St. Joseph's Table Baking--Day 5

Decided to go to work and bake there. This had definite advantages and disadvantages. One advantage was the quantity I was able to finish. At home I usually make 2 batches of bread in a day, at work (with the commercial oven, pans, etc.) was able to bake 7 batches of bread in 9 hours straight.

Didn't bring the Kitchen Aid mixer from home, and mixed everything by hand. [This left me desiring a Camco hand bread mixer like my friend owns.] Wasn't able to incorporate all the flour for which the recipes called, and my arms were tired. Caused the decorative loaves to be not as sturdy, so they broke where they wouldn't have had I taken time at home. The advantage was that 16 loaves (some huge) were baked in a day (where ~6 smaller loaves would be normal at home). The out-sized loaves I wished to bake would only fit in the commercial-sized oven.

Arrived at 10:20am and began mixing yeast with warm water. 
Bowl 1 = 1 batch Bread of SJ = 1 large 20"w round 4-rope-braid-loaf (normally creates 3 med-lg loaves)
Bowl 2 = 2 batches Bread of SJ = 2 large round loaves (1 balls round, 1 plain round with comb-incised decoration)
Bowl 3 = 2 batches bread of SJ = a loaf each of: ladder, monstrance, loaves/fish, chalice, hammer, carpenter's square, and a nail
Bowl 4 = 1 batch of Festive Easter Bread = 2 doves with eggs, "S"/"G" with eggs, and a host
Bowl 5 = 1 batch of Festive Easter Bread = 1 round braid with 3 colored eggs
The Festive Easter Bread still needs icing and colored sprinkles.
(see March 2011 archive for recipes)

After mixing, kneading the rest of the ingredients by hand, shaped the loaves (experimented with shapes) and baked the bread 3-4 large sheet pans at a time.

Finished baking just after 5:00pm, then it was an hour of dish washing and another hour of wrapping the bread for the freezer. Finally left, exhausted at 7:20pm. That was my penance for all the fun I've had lately. Hopefully the bread shows well on the Table.


Lessons for next time: bring the mixer, recruit dishwashing help, as well as bread-shaping help. Not the best idea to do it all alone; and the ball round doesn't hold together, the plain round with comb-incised design held together the best.

Re-Opening Ad Hoc Part 2

Think we're the luckiest people, because Ad Hoc Restaurant agreed to host us both nights of their friends and family pre-opening. It was the best leap day I remember.

The public was made what we had on Leap Day, February 29th the very next day March 1st--their official public re-opening after the renovation. What we had on Tuesday, Ad Hoc recreated for the public on their second opened day Friday, March 2nd.

Salad

Fried Chicken, Cole Slaw, Butter Beans (Supplement: Biscuits & Gravy)

Landaff

Banana Split

Saturday March 3rd they served prime rib and were very busy. We ate the caramel panna cotta dessert with friends, and I took home the scallop supplement. The atmosphere was a-buzz many people happy to be back home.

Sunday March 4th Ad Hoc had hash for brunch and pork rack for dinner. Monday Thomas Keller himself was in house for the fried chicken dinner. Can't think of a better way to cap a whole week of Ad Hoc.

St. Joseph's Table Preparation--Day 2

As promised, the second portion of the Fig Cake recipe. The filling portion's recipe is in the previous day's blog post.

Fig Cakes (adapted from "Viva San Guuseppe: a guide for Saint Joseph Altars")

Dough:

6 c. flour

1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 1/2 sticks butter

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups cold milk

2 tsp. vanilla

Place all dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Cut butter into dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, milk and vanilla. Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Dough should be very stiff (if not cover and refrigerate). Roll out pastry dough into sheets 1/8" thick. Cut dough into long strips 2" wide. Place fig filling evenly along the center of the strip (as described here is easier than the shorter strip version pictured above). Roll one side of the dough over the top of the filling. Continue to roll dough to complete a long tube of dough and filling. Roll tube to smooth and thin out. 

Here I cut the tubes about 3" long and shaped into a horseshoe, then made incisions 1/3-1/2 way through at 1 cm intervals.

Place cookies on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and place on rack or waxed paper. Allow to cool. Frost with a simple powdered sugar and milk icing. Yields 60-100 cookies depending on size.

Iced and decorated Fig Cakes

Decorative (non-edible) Wheat Sheath with Mouse loaf [before]

Grape Cluster and Wheat (decorative only)

Made the decorative only loaves using the same recipe as last year, but reduced the yeast to 1/2 teaspoon only (low yeast for a crisp design). http://csagirlfriend.blogspot.com/2011/03/bread-of-st-joseph-vuccidrato-pane-di.html Loaves will be baked further in a low warm oven for several hours to dry out fully, then shellacked for multi-year use.

