I have a new addition to my cookbook collection that I want to tell you about. It’s Domestic Chíc by Kristin Sollenne. The book came out earlier this month and it’s lovely. Kristin Sollenne has been on a few Food Network TV shows as a judge or mentor and she’s oversees the three kitchens of New York City Restaurant Group’s Bocca Di Bacco. Her style is lightened Italian-American fare that aligns with what’s in season. 

Domestic Chíc isn’t just recipes though, it’s about making entertaining easier and more enjoyable. The book is divided into four sections for each of the seasons, then within each season there are menus for different entertaining occasions. So, for winter there is a New Year’s Eve menu, a Super Bowl menu, as well as a few other menu ideas. The idea being that if you were having a party you could cook everything from a given menu and you’d have your starters, mains, and desserts – but alternatively you could go à la carte and just pick and choose what you liked.

I’m really into the menu ideas. I think it’s helpful for holidays when you know you’ll be cooking – like Thanksgiving, or maybe Valentine’s Day. I also think it’s nice because it could encourage you to be festive even without an occasion – like her Nautical menu. Also, I really loved that she used similar items across menus. I think this makes cooking really easy and less expensive – especially for new or infrequent cooks. If I was going to be asked to buy pecans for a pecan pie – then I knew I could go back to Domestic Chíc and find one or two other recipes that called for pecans. I love that because then nothing gets purchased and then left to take up space forgotten in my cupboard.

Above each menu is a head note with a little anecdote about Sollenne’s own memories or experiences and then a decorating suggestion to complement the menu’s theme. On the surface I like the idea of this. I think when entertaining it’s valuable to set a whole mood. And why not run wild with your theme? But, I really wished the accompanying photos showed what she described. For with a fall menu she suggested using jewel tone plates to highlight the bold colors of autumn, but the photo was of white plates and some orange leaves. I like the visual inspiration and just thought that would have been helpful.

But, while we’re talking about photographs let’s talk about Kristin Sollenne. She’s crazy beautiful. She looks like Princess Jasmine. In the cookbook there are a few photos of her working as a chef, and those are my favorite. There are also a few photos of her in heels and a cocktail dress wearing her Cellini aprons (I think it’s a brand she designs). She’s super cute. However, I’m not sure anyone can cook for a dinner party in a cocktail dress and heels. You gotta throw that on right before guests arrive so they can be all, “wow you are so put together,” and you can nod and say, “oh thanks!”

What makes the book though is the recipes. There were so many recipes that I immediately wanted to make. In reviewing this cookbook I made four recipes. I made a cheesecake with berries, melting brie with fruit, pumpkin gnocchi, and this recipe for pumpkin bread. As this is an entertaining book the portions are huge. Specifically, this pumpkin bread recipe makes two really big loaves! I made the cheesecake first and it was really delicious and much easier than I thought it would be. It also was really delicious with a subtle flavor of vanilla and lemon zest. It was so good Ryan and I decided I shouldn’t bring any in to work to share with my colleagues.

For this recipe, and for some of the others I made, I would have liked visual indicators in addition to time indicators. I had never made cheesecake before… and as it cooked it rose and looked like a giant cheesecake muffin. I was nervous. Should it look like that?! The recipe just said how long to bake it. I listened to the recipe and the cheesecake deflated and looked and tasted great in the end. But I was worried, I didn’t know! It worked out well though, so maybe I’m stressing too hard.

The melting brie was beyond easy and would be perfect for an appetizer at a party. Who doesn’t love melted cheese? The pumpkin gnocchi is where I ran into problems. I was not able to get the dough to come together and so all I had was orange goo. I’m willing to try it again as it might have been user error. As well, sometimes I have problems with US recipe using UK dairy. My guess it that the fat contents are different and so things don’t come together in the same way. Who knows, it didn’t work.

The pumpkin bread however was a different story. It worked like a dream and was so delicious. I love pumpkin bread from Starbucks or from the Pillsbury box – so I’m excited I can now make this on my own. It was so easy to make and tastes delicious. The bread is soft and tasty. It’s great for breakfast, probably with enough structure to toast, and infinitely snackable. I know snackable isn’t a word, but it should be. I can see this pumpkin bread becoming my autumn staple. It’s perfect for the season, sweet, and simple to make. I can see bringing it to work to share with coworker, I can see making it for cabin weekends with my friends, and I can see making it just to have for breakfast.

Although I have a few issues with the book, overall I’m really into it. I can completely see turning back to it on Thanksgiving to make a pecan pie, or on Christmas for cinnamon buns, or just for dinner so I can make curried linguine al’vongole. I think it will become a book with food splattered pages and creases in the spine. Check it out, it’s great.

Domestic Chic was given to me for free by Waldorf Publishing. The opinions, writing, and photographs in this post are all my own. 

