm doing a 4 day road trip with my dear friend, Susan Santiago and her Basset Hound, Nico, to her new home in San Miguel De Allende from LA. Susan's already begun planning this trip with great excitement...and my homework so far... is to check out where we'll be stopping in Texas: Big Bend National Park and

Marfa. Marfa is a cultural little town in the middle of NOWHERE!!!! That's cool..she just better be prepared for my camera and FLIP video. I can't wait to put this visual together!!!!

PS..If she gives me a hard time...she'll just have to swim across the Rio Grande while I wave from the car!

New Instrumentals...One a week for the next year

Hi!
Over the next year..I'm working on a series of instrumentals to use as soundtracks....I'l be loading rough and finished tracks on my blog..here's tonights...not quite finished...but curious what you think....
Click HERE to hear the music

Bec's New England Clam Chowdah

One of our favorite meals in the summer is a bowl of New England Clam Chowdah (Chowder for you non-New Englanders) and some warm crusty bread.
Here's my version:

INGREDIENTS:
2 TBSN Butter
3 pieces celery, diced 1/4"
3 large potatoes, diced 1/2"
1 lb fresh clams or 4 bottles whole clams
4 - 8oz bottles of clam juice
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 tsp white pepper
Kosher salt to taste
red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
1.5 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream (can use light cream if you prefer)

Roux:
10 TBSN Butter
5 oz All purpose Flour

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large pot, melt the butter and sauté the onions on medium heat until they are translucent (don't brown).
2. Add celery
3. Add potatoes, clams, juice, wine,white pepper and salt (and optional red pepper flakes)
4. Turn up heat to high and bring to a boil.
5. In a heated saucier (sauce pan), melt the butter completely and with a wire whisk, stir in the flour until well blended. Reduce heat to low and cook while other pot is coming to a boil.
6. When the soup pot is boiling and the potatoes are done, stir in the roux. Bring it back to a boil and remove it from the heat to cool.
(note: when using a roux, whatever it is added to must return to a boil or go rancid).
7. In a separate pan, pour in the milk and cream. Now slowly add some of the stock from the soup to temper it, bringing it up to equal temperature and then add it back to the soup.
8. EAT!!!!
9. Make sure the soup is cooled properly on a cooling rack until it is ready to be refrigerated if there's any left.

Great with a loaf of warm crusty bread....

Yield 8 cups

ARROSSEJAT DE FIDEUS AMB LLAGOSTA (sautéed pasta with lobster)

ARROSSEJAT DE FIDEUS AMB LLAGOSTA is one of my husband's all time favorite dishes. It is a fantastic dish...almost orgasmically delicious! It's Catalan in origin. The base of this intensely flavored dish is a sofregit - slow-cooked onions with tomatoes, garlic and herbs - the foundation for almost every sauce and stewed dish in this region’s cooking.

We usually make it over two days. The first day, we prepare the lobster, the stock and sofregit..and then put everything together the next day. It makes it a much more pleasurable experience...but it's easily done in a day if you so choose. Just figure it's going to take you at least 3 hours.... and it's going to make between 4-6 portions (about 3 quarts).
I'm not a big fan of killing living creatures....so on the day I have to bid the lobsters farewell....I prefer to have the next day to be creative.
This is a great dish to do with my husband....he removes all the lobster meat from the tail and then claws and then he gets to eat all the little bits and pieces remaining in the body and the legs....usually enough for his dinner that night..and he's in heaven!!! Plus, we have great fun together.

When my daughter, Jami, is home..she helps me with the sofregit and the stock...well..let's face it, for those who know her....she takes over the kitchen and I become her line cook slaving to her every command. But..since she's off traveling the world..I get to cook again... with Jerry as my helper.