Fish loaf before

2012 Fish loaf after baking

St. Joseph's Staff, Cross, Artichoke and Fish decorative bread loaves

St. Joseph's Table Preparation 2012--Day 1

Orange Lemon Cookies

1/4 of the recipe was specially decorated for friends

10 c. flour

9 eggs

1 lb. butter

2 1/2 c. sugar

7 tsp. baking powder

zest and juice of one orange

zest and juice of one lemon

1/2 c. milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit. (Note: this barely fits in a standard home mixer, recipe may be halved.) Cream the butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time, mix well. Add milk, zest and juice from the orange and lemon. Mix in flour and baking powder. Roll the thickness of a breakfast sausage and cut into 1 1/2" long pieces on a diagonal. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 6-9 minutes, until just done, a very light brown color (watch closely). Recipe makes ~200 cookies.

Frost with a mixture of powdered sugar and lemon juice (thickness to taste). Dip cooled cookies into frosting (and optionally sprinkle with colored candies).

Fig Cakes

Hubby helped by mincing the following ingredients for the inside of fig cakes (cookies). We did this by hand in an effort to save money by not purchasing a meat grinder.

The recipe below is meant to go in the cookies listed in tomorrow's post, however noticed it would work in the "forever" items made for the table above.  These are not suppose to be eaten, rather used year, after year for the St. Joseph's Table.

Filling:

20-24 oz. dried figs

10 oz. diced dates

1 orange

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp vanilla

1 c. pecans

Grind (or chop very finely, over and over again) figs, dates and pecans. Place in a large mixing bowl. Add all other ingredients and mix. Cover and let stand until needed.

(fig cake 'cookie' recipe continued tomorrow).

The Farm, Hog Island Oyster Company

Friends invited us to go north to eat oysters near Bodega Bay. They were aiming for the Hog Island Oyster Company 'The Farm' on the Tamales Bay, CA (just northeast of Point Reyes N.S.) at 20215 Highway 1, Marshall, CA.

We met up at their place in San Francisco and drove the Golden Gate Bridge north, then traveled over toward the coast. They came prepared with ingredients to prepare sauce for oysters, beer, fruit, cheese and pita crackers. We brought wine, as we didn't know what else to expect.

Upon arriving along the crowded coast (an unusually warm and sunny day for this time of the year), we took advantage of the free valet parking. There is substantial remodeling happening on the property, so fencing barricades lead us north, then west around a building. Our immediate view was of a crowded group of warm (nearly 70 degrees), and sunny revelers. We hunted for an available picnic table.

Note: ~6 picnic tables along the outside (by the fence) are by reservation only (call ahead); ~6 picnic tables + 1 stand-up table 'inside' the semi-circle of outer tables are first-come-first-served (and sharing is encouraged--if not necessary!) The other difference between the outer and inner tables (all outdoor) is that the outer tables require self-shucking of the oysters and have ~89 cent oysters available, and the inner tables have house-shucked oysters for ~$2 each. Obviously each has it's advantage, plan ahead.

Atlantic Oysters

Our host ordered one-dozen barbecued oysters and two-dozen raw small-sized "Sweetwater" oysters. When those were done we had two-dozen raw "Atlantic" (type, not raised there) oysters. 

Small Sweetwater Oysters

Temporary storage for harvested oysters, Hog Island Oyster, Co.

All the oysters were fabulous as they're all farm-raised a 100 yards away by 'mud flats'/on oyster beds, then stored a short time in containers where fresh bay water flows in and out (so the water doesn't become toxic).

It was fun to go to the source and drink all the bring-your-own-beverages, and accompaniment food in a relaxed setting. The Bay Area's weekend-idle riche (guy sporting a "Facebook developer" t-shirt, former 'Lehman wife'-turned-'Google wife' with a large ring some would inadvertently assume costume, etc.) unintentionally congregated to this local like Surat's "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte." A french bulldog was our table-mate for the glorious foodie afternoon.

Opening REDD WOOD

When one has the town with the highest per capita Michelin Stars (due to one demi-god-like chef), there's bound to be competition. Some of said chef's employees were hired to give the north-end of Yountville, CA a young, hip vibe. Was invited to the second night of pre-opening (friends and family) of a casual eatery REDD WOOD at 6755 Washington Street, Yountville.

We woke before the crack of dawn to put in a full day's work, then made the two hour trek north to our 'home away from home.'  After more than four days of rain, it finally cleared in time for our drive through San Francisco.

REDD WOOD has a sleek, spare 'clean subway' meets 'rustic elegance' decor within the charming and tiny Hotel Luca complex. We sat at the bar.

Hubby began with a gin drink ('209' gin made by a winery owner nearby--Leslie Rudd) and shared meatballs.  These had a texture I admire--meaty, not mushy, and definitely included pork in the ingredient mix.

We sat by the 'meat locker' or curing room.

A shared 5 piece charcuterie featured the house-created cured meats. The restaurant also makes all their bread and the extra-long grissini.

I had the winter vegetable salad with green goddess dressing.

Hubby ordered the lamb bolognese with risotto balls (arancini). The sauce was what one would expect from a nicely textured and meaty-tasting bolognese.