Recipe from Domestic Chic by Kristin Sollenne. No changes or additions from me.

Messy level: Pretty straightforward recipe, you just need two bowls, mix, and bake. Very simple.

Pumpkin Bread

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

90 mins

Total time

1 hour 40 mins

 

Author: Kristin Sollenne from Domestic Chic

Serves: 2 loaves

Ingredients

• 3½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups pumpkin
• ⅔ cup water
• ½ cup candied pecans, loosely chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two loaf pans. In a medium-mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, sea salt, baking powder, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon and cloves.
2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, blend sugar, oil, and eggs. Stir in pumpkin. Slowly blend the flour mixture into pumpkin mixture. While blending the mixture add the water incrementally. Pour the batter into two prepared loaf pans. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top. Bake for 90 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the oven.

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I have been craving mussels for weeks. It started when we were in Paris and I saw people eating a bowl full of mussels outside of a charming cafe. It continued after I was in Greenwich and we went out for fish and chips and I saw a server bring mussels to a nearby table. Every time I saw them they looked so good, but for some reason I wasn’t eating them! Why wasn’t I eating mussels?!

So, I took matters into my own hands and decided to make mussels at home. When Ryan and I lived in Arlington, VA we used to like a place called Fatty Shorty’s (it no longer exists). We would get green curry mussels with bread and sausages slathered with mustard and topped with onions. Although the place didn’t last long, we thought it was delicious and those mussels were the inspiration for making this recipe. 

Making mussels at home is something that sounds a bit scary, and I think that’s because there are so many rules associated with mussels. When you buy them, you want to remove any that are chipped or already open. You want to clean them to get the silt out. And you need to remove the beards, but in a certain way so you don’t prematurely kill it. Then, once they are cooked you don’t want to eat any that haven’t opened. See, so many rules?!

But in fact, mussels are really simple to clean and prepare, quick to make, and delicious to eat. The longest part, and it’s hardly strenuous, is making a flavorful and complex broth that you’ll use to steam the mussels. Then, once you put the mussels in to steam, it takes just minutes (2-6 minutes). It’s glorious and quick. And then you can slurp up all that broth using a spoon or the empty mussel shells. In fact, my number one recommendation for making mussels at home is that you also buy a nice baguette so you can use the bread to sop up the amazing broth you worked so hard to create. I was silly and forgot nice bread so Ryan and I had to use hot dog buns.

Also, if you like mussels but fear making them at home, here’s one last plug: I bought 1 kilogram of mussels for £4 from my local fish monger. Yeah I went to a fish monger and not the grocery store, I’m cool like that. When you go out to eat, a bowl full of mussels can be pretty expensive and I’m always left wanting more. Make these at home and you’ll have enough mussels for 4 people for under £10. Can’t get much better than that.

Cleaning process learned from Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. Recipe adapted from Serious Eats.

Messy level: Slightly messy largely because of the cleaning process. Otherwise, all you have to do is a little cutting and everything else is cooked in one large pot.

Coconut Curry Mussels

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 pounds mussels
• 8 sprigs cilantro, leaves and stems separated
• 4 garlic cloves, divided
• 2 small thinly sliced shallots, divided
• ½ teaspoon whole coriander seeds
• ½ teaspoon chili flakes
• zest from 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• salt
• 1 15oz can coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon Thai green curry paste
• 1 stalk of lemon grass, cut in 1" pieces
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 serrano chili, thinly sliced (optional)

Instructions

1. Remove any mussels that are cracked or already opened. Put the remaining mussels in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Let it sit for 10 minutes. This is done to clean them.
2. Spoon out the mussels. Don't pour them out otherwise the silty water will just go back on to the clean mussels.
3. Remove the beards from the mussels. Do this by pulling the beard toward the hinge. More info can be found here. Ok, now your mussels are ready to cook!
4. In a food processor combine the cilantro stems, 2 garlic cloves, 1 shallot, chili flakes, lime zest and a pinch of salt. Pulse until everything is finely chopped and combined.
5. Scoop 2 tablespoons of coconut milk into a large pot. Add the vegetable oil. Heat over medium heat until very hot.
6. Add the remaining garlic, remaining shallots, green curry paste, lemongrass, and everything from the food processor to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes. It should start smelling nice.
7. Add the remaining coconut milk, sugar, and fish sauce to the pot. Turn the heat up a bit and bring to a simmer. Let it simmer for 3-5 minutes. Taste and season as desired.
8. Add the mussels to the pot. Give them a stir and cover. Cook for 3-6 minutes or until all the mussels are open.
9. Once the mussels are cooked, stir in the cilantro leaves, lime juice, and serrano chili.
10. Serve with bread and eat immediately

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I have a confession. I’m probably not going to watch the Super Bowl. Sure, I had fantasies of having friends over for a big American Super Bowl party with lots of delicious food. But the game starts at 11:30pm. On a Sunday. When I have to work the next day. Also, I don’t care about either team – and usually that’s no problem – because of the commercials. But I won’t even get to see the commercials! And also, I like sleep, so I’ll probably do my usual and be in bed by 10:00pm.

