Featured Posts Archives - Kitchen Conundrum

French Fridays: Artichoke Tapenade and Rosemary Oil – David Lebovitz’s My Paris Kitchen

April 3, 2016 by Renee

This week, for French Fridays, the cook the book recipe could not be any easier. These are what I would normally call “non-recipes” because they are so simple and quick, you could make them last minute if unexpected guests arrive. Just a quick whirl of the blender and a food processor and you will have a sophisticated appetizer to serve to anyone who comes through the door.

First, we made oil infused with rosemary which was used to drizzle over the toasted bread and the finished artichoke tapenade. The piney rosemary creates a lovely, fragrant oil that can be used in many ways; drizzled over pasta or vegetables or used to flavor meats and poultry. It can also be used as a base for salad dressings or marinades. Infused oils are great to keep on hand to add that “je ne sais quoi” to many of your dishes. Plus, they made terrific gifts, especially when in a pretty bottle tied with string.

I learned something new with this tapenade. Apparently, tapenade can not really be tapenade without the addition of capers. The very word for capers, comes from the Provençal word tapenas. So here, when I made a black olive-lemon tapenade, it wasn’t actually tapenade but rather just a very tasty dip. The regular black olive tapenade I made in that post was correctly tapenade though. So I got it half right!

And for this recipe, I definitely got it right! It was excellent. Not only did we enjoy it with a toasted baguette, but we slathered it on the grilled chicken we had for dinner as well. I think this one will be added to our list of standard “breads and spreads” platters that we enjoy all year around.

For details on recreating these recipes, check out the CookTheBookFridays site and see others who are also cooking the book-

You can also buy the book here:

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Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links to my Amazon Associate’s account. This means I receive compensation if you make a purchase using these links.

Here, I am having a little fun taking photos of the artichokes.

“The artichoke above all is the vegetable expression of civilized living, of the long view, of increasing delight by anticipation and crescendo. No wonder it was once regarded as an aphrodisiac. It had no place in the troll’s world of instant gratification. It makes no appeal to the meat-and-two-veg. mentality. One cannot attack an artichoke with knife and fork and scoff it in three mouthfuls. It is first for admiration, then each leaf has to be pulled away for eating and dipped in sauce. When the leaves have gone, there is still the fibrous tickley choke to be removed before the grey-green disc- the bonne bouche- can be enjoyed.”

– Jane Grigson’s Vegetable Book

Boca Negra Cake- Tuesdays with Dorie

February 19, 2013 by Renee

After the week I have had, and it’s only Tuesday mind you, I am thankful to have something so incredibly chocolatey and decadent to soothe my over-stressed mind and satiate my soul! I couldn’t bring myself to make last Friday’s Coeur à la Crème from the French Fridays with Dorie group. The heart shape and the Valentine’s Day theme just struck a raw nerve with me and I ended up returning the mold I had purchased to make it. Needless to say, I am not a fan of the holiday.

I almost did not make this cake too, as it’s lusciousness and opulence seemed like something only lovers could share on the most special of occasions, an anniversary or birthday dinner, perhaps. But I changed my mind and at the last minute went to find some good quality bittersweet chocolate.

Chocolate really does soothe the soul and this Boca Negra cake fits the bill perfectly! It’s dense and rich and oh, so good! Just what the Doctor ordered and maybe it’s the sugar rush or the bourbon, but one bite is all it takes to put a smile on even the most cynical among us.

I did encounter a few snafus when making this. Firstly, the recipe states that one should boil a mixture of bourbon and sugar and once its boiling to pour it over bits of bittersweet chocolate that you have broken up into a bowl. This part worked fine and the chocolate melted alright, but the next step was to mix in and melt two sticks of butter into this chocolate mixture. This proved nearly impossible as the chocolate had cooled down significantly and the butter just refused to melt. The chocolate was a big glob in the bowl. I ended up putting it over a double boiler and remelting the chocolate just to allow the butter to melt properly. Even after a good whisking, it finally came together only once the eggs were incorporated.

It was a thing of beauty going into the oven, only to emerge 30 minutes later with a center the consistency of jello. While it looked beautiful, had I sliced it then, I felt it would just have fallen into a puddle of chocolate goo onto the plate. So, back into the oven it went for ten more minutes. The end result was a cracked top which had puffed up so high that it needed to settle before I could complete the inversion onto the plate!

Next, because the cake was still quite warm when I was serving it, the creme (a wonderful mixture of heavy cream, bourbon and white chocolate-which tastes just like eggnog!) melted all over the top when I made my pre-photo decorative swirls.

All of that aside, it’s a very fast and easy cake to create….and no matter what it looked like or how far off it veered from what it should be like, it was sinfully delicious!

As with the French Fridays with Dorie group, I can’t reprint the recipe. But you can purchase the book here.

Bagel Recipe for the Blizzard

February 8, 2013 by Renee

Since I am usually the first one awake in the house, even on the weekend, I often sneak out and make a run to the local bagel store. I bring back coffee for Renee and 11 bagels for the family to wake up to. The 12th (and sometimes 13th) bagel is eaten by me on the drive home. However, since we are likely to be snowed in this weekend, I am making bagels at home. Here is the bagel recipe I use most frequently. Now, if you are getting snowed in, you don’t have to run out either!

Kitchen Conundrum’s Bagel Recipe

Prep time

2 hours

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

2 hours 30 mins

Author: Ari

Recipe type: Bread

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

1 packet Yeast (Instant Dry Activated)
1½ tablespoon Sugar
1½ cup Water (Hot)
3½ cups Bread Flour
2 teaspoons Salt
Toppings (Sesame Seeds, Poppy Seeds, Pretzel Salt, Fried Onions, Fried Garlic etc.)

Method

In a small bowl, using ½ cup of the hot water add the yeast and the sugar. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes until frothy.
In a large bowl, combine the flour and the salt. Form a well in the middle and add the yeast mixture. Continue mixing in the flour from around the well until it is all combined while slowly adding the remaining water.
Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface. Knead it for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and firm. Form the dough into a ball and place into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
After the dough has risen, punch it down and let rest for 10 minutes. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces (6 if you want larger bagels). Roll the pieces into balls, then push a hole through the center with your thumb, making it a bit wide.
Place the bagels on a baking sheet and cover with a damp towel. Let the bagels rest in a warm place for another 10 minutes.
While the bagels are resting, fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. At this time also preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Drop the bagels into the boiling water one at a time being sure not to crowd the pot. Once they float to the top, boil for one minute, then flip it over for another minute. Remove the bagels from the water with a slotted spoon and place on the baking sheet. At this point you can add the toppings by dipping the bagels into bowls filled with your favorite toppings. The water from the boiling acts as the adherent. Return them to the baking sheet.
Bake for 18-20 minutes until nicely browned.
Serve with butter, cream cheese, lox or whatever else you would like!