There will be plenty of stock left over at the end which can be used for any number of things....soups, bisques and sauces...use your imagination. It is freezible for up to 3 months...but why bother....it's fresh and ready for some creation, so in a day or two, after you've finished the lobster pasta....use the stock!
INGREDIENTS:
6 lbs of live lobsters - I get 5 lobsters ranging from 1-1.5 lbs
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 tsp crumbled saffron
6 TBSN Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Large Sweet Onion - Thinly Sliced
2 bay leaf
2 lbs vine-ripened tomatoes - peeled, seeded and chopped coarsely (about 3 LARGE or 6 medium)
3 cloves garlic - minced or chopped (whatever is your preference)
1 lb angel’s hair pasta nests or fideos coils (Fideus in Catalan), I hold each nest in my hand and make a fist...then release it into the hot oil.
2 TBSN fresh Italian Parsley (flat-leaf) - chopped
PREPARE LOBSTERS:
I usually let my lobsters run around for their last hurrah. I hate killing things, but it's inevitable for this dish..and crazy as I may seem...it just seems to bring a little peace. I never hear the lobsters clicking in the pan...or the so called scream people talk about with the following method:

Fill a large stockpot 3/4 full with salted water and bring to a boil. Plunge 2 lobsters headfirst (one at a time) into the boiling water water and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from pot to cool (I usually put them in a bowl in the sink) Repeat with remaining lobsters.

When the lobster is cool enough to handle, remove meat from shells

and place in a separate container,

catching juices and the shells in another bowl.

Cut meat into 1-inch pieces and chill lobster, covered.

MAKE STOCK:

Stir together wine and saffron and let mixture steep for 10 minutes. Bring wine mixture, 16 cups water and lobster shells with juices to a boil in large stock pot. Boil until liquid is reduced to about 8 cups, about 2 hours. Use a chinois or a fine mesh sieve and set over a bowl or a 2 qt pyrex measuring cup. Pour stock through sieve and discard solids.....well...not quite...save the legs, the body...even the little tiny tail pieces if you want to pick out or suck out all that meat.

MAKE SOFREGIT:
While stock reduces, heat 2 TBSN of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a heavy skillet over low heat until hot. Cook onions with bay leaf, a little kosher salt and some hot red pepper flakes until onion is very soft and browned, about 45 minutes.
Add tomatoes and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until sofregit is very thick...about 15 minutes. Discard bay leaves.

At this point....I pour the stock into containers, setting aside 4.5 cups, the rest in pint sized containers for future use...unless I'm going to freeze it and then I put it into labeled quart size freezer bags, laying them flat until they freeze. I put the lobster meat in a quart sized container..and put the sofregit into a pint size container and refrigerate until about an hour before dinner the following night.
Day 2:
COOK PASTA:
Arrossejat is Catalan for “golden” and refers to the technique of sautéing noodles in oil until golden brown before simmering them in fish stock. The pasta is cooked like a rice dish. The dish is usually prepared in a glazed earthenware casserole known as a cassola, but I use an ovenproof straight edged sauté pan with fantastic results.

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F
2. Heat 1 TBSN oil in a cassola or an 11" oven proof straight sided pan over medium high heat until hot, then cook pasta in 4 batches, scrunching in your hand as you release it into the pot, stirring, until golden brown.
Transfer pasta to a bowl as browned and add an additional TBSN of oil for each batch.
When all of the pasta is browned, return to pan and stir in sofregit and 4.5 cups stock; If you use a fry pan with curved sides...you’ll need less liquid

Bring pasta mixture to a simmer, then continue to simmer, covered for 5 minutes.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Stir in reserved lobster.
5. Transfer pan, uncovered, to the middle of the oven and bake for 12 minutes until liquid is completely absorbed and the top of the pasta is crisp.
6. Stir in parsley and serve....
7. Be careful of that handle...remember its been in the oven and it's HOT. For your own protection..place a towel or pot holder over it until it has cooled off....

Asian Fusion play on Kung Tom Yam (Prawn Soup)

My husband LOVES Kung Tom Yam but he loves it even more when I prepare it in an Asian fusion manner....a stock with more flavor...using noodles....more like a hot pot than just a soup. His favorite noodles are udon...and easily incorporated. He prefers the shrimp when I sauté it first as opposed to tossing it in raw to boil in the soup. The carmelization from the skillet gives the shrimp a little more umph! I usually take about 12lbs of shrimp shells and cook them for a couple of hours in a huge pot of water...reducing it to 6 cups of stock so the flavor is intense. In this recipe, I'm using lobster stock from a Catalan recipe I made a few days ago....so there's a little saffron in the lobster stock but fantastically delicious.