But, my friend Rachel asked for a chili recipe and I thought, “oooo, sounds good.” So I decided I can still eat yummy Super Bowl foods without watching the game. And chili is so lovely this time of year when it’s cold and dreary outside. Also, I’ve never made chili before and it felt like it’s one of those things I should try out. I couldn’t find any Fritos, although I didn’t look too hard, so it might not be the most authentic American chili. Or as my friend Charlotte said, “chili without Fritos is just kind of pointless.” But, maybe Fritos are pointless. Do you ever eat them with anything besides chili? I don’t. I’m starting to get off topic. Let’s get back to chili. 

I decided to  forget the Fritos, and step my chili up to the next level by putting it in a bread bowl. Obviously, bread bowls are awesome. Unless you’re gluten in tolerant, and then I guess maybe not awesome. But I love bread bowls. It feels so decadent to have so much bread. It also reminds me of Panera, which I know isn’t fancy, but I still kind of love it. Chili is also great in a bread bowl because if you rip the bread too much the chili doesn’t flow all that fast, and so won’t get everywhere. To me, this was a perfect stick-to-your-ribs, cold-winter-night, eating-in-front-of-the-television-underneath-a-blanket sort of food. And there’s totally a market for that kind of meal right?

I also made tiny bread bowls and gigantic bread bowls, which was fun and sort of hilarious. It looks like mama and baby bread bowls. But, if you were ever having a party you could also make small individual bread bowls and use that as a way to serve chili or soup. Also the bread bowl is really easy to make, but somehow feels really fancy. Cut off the top, about 2 inches down. Set the top aside. Scoop out the middle of the bread leaving an edge about 3/4″ thick. You can scoop it out with a spoon, your hands, or get things started with a knife and then some combination of those utensils. Just don’t make the edges of the bread too thin. Eat the bread insides or let them get dried out and turn them into homemade bread crumbs.

And while we’re talking recipes and methods, I want to say, don’t take the recipe too seriously. Taste as you go and adjust as you like. The way I’ve made it, there’s a little bit of a lip-tingling heat, but it’s not too spicy. I’ve also added a bit of barbecue sauce to counteract the spice and add just a tang of sweetness. You want more sweetness, and more barbecue sauce. More spice? Add more chilies or chili powder. You can also add beer, salt, different beans, combinations of beans. The world is your oyster, do what you like.

Final thought: if you are watching the Super Bowl this weekend, I want to know about the commercials. I can find out the score from Google, but I can’t gossip about the best commercials without you. So, please be a dear, and come back to the blog and post below your favorite commercials. Link to a YouTube video if you like. I wanna know what was hilarious, or awkward, or smart. I also want to know how often Budweiser brought out the Clydesdales, because you can always count on that commercial. I’ll be sure to give a shout out to everyone who shares a commercial with me. Thanks!

This recipe was inspired by the Pioneer Woman Cooks’ Frito Chili Pie.

Messy level: So easy and clean! Everything is in one pot and you basically just heat it and let it simmer. And you can let it simmer for however long you want. Couldn’t be more hassle free.

Chili in a Bread Bowl

 

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Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ cup barbecue sauce
• 2 14-15oz can of diced tomatoes
• 2 green chilies, minced
• 2 14oz cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• grated cheddar cheese, optional for toppings
• 1 red onion, minced, optional for toppings
• a roll of bread for each person you're serving

Instructions

1. In a large pot, over medium high heat, saute the onion and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the onion starts to get soft and translucent.
2. Add the ground beef to the pot and cook until browned.
3. Add the diced oregano, cumin, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, barbecue sauce, diced tomatoes, and green chilies. Mix well, then cover and lower the heat. Let it all simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Now add the beans. Stir to combine. Let it simmer again for at least 30 minutes - or until you're happy with it and are ready to eat.
5. While the chili is simmering, prepare your bread bowl. Cut horizontally across the bread roll, about 2 inches down. This is your lid.
6. Then using a spoon, a knife, or your fingers, carve out the middle of the bread. Be sure to leave an edge of about ¾ inch so that you don't have any seepage.
7. When the chili is done, spoon it into the bread bowl. Top with cheddar cheese and raw onion, if using.
8. Serve and watch everyone be satisfied and happy.

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But my most impressive braid is this bread!! I am so absolutely proud of it and I’m excited to share it with you. I got this recipe from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake. I might have mentioned it before, but I’ve become a big fan of the TV show The Great British Bake Off. After every episode I always want to get in the kitchen and make something. So recently I went to the library and checked out the book and went on a baking spree trying out all kinds of things – and the more
complicated the better. 

