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I'm trying to decide what to do for dinner tonight--fresh pumpkin ravioli drizzled with butter, toasted walnuts and fried sage, or hot and sour pumpkin soup with lemongrass and chive cream? Or something else entirely? Ah, delicious decisions...
Bread recipes as requested:
Sherried Fruit Bread
this was everybody's favorite
about 3 cups mixed dried fruits--I used a mixture of apricots, prunes, apples, peaches, pears and cranberries
3 Tbsp crystallized or candied ginger
about 2/3 cup good sherry
grated zest of one orange
2 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temp.
scant 3/4 cup sugar (maybe even more like 1/2 cup, I use raw sugar)
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
2 1/4 cups unbleached white flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 heaping tsp ground allspice
1 tsp sea salt (or a bit more if you are using a coarse sea salt)
1 cup walnuts, or a bit more, lightly toasted (stir often in a dry pan over med-low until they smell/taste toasty)
Cut the larger fruits into smaller pieces (not too small! I really enjoyed the larger pieces of fruit in the bread). Place all the fruits in a small saucepan with the ginger, sherry and orange zest. Bring this to a boil, then remove the pan from the heat, cover and let it steep for about 30 minutes.
Butter and flour a loaf pan. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl, then add the egg, then the milk.
Combine the flour, baking powder, allspice and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the wet mix. Fold the mixture together, being careful not to overmix. Stir in the walnuts, the macerated fruit and its liquid. Spoon or pour the batter into the loaf pan.
Bake for 1 hour or until a knife inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Wrap the bread in plastic or foil once it's completely cooled. It tastes better if you let it sit for a day before slicing. It is especially good toasted and spread with butter or cream cheese.
Cheese and Herb Festbier Bread
2 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
2 Tbsp sugar (less if you use white sugar)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 heaping tsp dried oregano, crushed
1/2 heaping tsp dried marjoram, crushed
(maybe there was another herb in the bread, but I've forgotten)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups Hofbräu Festbier or other winter beer
1 1/2 cups (or maybe even a bit more) shredded young gouda (you could substitute cheddar)
Grease a loaf pan and heat the oven to 190C/375F.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, oregano, marjoram, baking soda and salt. Add the beer and cheese. Stir just until combined, being careful not to overmix (batter should be lumpy).
Spoon or pour the batter into the pan. Bake for about 40 minutes or until it has a nice golden brown color. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Serve warm or let it cool on a wire rack. I also like this bread toasted with butter. It makes a nice accompaniment to chilis or hearty stews.
Bread recipes as requested:
Sherried Fruit Bread
this was everybody's favorite
about 3 cups mixed dried fruits--I used a mixture of apricots, prunes, apples, peaches, pears and cranberries
3 Tbsp crystallized or candied ginger
about 2/3 cup good sherry
grated zest of one orange
2 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temp.
scant 3/4 cup sugar (maybe even more like 1/2 cup, I use raw sugar)
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
2 1/4 cups unbleached white flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 heaping tsp ground allspice
1 tsp sea salt (or a bit more if you are using a coarse sea salt)
1 cup walnuts, or a bit more, lightly toasted (stir often in a dry pan over med-low until they smell/taste toasty)
Cut the larger fruits into smaller pieces (not too small! I really enjoyed the larger pieces of fruit in the bread). Place all the fruits in a small saucepan with the ginger, sherry and orange zest. Bring this to a boil, then remove the pan from the heat, cover and let it steep for about 30 minutes.
Butter and flour a loaf pan. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl, then add the egg, then the milk.
Combine the flour, baking powder, allspice and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the wet mix. Fold the mixture together, being careful not to overmix. Stir in the walnuts, the macerated fruit and its liquid. Spoon or pour the batter into the loaf pan.
Bake for 1 hour or until a knife inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Wrap the bread in plastic or foil once it's completely cooled. It tastes better if you let it sit for a day before slicing. It is especially good toasted and spread with butter or cream cheese.
Cheese and Herb Festbier Bread
2 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
2 Tbsp sugar (less if you use white sugar)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 heaping tsp dried oregano, crushed
1/2 heaping tsp dried marjoram, crushed
(maybe there was another herb in the bread, but I've forgotten)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups Hofbräu Festbier or other winter beer
1 1/2 cups (or maybe even a bit more) shredded young gouda (you could substitute cheddar)
Grease a loaf pan and heat the oven to 190C/375F.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, oregano, marjoram, baking soda and salt. Add the beer and cheese. Stir just until combined, being careful not to overmix (batter should be lumpy).
Spoon or pour the batter into the pan. Bake for about 40 minutes or until it has a nice golden brown color. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Serve warm or let it cool on a wire rack. I also like this bread toasted with butter. It makes a nice accompaniment to chilis or hearty stews.
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