As I always say....use your imagination...use your senses..there is no right or wrong (unless you are arguing with a French Chef!!). Food should give you pleasure...and it's up to you to experiment to YOUR liking.

In my case...I've spoiled my husband...to the point that when we go out...invariably, he wishes I was cooking for him at home....usually a much better meal than what he ordered. It's an easy way to show him how much I appreciate him.

The main thing..have fun while you're cooking. I now have my husband cook with me so we spend even more time together...appreciate what we've created together and... steal a few kisses in between!

Ingredients:
6 cups lobster stock
1 tsp salt
2 stalks lemon grass
4 kafir lime leaves
3 fresh chilis
1 TBSN Fish Sauce
2 TBSN Lemon juice - Fresh Squeezed
2 lbs colossal shrimp - 8-12 size
1 TBSN olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 fresh red chili - seeded and thinly sliced
2 TBSN fresh Cilantro, chopped
4 Scallions, chopped

2-3 servings udon noodles or rice noodles

Directions:
1. Shell and de-vein shrimp/prawns. Since I'm using the lobster stock, I'll save all the shells in the freezer for a later date when I want to make a shrimp stock.
2. Combine the lobster stock, salt, lemon grass, kafir lime leaves and whole chilis in a pot. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20. minutes.
3. Strain stock and return liquid to the pot. Add fish sauce and lemon juice.
4. Pat the raw shrimp dry with a towel and season with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet, add a TBSN of olive oil and when hot, place the shrimp in the pan. After a minute or 2, flip over to carmelize the other side for 2 minutes.
5. Toss shrimp into the soup stock and let sit for 2-3 minutes.
6. For an individual serving: I take a package of udon noodles (refrigerated section of your asian grocer) and place it at the bottom of a japanese soup bowl....pour the stock on top...add 6 pieces of shrimp...scatter some scallions and hot chili pepper and serve.
For a table: I do the same thing, but use a hotpot or a small dutch oven..or whatever you have...instead of the bowl.

Bread.... Rustic Delicious Crusty Bread...

I've finally got it down...warm delicious hearty rustic white bread with the perfect crust and chew...simple...basic and sooooo good that I don't feel like experimenting with anything else right now (though I promised my husband I'd activate the 150 year old SF sour dough starter). I enjoy passing it out to the neighbors..going down on the Boulevard and dropping some off to business owners right out of the oven with a stick of butter or a creating a compound butter to go with it....doing a balcony toss...infact...I might just have to start the bread toss...want a 1/2 loaf....get ready for the toss... What a fun, inexpensive and satifying way to create pleasure for myself and those around me.

I'm going to stress those three elements; FUN (always!!), INEXPENSIVE (in these times....let's face it...that helps) and SATISFYING (a must!!). I'm not even going to include that it has to be DELICIOUS, because for me, flavor is a given.

ANYONE and I mean ANYONE can make this bread...it does not take a brain surgeon and it does not take a lot active time...just a lot of waiting....in less than 5 minutes, you'll have a bowl or two of dough mixed and ready for rising. That's the hard part! With a few key elements...let the pleasure begin.

First off, I buy all my initial supplies (and gifts for others) at Breadtopia.com...Eric & Denyce Rusch are lovely people and very attentive to their customers needs. They're the main source for LA CLOCHE, which is the KEY to creating incredible infallible loaves of bread providing you get the dough right.

The recipe is simple and will take you less than 5 minutes to put together; just remember 4,3,2,1!! 

To start, you need a big bowl, a wire whisk, a danish whisk, a measuring cup, a tsp, Food Grade Plastic Wrap, a linen dish towel. Use a ceramic clay baker for the best results (I really like La Cloche) and a wire cooling rack. More about flour at the end of this...