This bread is just beautiful to look at and so hearty and tasty. The nuts give it a good crunch, the apricots add sweetness, and the whole wheat makes you feel you’re doing something good for yourself. I don’t have a lot of experience with bread, and this came out really nice, so don’t feel intimidated if you choose to try it. I do have two recommendations though.

First, the recipe called for putting a milk wash on the dough before baking it, presumably to make it shiny. Next time, I wouldn’t do this. It makes the bread get dark more quickly and made me nervous about whether the bread was burnt or done or what. Also, I’d knead the dough by hand. I used my mixer and with a mixer it is easy to over work the dough. And, since I don’t have a lot of experience with bread, I don’t have an eye for it, and wasn’t entirely sure when it was sufficiently kneaded. Luckily, I didn’t over work it. But in summation, until I’m an expert bread maker I intend to knead by hand so I can learn it by look and feel.

And now behold my beautiful bread braid. Adapted from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake. Please note that the measurements in grams are most accurate and for bread that is important. Go with those if you can! The measurements in ounces are my converted approximations.

Ingredients:

100g/3.5oz/.4 cup hazelnuts (If you can buy some skins off then you can skip the first few steps)

500g/17.6 oz/4 cups whole wheat bread flour

1 1/2 tsp sea salt flakes, crushed

7g/.25 oz/1.2 tsp active dry yeast

1 tbsp honey

300ml/1 1/4 cups/10.5 oz lukewarm milk

100g/3.5oz/.4 cup dried apricots

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF.

2. Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until the skins darken.

3. Remove the hazelnuts from the oven. Turn the oven off. Wrap them hazelnuts in a dishtowel and leave them to steam for 1 minute. Rub the hazelnuts in the dishtowel to rub the skins off.

4. Cut the hazelnuts in half. Set aside.

5. Cut the apricots in quarters. This is easiest to do with kitchen scissors.

6. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and yeast. Make a well in the center. 

7. Mix the honey into the milk.

8. Pour the honey-milk into the flour well.

9. Using your hand, or the dough hook on low on your mixer, mix the flour and milk until you have a soft dough. If it feels dry and there are lots of crumbs, add a little more milk one tablespoon at a time. If it is very wet and sticky, add a little more flour one tablespoon at a time.

10. Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and knead by hand for 10 minutes. Or knead for 4 minutes using the dough hook on low on your mixer. The dough is ready when it feels very elastic. This can be hard to tell because whole wheat can get firm as it is worked. You want to be able to pull the dough apart and have it stretch a little like putty – not just rip in half.

11. Add the hazelnuts and apricots. Gently work into the dough until evenly distributed. It will seem like too much nuts and apricots but it isn’t. As the dough rises later it will all work out.

12. Put the dough back into the large mixing bowl (so long as it isn’t all dirty). Cover with plastic wrap. Leave it to rise in a warm place for one hour or until doubled in size. It might take longer than an hour if your kitchen is cool.

13. Punch down the dough and then put it on a floured work surface. Divide into three equal portions (I did this on a scale).

14. Using your hand, roll each third of dough into a long rope about 16 inches long.

15. Pinch one end of each strand together. Then neatly braid the three strands. Pinch the ends together and tuck them under.

16. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Put the braided dough on the baking sheet.

17. Put the dough into a large plastic bag, or cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise for an hour. Don’t let it get too big or it could loose the braid shape.

18. Towards the end of rising time, heat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF.

19. Uncover the loaf and bake for 30 minutes. It is done when it is darker brown and the loaf sounds hollow when you tap/knock on the underside.

20. Cool on a wire rack. Then cut and serve!

Messy level: Overall, this isn’t too messy of a recipe. The dough is easy to work with and doesn’t stick too much. But, getting the skin off of hazelnuts is frustratingly messy. No matter how hard the skins get all over the towel, the counter, and on the floor as I try to put the skins in the trashcan. Also, flouring the counter repeatedly led to a lot of scrubbing from me. Still, you won’t have a lot of dishes or anything at the end so that is pretty nice.

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This is one of those recipes. Coronation chicken was created in 1953 for banquet of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Ryan and I have had it a few times for lunch and it’s really tasty. It’s a cold, sweet, and savory chicken salad. In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve only had this recipe at one place. That means I don’t have enough experience to say what is most authentic, best, or worst. All I can say, is that what I’ve had in the shop is good and what I made was good. What I made tasted similar to the restaurant version, but not the same. And that seems to make sense because there are tons of recipe variations out there. I found simple three ingredient recipes, complex and difficult recipes, and ones somewhere in between. I chose this one from the Guardian, and I liked it because it was a mix of ingredients I already had in the pantry and a few special ones I had to buy. Hope you enjoy.