The roasted potatoes were good cold the next day, the fried brussels and cauliflower were excellent and memorable.

For dessert we shared a chocolate caramel tart with hazelnuts and toffee cannoli.  The desserts were perfection.  It was the best cannoli I've had.  The chocolate caramel tart was rich and smoothly textured with the nut and crisp crunchy crust.

Note that the menu will change from day-to-day.  Open for dinner to late night.  Do serve wood-fire pizzas.

Our evening was so lovely that we were most pleasant to one another afterward.  So, I suppose that says something about a meal:  one that's better than years of couples therapy (not that we've had any).

In the end, if I had to make a judgment, would say it's a great place to hang out with friends and have a snack.  Unable to wrap my brain fully around choosing to dine at REDD WOOD over my favorite restaurant.  (note that Bouchon Bakery and Ad Hoc restaurant are both undergoing several months of renovations)  Do believe that REDD WOOD restaurant is a fun, comfortable place to enjoy friends and food (+ it has a full bar).

Thanksgiving at Ad Hoc Restaurant

I am attempting to eat at Ad Hoc Restaurant 366 times within mine or the restaurant's life. Each time represents a day during a calendar year. This is a tricky proposition because Ad Hoc isn't open every day (they're normally closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays), and closed on major holidays. For instance, 2012 is a Leap Year, however February 29th will fall on a regular Ad Hoc day off, so I'll have to wait until 2016 to eat there on a February 29th.

When I heard this past Spring that the restaurant (my favorite) would be open (as a one-off) this Thanksgiving I asked early and often for a seat. We've dined often enough to become pretty good friends with a number of the employees. It feels like family.

Prior to Thanksgiving dinner there were murmured rumors . . . "a whole turkey per table," "Chef wants one of each pie made per table," etc.

Pastry Chef Sarah Z. at 2 am finishing her Thanksgiving pies

Finally, the big day arrived. I ate a persimmon for breakfast and tried not to eat anything else before our 3:30 pm reservation. We drove past our friends' San Francisco apartment and picked up pineapple treats they'd brought back from Taiwan. We each ate one, which saved our grumbling tummies.

Once we arrived, we didn't have to wait long for the great appetizers. Every bit was housemade, down to the crackers. Hor d'oeurves featured olive and eggplant spreads, wrapped bread sticks, stuffed mushrooms and smoked salmon.

White bean soup

The turkey roasted for our table.

Turkey with all the fixings: onions, Brussels sprouts, yams, green beans, bacon celery stuffing, whipped potatoes, cranberry sauce, and little drop biscuits. The mushroom soup on the green beans was out of this world.

Our table of two was served half of each pie--pumpkin, apple and pecan with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and whipped cream. (Tables of four were given three full pies!)

This was my second time eating in a restaurant on Thanksgiving day. The first time didn't feel like Thanksgiving, this time definitely did. The entire staff went out of their way to devise a plan to make their friends and family feel really, really special. Everything about the meal was planned to create a feeling of home, comfort, memory, etc. We brought home a file box full of leftovers, just like the leftovers of our past Thanksgivings.

Ad Hoc's careful planning succeeded.  I felt extraordinarily lucky to have such a love-lavished meal.

Honey Caramel Almond Bars

As they say, the fifth time's the charm, and here is the final product:

Gourmet Girlfriend's Honey Caramel Almond Bars

Time 1 hour, 30 minutes; Serves 24

 Crust:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

½ cup superfine sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup cornstarch

¼ teaspoon salt

Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 300° F.  Grease bottom and sides of a 9” X 13” baking pan very well.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, salt, and sugar at medium speed until combined.  Beat in the vanilla extract.  At low speed, add the flour and cornstarch, mix until just incorporated.

Pat the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.  Prick the dough well with a fork.  Bake for 20 minutes, until pale-golden brown around the edges.  Cool slightly as you prepare the topping.

Caramel Almond Topping:

4 cups sliced almonds (optional: use less)

2 ½ cups light corn syrup
1 cup honey

4 cups sugar

2 tablespoons butter, unsalted

½ teaspoon salt

4 cups heavy cream, divided

2 teaspoons vanilla

Place the almonds on a baking sheet and bake at 350° F for 10 minutes until lightly golden.

In a very large sauce pan heat the sugar, honey, corn syrup, 2 cups cream, butter and salt on medium heat, stirring, until it reaches bubbling, cover and cook for 3 minutes.  Without stirring, when bubbles subside, wash down the sides with cold water.  Let boil until the caramel comes to 240 degrees, soft ball stage.  Slowly add the last 2 cups of cream, without breaking the boil.  Continue to boil until caramel reaches the medium/firm ball stage 244 degrees.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and almonds.  Toss until they are completely coated.

Pour the caramel over the pre-baked pastry base.  Cool the bars completely, then cut into 24 triangle bars 

(OPTIONAL:  let cool 5 minutes to 200°F and use to cover caramel apples).