Ingredients: 
4 cups flour (plus a little extra...I prefer the BLUE King Arthur
bread flour..but it's up to you what you use..experiment)
3 tsp salt (of your choice...I like a fine kosher salt)
1 tsp INSTANT yeast (not the packets in the store)
2 cups water (not tap..the chlorine kills the yeast)

Making bread is a tactile experience...so allow the sensitivity in your hands to grasp the concept of how you prefer your dough to be. I like mine on the wet side to start...I find that the flavor is better...and then I add a little more flour for the 2nd rising in the proofing basket.

I know you're supposed to weigh the flour...pastry/baking is supposed to be an exact science...but I'm just not an exact science sort of person...I like to do it by feel. You have to find what is right for you..my method might not be...but it's worth a couple of weeks of trying to see if its right for you. I also know you're supposed to take the flour in one cup and pour it into the other because the actual cup of flour can vary if you just shove it in the flour and pull it out...but..again..I'm all by feel.

So...here's what I do. I have a big bowl.......I add 4 cups of flour and the 3 tsp of kosher salt..and with a regular old whisk...I mix it up. Some people will say...I should be doing the whole thing with the danish whisk..I don't agree. Salt prohibits the yeast from rising..so I want to make sure all the dry ingredients are well incorporated and I find a regular whisk does a better job.
Once that's done, I add the yeast and again, using the whisk, mix it until it's all incorporated. Then..I just pour in the 2 cups of FILTERED water..and stir with the Danish Dough Whisk until ALL the flour is mixed in and forms a sort of wet ballish glob. I cover the bowl tightly with food grade plastic wrap and leave it for 18-24 hours. That's it….just walk away.

It’s the next day and time for the 2nd proofing (rising)...I take the proofing basket….spray or brush it with my favorite oil..in this case it's a Sicilian olive oil we were given as a gift while in Ragusa, by Olive oil producer, Fausti Occhipinti… or most often I use Mandranova Oil that I have flown in from Sicily by olive oil producers Silvia e Giuseppe Di Vincenzo.

Now it's time to remove the plastic...and toss it in the trash. Take your bread scraper and scrape down the sides of the bowl..give the bread a couple of little punches and leave it for a couple of minutes.

IF the dough is wet..I have more flour ready to scatter over the dough as I start to fold it and punch it in a couple of times until it's no longer sticky.

Then, holding it in my hands I turn the outer edge under and continue to keep folding the outer edge under until I have a nice smooth ball and place it smooth side down into the basket. It's going to get those nice rings on it. I cover it with a white towel and leave it for another 2-4 hours.

By this time...our mouths are watering, anticipating it's only another 50 minutes before we get to indulge ourselves.

I take the La Cloche Ceramic Baker (your preference whether you want the round or the rectangle...I prefer the round), and flip the proofing basket over placing the dough in the base and then covering it with the domed top.  I lightly sprinkle it with Fleur de Sel.

It goes into a COLD oven (unless this is your 2nd loaf...) at 475˚F for 15 minutes. Turn the temp down to 400˚ for 30 minutes. Remove the dome (make sure you put a towel or a pot holder over it so someone doesn't come by and touch it..that burn is NOT fun!)...and close the oven for another 10 minutes. You can smell when it's ready....it's heavenly!

Place the dough on a wire rack. Now, it's SUPPOSED to be on that rack for 2 hours..as the cooking process continues until it's completely cooled. You try to tell anyone that they have to wait for a piece of hot crusty delicious bread smothered in butter or olive oil...or a piece of gouda from a local cheese maker.

To repeat the baking process for another loaf...obviously then the La Cloche is hot and can go into a hot oven….

If you have all the tools...you'll see how quick and easy this is..truly. Jerry asked me to make him some bread a few days ago...we were going to watch a tv show...so I asked him to give me 5 minutes...ran down...mixed up a batch of bread and was upstairs ready to go in less than that. You know the first time with anything is the hardest or the scariest...and once you do it...you wonder why you were worried. 