Ingredients:

1 chicken, about 1.5kg/3.3 lb

1 cinnamon stick

5 black peppercorns (or a few twists from a pepper mill)

1 tsp salt

pinch of saffron

thumb size piece of ginger, peeled

bay leaf

5 tbsp mango chutney

50g/ 1/3 cup dried apricots, finely chopped

2 tbsp curry powder

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

200 ml or a little more than 3/4 cup mayonnaise

200 ml  or a little more than 3/4 cup Greek yogurt

50g/ 1/3 cup sliced almonds

Small bunch of cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Put the chicken, breast side up in a large pot. Add the cinnamon, pepper, saffron, salt, bay leaf, and half the ginger. Fill with cold water until only the top of the breast is exposed.

2. Cover the pot and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low and cook for 1.5 hours. Take out of the pan and set aside to cool.

3. Remove the meat and cut or rip into bite sized pieces. Set aside until lukewarm.

4. Finely chop up the rest of the ginger.

5. Put the chutney and apricots in a large bowl.

6. In a pan, toast the curry powder until fragrant. This takes only 45 seconds or so. This is done to help bring out the flavors more strongly.

7. Add the curry and ginger into the bowl with the chutney and apricots.

8. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, then mayonnaise, then yogurt. Taste. Season to your liking. I added more curry.

9. Once the chicken is cold, mix in the dressing. Refrigerate for a couple hours. Try your best to do this, it really improves the flavors!

10. Add the cilantro and almonds.

11. Eat on a salad or on a roll.

Messy level: This recipe is pretty messy simply because there are so many steps. I found it messiest working with the chicken. I had a hard time getting it neatly out of the pot and onto a plate and then I used my hands to remove the chicken. This was a bit drippy and sticky. I also felt I needed a lot of bowls and utensils for cutting, for the sauce, and for the chicken. Still, a long lazy day at home gives me time for a big clean up.

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To figure out how much butter I need, I used my scale. I’ve wanted a digital scale for awhile and I finally bought myself one soon after I moved to London. It was on clearance at a nearby department store and I thought, “this is a sign, I’m finally going to get it.” And it’s been totally worth it! All my UK recipes are in grams and this helps measure them. It also helps me convert my US recipes more easily. For example, I know that 1 tbsp of butter equals about 14g but what the heck does that look like? Now I don’t have to eyeball it, I can measure it! It’s awesome. And yes, I know I’m a bit dorky for getting excited about measurements. 

Anyway, if you like banana bread and want something a little more subtle and less sweet this is the recipe for you! It’s yummy and easy.

Adapted from JamieOliver.com

Ingredients:

250g/2 cups self-rising flour, plus a little bit extra for dusting

3 ripe bananas

2 tbsp apple juice

125g/1 cup butter, softened (plus a little bit for greasing the pan)

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tbsp honey

50g/ 1/3 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF.

2. Lightly butter your loaf pan. Then dust the sides of the pan with flour. Tap out any excess flour.

3. In a small bowl, add the bananas and mash with a fork. Mash until it’s a mix of smooth and chunky.

4. Add the apple juice to the bananas and stir.

5. In a different bowl beat the butter until creamy. I recommend doing this with an electric mixer because it will be much easier! It will take 3-4 minutes in the electric mixer.

6. One at a time, add the eggs to the butter. Beat each one well before adding the next.

7. Add in the flour, cinnamon, honey, and banana. Mix until just combined.

8. If using, add the pecans and gently mix them in.

9. Spoon the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Check if it’s done by sticking a toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean the bread is done.

10. Allow the loaf to cool. Cut into slices then serve.

Messy level: This is a one spoon. Even with flour, which usually bumps up the messy for me, this is relatively low maintenance. It’s just dump and stir!

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On Saturday, Ryan planned for us to go to Hampton Court Palace. This was Henry VIII’s home. What you might not know about me is that I’m crazy about Tudor history. I have read so many books, both fiction and non-fiction. I was obsessed with the Tudors TV show. I had TWO mugs that when you put hot water in them, Henry’s wives would disappear. I love Tudor history so I was really excited for this trip. I was buzzing with excitement. I was the kind of excited children get when you take them to Disney. For all I have read about Henry VIII, I never thought about going to see his palaces or anywhere else related to him. So Ryan planning all this, was fulfilling a dream I didn’t even know I had. It was amazing.  He won some major husband points. Anyway, let me nerd out a ton so I can tell you about my greatest day.

We get there and we’re in line to buy tickets, and I convince Ryan that we should become members. We get free admission to Hampton Court and five other places! One visit to Hampton Court and the Tower of London (which I haven’t done yet but am DYING to) covers the cost of the membership. So now we’re members and I’m so flipping exciting because now I can go back whenever I want. We walk in and I’m overwhelmed with things to look at. We started in the kitchens where costumed interpreters were actually cooking meals. One guys was making a crown out of marzipan and gold foil! He was saying you can actually ground up lapis lazuli into fine powder and put it on the crown, but that it doesn’t taste very good. We saw huge casks for wine and ale and a gigantic fire place. It was so amazing.

