Honey Sage Cornbread

With fall approaching in Los Angeles [I say approaching because although its technically fall, LA weather has been teeter-tottering between somewhat cold and disgustingly hot the past few weeks], its nice to have something warm and comforting on those chilly nights. I was making turkey chilli for dinner and what better to go with chilli, than cornbread? They are pretty much a match made in heaven.

Cornbread can be a little boring though, but some simple ways to jazz it up are by adding some honey, some fresh herbs, cheese or a mild onion. Many things can turn plain old cornbread into a delicious masterpiece. I went with a honey-sage combo because my mom found sage flavored honey at a farmers market and I had fresh sage at home, so it seemed perfect.

I just used this recipe on the back of the cornmeal box, with a few of my own touches and it is one of the quickest one-bowl wonders ever.

Turkey Sausage Pizza

I'm really enjoying the bread class that I'm currently in, so much that I go home and like to make more of the breads I've learned that morning.  In the past when I've made pizza, I would buy the pre-made bagged pizza dough that Trader Joe's sells, but since I made pizza in class a few weeks ago, I decided to not be lazy and just make the dough. It was much quicker than I thought, especially using my kitchen aid mixer versus all the kneading we do by hand in class [its my daily upper body work out!]. I let the dough slow-ferment in the fridge and by dinner time, it was ready to roll out and become a pizza. Usually when I order pizza out, I looove the stuffed crust ones and since I bought some amazing Italian truffle cheese the other day, I turned that into a delicious crust.

I don't know why many people are so intimidated by making yeast doughs. There are only a handful of mixing methods for doughs, and usually its a straight dough method aka everything in the bowl + mix. Taking 15 minutes to make a dough sure beats spending $10 on a pre-made dough or buying those already baked cardboard "pizza crusts". Once you make doughs a few times, you should get a feel for how its supposed to be.

Focaccia: Rosemary & Parmigiano Reggiano

What's a girl to do on a lazy Sunday afternoon, oh I don't know- bake some bread? I guess I am just getting a little ahead of myself, seeing as my Viennoiserie class does not start until May. Its okay though, the practice can't  hurt.

 

There aren't many things better than freshly baked breads and with a little patience and the ability to carefully follow directions, you too can make your own.

 Focaccia is similar to pizza dough, but so much better. Fluffy, chewy, light, & airy and with an endless variety of toppings makes this bread an amazing snack, sandwich bread, or perfect with an entree. I chose to use a very classic rosemary topping on one loaf, and copious amounts of Parmesan cheese on the other loaf.

 Need ideas for what to do with all these delicious focaccia squares? How about some sliders, everything is better in "mini" anyway.

40 Clove Garlic Chicken with Pommes Puree

I first heard about this dish at the Stinking Rose restaurant in LA. I didn't order it there, but I saw it on the menu and I remember thinking "wow, thats a lot of garlic". Then again, they do also serve garlic ice cream.

I found some version of the recipe a few years ago actually and attempted to make it. This was before I completely knew what I was doing. During attempt #1,  I understood the concept of braising but didn't brown the meat enough and I wasn't sure what to do with this whole pot of cooking liquid after I removed the chicken. But now, it became a beautiful reduction sauce with lots of fragrant garlic.

40 cloves!

The elements in this dish happen to be some of my favorite ingredients. They are like the holy trinity of deliciousness: garlic, rosemary, and chicken (& a splash of white wine). All pureed together after reduced enough, makes a velvety smooth and rich sauce.  I made pommes puree [mashed potatoes] as a side dish because chicken + potatoes are one of the best combinations.

I also attempted to practice my plating skills with this one, which I normally don't do. Plating never seemed so important to me until I took my last culinary class & there are just so many creative ways to make food look even better.

Grilled Herbed Flatbread & Ricotta Cheese

I have a list of foods that once I try it scratch made, I will never buy the store bought version again & I can safely add ricotta cheese to that list. Never in my wildest dream did I ever think attemping to make cheese at home, but I was watching the Barefoot Contessa over the weekend and that episode she made herb ricotta bruschetta. It seemed pretty easy, only four ingredients: milk, cream, salt, vinegar. So why not? Let me tell you, it is SO much better than anything out of a plastic tub from a grocery store. 

Now with all this fresh cheese, you need something to put it on right? I used some of it in a raspberry cheese danish filling, but that is not what this post is about. The rest of it was mixed with chopped scallions and flat-leaf parsley and spread on a rosemary and parmesan flatbread which I also made.

Simple dough. Simple cheese. This is a great snack or side for a main entree.