Notes:

As for Flour...for a basic bread recipe...that gives it a slight sour dough taste, I use King Arthur Blue Label. If you have the option of using locally grown wheat...go for it...it's so delicious and you can play with the bread. Sometimes you need to use a little more water (if you find the dough is VERY dry...add a little water in at a time...better it be on the wetter side than the dryer side so it will rise properly...you can always add in a little more flour later on.

In some of my darker breads...I add in honey and during the SECOND rise, I use nuts, sunflower seeds...whatever you desire...be playful and experiment.

Lastly…a little bit about DELAYED FERMENTATION, the method of making bread by mixing the dough and refrigerating it overnight or longer which is also supposed to develop the enzymes more efficiently.   I use it for a different reason.  Sometimes, I just don't have time to make bread on a certain day but I want to have plenty of dough ready in case I’m having company or doing a bread toss. I leave the dough out for 24 hours and then I take the tightly covered bowl and pop it in the refrigerator.  I  leave it for up to 3 days before I've got to get it out for the 2nd proof and to bake. Try it.

©2009 Rebecca Dru All Rights Reserved

Pico de Gallo

We always have freshly made pico de gallo around...being in Southern California..it's a staple! I love the colors..so vibrant...couldn't resist taking some pix and having some fun with it.
Ingredients:
1 white onion
10 roma tomatoes
5 green Jalapenos
5 red Jalapenos
1-2 bunches cilantro
kosher salt to taste
Lime juice or vinegar -squeeze or splash
Directions: Combine ingredients....
and toss..........
toss again.....
a quick taste...a little extra squeeze of lime juice
another toss....
one more toss....and enjoy!

©2009 Rebecca Dru All Rights Reserved

Roasted Flax Seed Almond Bread

Ingredients:
3 tsp or 2 package yeast (I use two different kinds)
2 cups water (approx 100˚F)
1 tsp sugar
3.5 cups all purpose or bread flour (or more if needed)
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup roasted Flax Seeds
1 TBSN Sea salt, fine
1 TBSN butter, softened

Roasted Flax Seeds
Almonds (chopped or slivered)

Preparation:

1. In a small bowl pour 1/4 cup water about 100˚F, sprinkle in yeast, stir in sugar. Allow to sit for 5 -10 minutes. Yeast will bubble and rise to double in size.
   
2. In a mixmaster with a paddle attachement or a mixing bowl by hand, combine flour and salt. Add in Almond Meal and Flax Seeds. Add yeast mixture and remaining warmed water and continue mixing to well incorporated.
   
3. If using the mixmaster, remove paddle attachment and replace with the hook attachment. Continue kneading for 15 minutes either by machine or by hand.
4. Remove dough from bowl and create a ball. Dough should be just slightly sticky. Coat hands with butter and just rub around the dough, place in metal bowl or a basket, cover with a linen towel and allow to rise for 2 hours.
5. Punch down the dough, remove from Bowl/Basket and knead for 5 minutes. Return to Bowl/Basket for another hour.
6. If using a ceramic top/bottom (like la cloche) put the dough into the ceramic container and sprinkle on Roasted Flax Seeds and Chopped or slivered almonds. Cover with top and place in a COLD oven, shelf should be on the lower 3rd. Turn the oven up to 475˚ for 15 minutes, turning down to 400˚ for 30 minutes and the last 8 minutes remove the top.
7. If using a regular oven, place dough on a cookie sheet or a ceramic tile in the oven and follow the same procedure as above for baking.
8. When done, remove from oven and immediately put bread on a cooling rack. Serve immediately with softened salted butter and strawberry Jam or peanut butter.
   

Country White Bread

Ingredients:
1.5 tsp or 1 package yeast
2 cups water (approx 80˚F)
1 tsp sugar
4 cups all purpose or bread flour (or more if needed)
1 TBSN kosher salt
1 TBSN butter, softened

Preparation:

1. In a small bowl pour 1/4 cup water about 80˚F, stir in sugar and yeast. Allow to sit for 5 -10 minutes. Yeast will bubble and rise.
2. In a mixmaster with a paddle attachement or a mixing bowl by hand, combine flour and salt. Add yeast mixture and remaining warmed water and continue mixing to well incorporated.
   