We then went out to the main courtyard to meet up with a costumed interpreter for a mini tour. The main court has a fountain that ran with wine! WINE. How cool is that? We met our guide, Jane Seymour’s father (before he was father-in-law to the king), and he took us to meet the king himself! I took one picture and it has half a guy’s head in it but oh well. We listened to that for awhile, then peeled off from the tour to look around for ourselves. Ryan and I picked up the audio guide, which was well worth it! The guide is told with lots of voices, from curators, historians, and costumed interpreters. The screen on the device also shows images and videos, which was a really cool touch. Not only did the guide tell us about the history, but it also told about the conservation of the palace and its contents.

We used the audio guide to tour Henry’s apartments. I was blown away by the great hall. There were amazing tapestries and huge stained glass windows. The room was arranged with long tables and on the table cloths were printed period appropriate etiquette tips. Over the course of the tour we saw where he married Catherine Parr, where Katherine Howard screamed for her freedom, and where Henry went to church. In one hallway there was a painting of Henry with his children and the deceased Jane Seymour. I have read so much about that painting that when I saw it, I audibly gasped.

After that, we toured the gardens, which were truly spectacular. There were immaculately trimmed trees, bright flowers, and beautiful fountains. I can’t adequately describe the love, attention, and beauty that is evident in the gardens so you’ll just have to look at my pictures to understand. Also, I took a creeper photo of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour’s father strolling through the gardens. Is it possible to be star struck by a long dead monarch? If so, I totally was. I loved the trip and left with a souvenir kitchen towel. It’s completely tacky with pictures of Henry VIII and all his wives. I don’t care that it’s tacky. I love it.

Sunday, it was drizzly and we were tired from our long day trip, so we stayed in. I made breakfast and then we went out to the pub later to watch the Arsenal game. I decided to make this breakfast because I thought it looked cool – and that’s really the only reason to make this. It does look cool, but basically it’s toast and eggs. So unless you’re showing off, save yourself the effort and make a regular breakfast. If you’re looking to get mildly fancy, then this is the recipe for you. It’s yummy and satisfying and a nice Sunday brunch treat.

Ingredients:

butter

bread (as many slices as eggs you want to make)

eggs (as many as slices of bread)

salt & pepper (to season)

Directions:

1. Use a glass, or a circular cookie cutter, to cut a hole out of the center of the bread. Set the circle aside.

2. Heat a skillet over medium heat. If you’re making more than one slice of bread, you may need to lower the heat between batches so you don’t burn the bread.

3. Melt the butter in the skillet. When it’s melted, add the slice of bread. Let it cook until it is just getting golden brown. For the first slice this may take 5 minutes or more, for later slices when the pan is hot, it can take 1-2 minutes.

4. When the bread is getting golden, crack the egg into the bread’s hole. I cracked the egg in a glass first then poured it in the skillet.

5. Let the egg cook until the egg white is set enough that you can get a spatula under it. You can flip it after 1 minute if you want a runny yolk, or you can wait longer.

6. Flip the egg and bread. Cook for 1 minute, more if you want the yolk mostly cooked through.

7. Remove from the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Use the bread’s circle to sop up extra yolk.

8. If you’re making more than one, be sure to butter the skillet between times.

Messy level:  Two spoons. The first one I flipped I splattered egg white all over the pan. After that I was more careful and let it cook longer. Other than that, there was no mess!

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The blue things on the side of the book are the post-its for all the things I want to make!

A few months ago my aunt suggested that I try out Christina Tosi’s cookbook Milk. It took me awhile to get around to it, but I’m so glad I did, and today’s recipe comes from the book. Let me tell you, I was absolutely enthralled by the book. I found it both intimidating and exciting. I really couldn’t wait to dive in and make a half-dozen recipes.

But let me back up. Momofuku Milk Bar is basically a bakery in New York City. But their cookies, and cakes, and pies, aren’t run of the mill. The use unexpected ingredients to make delightful treats. They use breakfast cereal, salty snacks, and of course sugar, to make amazing baked goods.

At first I was intimidated, and I still am a little bit. Baking is about precision and Tosi takes it pretty seriously. She strongly advocates for measuring ingredients in grams and for using specific ingredients. After the introduction, there is a whole section on ingredients and another section on equipment. This was where I got intimidated because she uses ingredients like glucose, freeze dried corn, and both brown and clear vanilla extract. Tosi recommends buying what you can’t find in stores on Amazon. Whew. For some reason, no matter how amazing a recipe looks, I’m averse to buying an ingredient if I’m not sure I’ll ever use it again. Why can’t I use what I already have?

