As I noted in my 2025 Goals Post, I wanted to start making recipes from the dozens of unopened cookbooks I bought last year. I made TWO last week! One - a bit of a failure but the second was DELCIOUS.
Cook the Book Recipe #1
My MIL recommended the King Arthur Big Book of Bread and at first I passed on it because I have several bread books but when I got a look at it, I realized how many unique, global bread recipes there were and grabbed it on sale.
King Arthur is always great at explaining recipes, in detail - this one even has QR codes to videos - and gorgeous photographs.
I started with Tiger Milk Bread because I've made plain milk bread many times without problems. And it's a stunning bread inside:
I was kind of doomed from the start. I exploded my butter in the microwave. Then I was supposed to warm my cocoa powder and milk to set aside - but I threw in the chocolate chips too - that were supposed to added directly to the dough. So...do over there. Then...and this was the biggie mistake. I was to divide the dough for a plain layer and a chocolate layer. I did that but I proofed (let the dough rise) both layers at the same time. I was supposed to mix in the chocolate then - before proofing.
I thought all was ruined. Very bad words were yelled in my kitchen lol but then I was like F it - can this be saved?? So I punched down the future chocolate layer and tried to mix in the chocolate sauce and chips. It went...okay. It never fully incorporated because the dough was dough had proofed and couldn't anymore. But I figured, it's got some chocolate and it did re-proof a second time, so I plowed on.
It did not get the solid big swirls like it should have because it the chocolate layer was a little too moist from not absorbing all the liquid chocolate. And it wasn't the super soft bread like milk bread should be. (If you haven't had Japanese milk bread before it's very similar to US Wonder bread - very soft and doesn't go stale as fast, using a method called tangzhong - cooking a flour/milk mixture first then adding to dough), but it turned out to be pretty decent bread. More like a good toast bread.
I feel like there's a life lesson in there somewhere - not to give up when things go wrong or let go of perfection or something like that lol
I'm going to give this recipe a 4.5 out of 5. It is a bit more advanced recipe (I would say moderate) but all the mistakes were on me getting flustered. I had read the directions, several times, and watched the video but I'm just a nervous baker lol Having said that - with ALL those screw ups, it still tasted pretty good!
Cook the Book recipe #2
Kevin bought me Seven Spoons by Tara O'Brady for Christmas. It's been on my list because I'm fortunate enough to have year round farmers markets with really rare/unusual local ingredients and this cookbook had, what looked like interesting, ways to use them.
One such ingredient was Celeriac. It's the ugly root ball of celery and tastes a little like a cross between celery and maybe a turnip/parsnip. It's easy to peel and cut up with a large knife even though it looks super intimidating. You can eat it raw or cooked - roasted, pureed. mashed etc.
I chose Celeriac Soup with Green Horseradish Oil. It was an easy recipe - roast the celeriac and garlic (I added carrot), then add to broth, seasonings, parmesan cheese rind an simmer - then blend. She used a potato to thicken but I substituted a can of cannellini beans. Kevin is pre-diabetic and the beans are lower carb and add protein and fiber, making it healthier for him.
I was a little iffy about the horseradish sauce. It's a mix of parsley, oregano, lemon, garlic and horseradish with olive oil. It was STRONG lol but a drizzle over the mellow soup added just the right amount of flavor and was delicious. I also added a dallop or yogurt. This tasted like a restaurant quality soup and I will definitely be making it again and trying more recipes from this book. Easy, pretty (although sucky pic) and delicious! 5/5
I never made bread, so bravo for being able to make that one work despite some missteps. I love soup but it doesn't travel well, and being single, I have to eat all of what I make, but it looks/sounds wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI've used a bread machine for a few years. I'm venturing into doing it without (but still using a mixer to knead) - hence the mishaps lol
DeleteI make soup in jars for Kevin to take to work, then he pours it in a bowl and heats it up.
I also cut most recipes in half because it's just us.
Thank you for the vegetables LOL. I hope they help! 😂
ReplyDeleteInside jokes aside, I don't know what half of those baking words mean (I wouldn't even if I translated them...I barely cook, let alone bake LOL), but your adventures in baking are hilarious ("Very bad words were yelled in my kitchen" 😂).
My quest for odd vegetables continues lol
DeleteBaking is humbling lol Few things rile me up more than messing up in baking. I do indeed swear a lot hahaha
I have made tiger cake, never tiger break. But sometimes the recipe is just after you
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of tiger cake until I looked up the bread - it's quite different lol The bread is so striking that I had to try it. The steps flustered me though and I'll have to try again. It was still very edible though lol
DeleteI got into sourdough at the end of last year, so I know how one little element can have a big impact on a recipe. I'll have to be on the lookout for the bread book!
ReplyDeleteI'm shockingly good with sourdough lol And I've made milk bread many times but, for some reason, this recipe seemed more complicated in my head than it was and I messed it up.
DeleteI wasn't going to get this one but it has a really good variety of recipes and less widely known breads too.
Honestly the taste is what matters at the end of the day! But regardless, it looks to me like you did a fabulous job, and SO glad that they were tasty, too!
ReplyDeleteBread is still bread lol I've even burned the top of loaves and just cut it off and ate the rest.
DeleteHow fun! I'm in a cookbook club but I'm really not much of a cook, but it does make me branch out with food in general.
ReplyDeleteLauren @ www.shootingstarsmag.net
I know my pictures make it look like I cook a lot or I'm good at it but almost every new recipe is a mistake filled learning experience for me lol And my kitchen is a mess! The dogs like that though - lots of floor finds lol
DeleteSO COOL! I love that you are doing this. I do not have the cooking/baking genes. The bread sounds amazing... thanks for trying to explain to those of us who have no clue. Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteI don't either lol You should SEE my kitchen when I cook. It's such a mess, the dogs are covered in food. I'm not sure why I persevere - it doesn't relax me in any way haha. i think I get a high when it turns out right before I am quickly taken down by a failure!
DeleteThe soup sounds good actually. And I'm glad the first recipe tasted good in spite of the issues. :)
ReplyDeleteHope you've been well!
GREG!!! Hi!! I took a pretty long break lol I think I'm back-ish. We'll see if it lasts.
DeleteSame here :)
DeleteMilk bread is something I will have to try making with my son. 🙌
ReplyDeleteI think your tiger bread looked fine. In my house that would have been a win. The fact that it tasted good mattered the most anyway. 😊
I love that you adjusted the soup recipe with Kevin's health in mind. 🤗 I love oil garnishes on soup and this one sounds delicious. We have a year-round farmers market, but in the winter here fresh vegetables are far and few between. Some farms do winter greenhouse growing, but it's basic things like tomatoes, peppers, sprouts, and herbs. Wegmans usually has a few unique veggies and fruits, though. I know they have celeriac I'll have to check it out. 🙂
The thing with the TIger Bread was that it's supposed to be a milk bread - SUPER soft and because of the tangzhong, last longer, which it was not. SO on that front, a failure but if I was making regular bread that was good for toasting then I succeeded lol
DeleteIt was irritating though because I made SO many mistakes - despite reading the directions!
That horseradish sauce was intense! but int he soup, it was perfect and just mildly spicy. I'm shocked at how much produce our markets have this winter. It's usually slimmer pickings. It's mostly root veggies or greens but still a great selection and unique varieties.