3. If using the mixmaster, remove paddle attachment and replace with the hook attachment. Continue kneading for 15 minutes either by machine or by hand.
4. Remove dough from bowl and create a ball. Dough should be moist, not sticky. Coat hands with butter and just rub around the dough, place in metal bowl or a basket, cover with a linen towel and allow to rise for 2 hours.
5. Punch down the dough, remove from Bowl/Basket and knead for 5 minutes. Return to Bowl/Basket for another hour.
6. If using a ceramic top/bottom (like la cloche) put the dough into the ceramic container and place in a COLD oven, shelf should be on the lower 3rd. Turn the oven up to 475˚ for 15 minutes, turning down to 400˚ for 30 minutes and the last 10 minutes remove the top.
7. If using a regular oven, place dough on a cookie sheet or a ceramic tile in the oven and follow the same procedure as above for baking.
8. When done, remove from oven and immediately put bread on a cooling rack. Serve immediately.
   

Lemon-Glazed Lemon Mini Bundt Cakes

Lemon-Glazed Lemon Mini Bundt Cakes
by Rebecca Dru

Ingredients Cake:
3/4 cup whole milk
1 Vanilla Bean or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1.5 cups sugar
1/3 cup grated lemon zest, packed (8-10 large lemons)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, cut into cubes
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 of the Lemon Syrup recipe (below)
1 TBSN Cognac
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 cups flour

Syrup: (1/2 half of the syrup goes to the cake mixture)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained
1 cup sugar

Glaze:
1 1/3 cups (or more) powdered sugar
4 TBSN strained fresh lemon juice

Preparation
For cake:
1.Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Heavily butter mini bundt pan (6 in 1) or 2 - 5” spring form pans.
2.Pour milk into small saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat; cover and let steep 20 minutes....only if you’re using the vanilla bean...otherwise milk just needs to be room temp.
3.Blend 1.75 cups of sugar and lemon peel in food processor.
4.Create the Syrup (recipe below) and allow to cool.
5.Cream the butter and the sugar/lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs. When well incorporated, add the lemon syrup, cognac and then the milk.
6.Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and then add to mixmaster until just incorporated.
7.Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.

For syrup:
Combine 1 cup granulated sugar with 1 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves and thickens slightly. When the cakes are done, immediately invert onto rack set over a tray or sheet pan; spoon the lemon syrup over them. Allow the cakes to cool completely.

For glaze:
Sift 13/4 cups powdered sugar into small bowl. Add lemon juice and whisk to blend. Add more powdered sugar by Tablespoonfuls if glaze is too thin to adhere to bread. Drizzle glaze over cool bread and let stand until glaze sets, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap loosely in foil and store at room temperature.)

Prep Time: 30 min Cook Time:1 hr Level: Intermediate Serves:6 mini cakes
©2009 Rebecca Dru

Lemon Glazed Easter Bread

Yesterday, my neighbor, an old dashingly handsome, retired actor, turned 80. Pat is from a Sicilian family of 9 and grew up as a first generation American in Chicago. His partner passed away a few months ago and crushed his heart. She took care of him the past few years during his illnesses and they'd known each other since their 20's; great friends they were. I knew he missed her cooking aside from her companionship. I pop in at least once a week to visit, pay his bills and on occasion, bring him some homemade baked treats. I'd been experimenting with recipes using lemon, for another friend and decided upon a Lemon Glazed Bread...don't ask me why. I guess I felt like making bread and the my other friend LOVES lemons. I decided to test it out on Pat...and brought him almost to tears. He couldn't believe I had recreated something he had as a child. He informed me I had baked a typical Sicilian bread made that his mother used to make every Easter . The only thing it needed was more candied citrus zest as the grated zest I had put in was to small to notice, but not too small to give it flavor. That was easy to remedy. Next time around, I added the candied zest. It really is delicious.