But what is clear from all these instructions is that Tosi loves Milk Bar and loves what she does. And so most of the time when I get a celebrity or restaurant cookbook it doesn’t feel like these are the real recipes, but instead are instructions altered for public consumption. But, here it feels like these are the true recipes and she’s sharing it with us, her readers, and letting us know that it might be scary but we can make amazing baked goods. And so, why not push myself? If the purpose of my blog and my cooking adventures is to try something new, then I should suck it up and figure out where in the world I can buy malt powder.

What really got me excited about the book is how the recipes are exciting and vivacious. There’s no plain sugar cookie in this book. Every recipe has great personality. Throughout the book there’s a great mix of sweet, salty, crunchy and gooey. I was so inspired by the idea of using rainbow sprinkles, or cornflakes, or crushed pretzel bits. I rented this book from the library, but I’m definitely going to buy a copy on my own because there’s too much I want to try. My only true gripe is there are not enough pictures of the food. I want more drool worthy images!

Look at all the gooey yummy cream cheese!

Anyway, I decided to start out with the bagel bomb recipe. This recipe would push me out of my comfort zone because I hardly ever make bread, but it doesn’t require any hard to find ingredients. To describe this recipe, it’s like a bagel the shape of a dinner roll, baked, and filled with oozy gooey cream cheese. Amazing right? I made them on Saturday for breakfast and Ryan and I had to hold back so we didn’t devour them too fast and burn ourselves on the very hot cream cheese.

What is great about this recipe is that there is so much room for innovation with this recipe. As is, the recipe is for an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese.  But, you could easily knead chocolate chips in the dough and use plain cream cheese. You could also knead in raisins and cinnamon, or dried cranberries. Or you could fill it with salmon cream cheese! Oh the possibilities!

One last note before we get started…  I’m going to give you the ingredient list using cups and spoons, not grams. I know it’s less authentic, I’m sorry! I didn’t use grams because my kitchen scale isn’t sophisticated enough, and I only want to share with you what I actually did. Also, I changed up Tosi’s cream cheese recipe because she used bacon in it and I didn’t feel it was necessary. And finally, “everything bagel topping” calls for black sesame seeds but I didn’t use those. I already had white sesame seeds and I just couldn’t bring myself to buy more sesame seeds. It still tasted good. However, if you make this and decide on using both types of sesame seeds, I’ll be super proud of you.

Ingredients:

Bagels –

3 1/2 cup flour

1 tbsp salt

1/2 packet or 1 1/8 tsp of active dry yeast

1 3/4 cup water at room temperature

grape seed oil (although I used vegetable)

Cream Cheese –

7 ounces cream cheese (buy the kind that’s in a square package, ounce measurements will be on the outside)

3-4 scallion greens thinly sliced (I used the food processor)

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Everything Bagel Topping –

3/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp white sesame seeds

2 tsp black sesame seeds

2 tsp poppy seeds

1 tbsp dried onion

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder.

Other

1 egg

1/2 tsp water

Directions:

1. Start with the cream cheese because it takes the longest. Chop up the scallions into small pieces. Put the cream cheese in a bowl and beat until lighter and smooth. You can beat it a.) by hand (ouch! my arm would be tired) b.) electric hand mixer c.) Tosi’s recommendation, stand mixer with paddle attachment on medium.

In case you don’t know what yeast looks like… at the store it comes in packets and you can find it in the baking aisle

2. Add the scallions, sugar, and salt to the cream cheese and beat until well mixed.

3. On a parchment lined baking sheet, put 8 lumps of cream cheese. Freeze until hard, about 1-3 hours. I left mine in 1.5 hours.

4. Now move on to the dough; that takes the next longest. Tosi recommends a stand mixer, and that’s the directions I’ll use, but I’ve made bread dough before completely by hand, so if you don’t have a stand mixer, I am confident you can still do this recipe. ANYWAY. Put the flour, salt, and yeast in a bowl. Hold the dough hook in your hand and mix. Basically pretend the dough hook is a spoon.

5. Slowly add the water. Continue mixing, by hand, using the dough hook. Tosi says it should be a “shaggy mass,” which to me meant the dough was a little shredded looking and not smooth.

6. Attach the dough hook to the machine. Mix on the lowest speed for 7 minutes. At about 3.5 minutes in you can stop and check the progress if you feel so inclined. Tosi says it should “look like a wet ball.” Mine didn’t look wet, but it was sticky and when I poked it the dough slowly bounced back into place (which she said it should). If yours looks really wet, then add a little flour.

7. Grease a large bowl with oil. To do this, I poured a little oil in a bowl then used a paper towel to coat all the sides. Put your dough in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit for 45 minutes.

8. Mix all the ingredients for the everything bagel topping in a small bowl. Set aside.

9. Heat oven to 350°.

10. Lightly flour your work surface. Put the dough on your surface. Punch down the dough to flatten it. Using a dough cutter (or a ruler, or something that shape) divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Using your hands and gently stretch the dough pieces to be about 3 inches wide.

11. Put a frozen cream cheese lump into the center of each piece of dough.

12. Bring the edges of the dough up and around the cream cheese. Pinch the dough shut, then roll the ball gently in your hand to seal it up.

13. Put the bagel balls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Give 3-4 inches of space between bagels.

14. Whisk the egg and 1/2 tsp of water. Brush each bagel with a generous coating of the egg mixture.

15. Generously sprinkle the everything bagel topping over the bagel. Cover it as much as you can!

16. Bake for about 25 minutes. You want it to be a light golden brown and the cream cheese should be exploding and oozing out of some the bagels. Looks great right? I want to run home and make this right now. Thank you Milk Bar!

Messy Level:  This recipe is more time consuming than it is messy. I’ll call it a 2 spoon recipe. You need to use a few bowls, but nothing flies all around or gets sticky or crazy. Yes, the cream cheese oozes, but then you just dip in the bagel. This recipe cleans itself. YUM.

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But this is a great recipe to talk about on a sick day because it’s the ultimate comfort food. Ryan and I first made it during a cooking class at Sur La Table which focused on Jacques Pepin. I had never been to a cooking class before and I thought everything we made would be too complicated and I’d never be able to make it again at home. Not so! This recipe blew us away in class and we made it many times throughout the winter. It’s rich, thick, and delicious which makes it perfect for sick days, freezing winter evenings, and according Jacques Pepin, it’s good after a night of heavy drinking. This recipe comes from “Essential Pepin” by Jacques Pepin. It takes about an hour to finish, but it’s pretty straightforward. It’s not the prettiest recipe because it look rather lumpy. It also comes out thicker than a regular soup, but it’s hearty and amazing.

Another thing that I’d like to pass on is  a way to cut onions. Our instructor taught us this in class and I’ve found it really handy. For this recipe you’ll need long strips on onions. First, cut the onion from end to end, NOT across the equator. Peel off the onion skins. For strips, cut both tips off the ends. Then cut the onion along the lines you see on the onion. This means you are NOT cutting straight up and down, but on a diagonal following the grain of the onion. Hope these pictures help make sense of what I wrote.

If you’re dicing the onion, again cut the onion from end to end. Next cut off the non-hairy end of the onion. Then, like above, cut along the onion along the long lines on the onion. The “hairy end” of the onion will hold the strips all together. Now, cut horizontally up the onion until you get to the “hairy end.” Now you’ll have nice small squares of onion.

On to the recipe.

Ingredients: 

15-20 slices of baguette, cut about 1/4 inch thick

3 tbsp butter

4 cups of onion cut in thin strips (about 4 medium onions)

6-8 cups chicken broth (you can use more or less broth depending on the size of your casserole dish)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (feel free to use more! I love cheese and sometimes use up to 3 cups)

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup of port

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°

2. Arrange the slices of bread on a cookie sheet. Toast in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until they are light golden brown on the edges. Remove from oven and set aside

3. Melt the butter in a sauce pan. Cook the onions in the butter for about 20 minutes, or until the onions start to turn a bit brown in places.

4. Add the stock, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil and cook for 20 minutes.

5.  Arrange 1/2 the toast on the bottom of a casserole dish. I use a 2.5 quart dish, but have also used my Dutch Oven with success. The bigger the dish the more stock you can use. Smaller dish means some stock doesn’t make it into the final product.

6. Layer 1/2 onions on top of the toast

7. Layer 1/3 cheese on top of the onions.

8. Repeat the layers so in total you have two layers of bread, onion, and cheese.

9. Pour the stock into the casserole. Leave about an inch on the top because the soup will rise in the oven.

10. Sprinkle the last 1/3 of cheese on top of the soup mixture.

11. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a nice cheesey crust forms on top.

12. While the soup is baking, whisk the egg yolks and port in a bowl.

13. Remove the soup from the oven. Make a hole in the middle of the soup mixture and pour in the egg and port mix. Stir everything so the port mixture is well incorporated. The heat of the soup will cook the egg.

14. Turn off the oven and serve!

Messy Level: High. Prior to documenting this for the blog I would have thought this was a fairly mess-free recipe, and if you’re more meticulous than me you might keep your kitchen clean. But for me, after chopping four onions I had onion skins all over the kitchen. I shredded the cheese in the food processor and some fell out so I had cheese on the floor. But my worst mistake was that in my excitement for this dish, I over filled the casserole. It cooked over a lot which led to burned stock remnants at the bottom of my oven. Needless to say, that’s no fun. So, be more careful than me!

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