Sicilian Lemon-Glazed Easter Bread
by Rebecca Dru
Ingredients
Dough
1 1/3 cups whole milk
2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
1 cup sugar
3 TBSN (packed) grated lemon peel
4.5 cups (or more) bread flour, divided
1 envelope instant or rapid-rise yeast
3 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1 TBSN Cognac
2 TBSN Fresh squeezed Lemon Juice
2 tsp salt
1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 cup apricot preserves
Glaze
1 1/2 cups (or more) powdered sugar
3 TBSN strained fresh lemon juice
Preparation
For dough:
1.Pour milk into small saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat; cover and let steep 20 minutes. If necessary, rewarm milk until instant-read thermometer inserted into mixture registers between 105°F and 115°F before continuing.
2.Blend sugar and lemon peel in processor.
3.Mix 1 1/2 cups flour and yeast in bowl of heavy-duty mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Discard vanilla bean and add warm milk to bowl; beat to blend. Let stand until slightly puffed, about 15 minutes.
4.Add 3 cups flour, eggs, and brandy to yeast mixture; beat on medium speed until smooth and slightly firm dough forms, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is sticky or adding water (or lemon juice) by tablespoonfuls if dough is dry, about 6 minutes.
5. Add sugar-lemon peel mixture and salt. Beat on medium speed 5 minutes.
6.Add butter and beat until absorbed and dough is smooth and soft, about 5 minutes longer.
7.Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
8.Generously butter 12-cup Bundt pan. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface; knead gently into ball. Using fingers, make hole in center of dough, creating doughnut shape. Transfer to prepared pan, pushing hole in dough over center tube in pan. Cover pan with plastic wrap; refrigerate overnight (dough will rise to top of pan).
9.Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until dough no longer springs back when gently pressed with fingers, about 1 hour 30 minutes (dough will rise above pan by 1 to 1 1/2 inches).
10.Meanwhile, position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 350°F.
11.Bake bread until well browned on top, about 20 minutes. Wrap sheet of foil loosely over top and sides of pan to prevent overbrowning.
12.Continue to bake bread until deep brown on top and tester inserted near center comes out clean, rotating pan occasionally for even baking, about 40 minutes longer. Immediately invert bread onto rack.
13.Stir preserves in small saucepan over medium heat until melted. Brush preserves all over warm bread. Cool completely, at least 3 hours.
For glaze:
Sift 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar into small bowl. Add lemon juice and whisk to blend. Add more powdered sugar by Tablespoonfuls if glaze is too thin to adhere to bread. Drizzle glaze over cool bread and let stand until glaze sets, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap loosely in foil and store at room temperature.)

note: optional - add additional larger sized candied lemon zest to Step 5 to be more typically sicilian.
CANDIED LEMON ZEST
INGREDIENTS:
3 Lg Lemons Zested in long strips
1/2 cups Water
1 Cups Sugar A little extra for coating
Directions:
1. Fill a large bowl with cold water. Using a zester,remove zest from each lemon in one continuous strip, working your way around the lemon from one end to the other in a spiral. Place peels in the cold water, and soak for 1/2 hour.
2.Place zest strips in a large saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Strain, reserving zest. Repeat process (boiling and straining) two more times.
3.Return zest to saucepan. Pour 1/2 cup water and the sugar over zest. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until sugar has dissolved. Reduce heat, and simmer until zest is almost translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Strain, gently shaking zest to remove as much syrup as possible, and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. (Zest will be very sticky.)
Fill a bowl with sugar. Toss zest in sugar to coat, then shake off excess. Place on a wire rack to dry, about 5 minutes.. Shake off any remaining excess sugar, and continue to dry on rack until hardened, about 30 minutes more. Candied zest can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

TAKE MY HAND makes the OLYMPUS Finals

OLYMPUS had a Battle of the Bands Proof Contest and the song I wrote with Susan Santiago was picked out of thousands as a contender for the finals. To take a listen: Choose TAKE MY HAND by Rebecca Dru Voting is now over.
Thanks to everyone who participated by voting. I appreciate your support!