Bouchon Bakery Day Trip

It was one of the exciting day trip I made in a spontaneous decision.  While doing my assignment research study on Chef Thomas Keller, I learned that he has several restaurants and a bakery right here in Northern California.  Even though the chance in making a lunch reservation at The French Laundry or Bouchon or Ad Hoc did not look possible, I decided to pay visit to the Bouchon Bakery Yountville, California.  I was very excited to learn about it.  Nothing better than to visit a bakery with master Pastry Chef Janine Weismann and led by Executive Pastry Chef Sebastien Rouxel. I don't know if the pastry I will be buying will be prepared personally by Pastry Chef Janine, but I thought the trip would be a great experience.  Whoops! it was past noon by the time I got all the information and direction and map together on a drizzling Sunday.  I wanted to try their croissant and baguettes and whatever they have "left".  The drive was pleasant.  It took me by surprise when I made the last left turn to Washington Street.  I thought I was driving into some body's driveway... that's how cozy looking the area looks.  In a little bit, I noticed Ad Hoc... then, further down, Bouchon Bakery and right next to it is the Bouchon Bistro.  Wow! this is great place.  I found a parking space right in the "Marketplace".  Even though it was raining and a bit chilly, there were many tour buses and tourists everywhere.  I was third one right out the door of Bouchon Bakery, but I didn't have my camera ready, so I stepped aside for a moment.  Within 30 seconds, I was number 6 out the door way and with several more behind me.  The bakery is a nice cozy place.  Perfect size, if I were the owner and baker. I noticed the croissants are no where to be seen, including in the bakery room, expected, as it is so late in the day.  So, I saw two baguettes left and three epi baguettes, and lots of Macarons, tarts, etc.  I quickly called out what I wanted when my turn came and got the last baguette and muffin, tarts, eclairs, Wagyu brisket sandwich, etc.  $51 worth.  I was delighted with all the goodies and head back home.  I enjoyed the sight, touch, aroma, and every bites of the pastries.  Tasting and examining the textures and taste balance.  I think many home bakers and students of culinary arts would agree, the more you know the how and what are involved in preparing pastries and cakes, every bite you took into the well made purchased products from a bakery like Bouchon become critically delicious and appreciated.  These beat the ones that I bought at Panera for sure.  And - baguette - I was smiling from ear to ear.  I have been testing and trying to perfect my baguette making with the  home oven for the 10th time and with only two satisfying results, this baguette gave me a 'take-a-break' - just enjoy.  (And today, Friday morning - I did it!! my baguettes turned out Wunderbar!!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I read in Yelp.com some of the feedback on Bouchon Bakery's Macarons.  When I first saw full trays of Macaroons, I thought that must be the least popular item.  But I was wrong.  I wished I have picked it, may be the next time.
I am very inspired after this trip.  I visited our college's library and started my next level of "Becoming a Chef" adventure.  Chef Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home cookbook is filled with tips and techniques and reassured my baking and cooking practices over and over are in the right course.  And I am looking forward to the next food adventure.

Chewy - Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Every family has a favorite cookies in their cookie jar.  Mine has been empty for sometime.  After my last bottle of Cinnamon was used up last year, I was in search of the real cinnamon.  Sadly, including McCormick's cinnamon I purchased a few months ago was made from Cassia or the Saigon Cinnamon.  (I asked and they responded/confirmed via e-mail.)  So, what happened to the Cinnamon trees?  Did it get cleared off the land?  Not sure why our market / grocers are selling "Cassia" with high content of Coumarin - toxic to human when consumed in great amount.  Or maybe they are not aware because most of us are not aware of it either.  I hope some of you can pass it onto your friends about it, so we can get the true cinnamon, also called Ceylon cinnamon back to local grocery stores.  Check this info at:  http://www.ceylon-cinnamon.com/Identify-Cinnamon.htm
So, I got hold of the true cinnamon from India, and decided to bake my favorite oatmeal cookies.  But I want it to be chewy.  The last few times I tried, as it seems that my cookie hands have disappeared with the cinnamon jar, I cannot find that ingredient ratio combination to make it work.  My office co-worker, he bakes a decent cookies, consistently.   But I like chewy.  Not cakey.
This time I succeeded.  With Good Cinnamon, it can't go wrong.

Chewy - Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
from Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies recipe under the Quaker's Oat's container lid

Ingredients:
1/2 lb - 2 sticks butter softened
1 C firmly pakced brown sugar
1/2 C granulated sugar
2 eggs
* 2 Tbsp Vanilla Paste instead of 1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 C all purpose flour  ** I only used 1 C of flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp Ceylon Cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
3 C Quaker Oats, Old Fashioned, uncooked
* 1 C raisins - I like mine chopped

1. Heat oven to 350'F
2. Beat together butter and sugars until creamy *by hand  in a bowl.
3. Add eggs and vanilla; *mix well
4. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; mix well.
5. Stir in oats and raisins; mix well.
6. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.   ** I used 1 Tbsp cookie scoop and silicon baking mat and squash down with my palm.
7. Bake 10 to 12 mintes or until golden brown   ** I baked 7 to 8-1/2 min and remove from the oven as soon as the edge shows the sign of browning.
8. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack.

Makes about 4 dozen

Bagel #2

Today I watched Julia Child and Lauren Groveman prepared Bagel.
I find Lauren's dough kneading technique interesting and as soon as the show was over, I decided to bake me bagels for .. well, by the time it's done, it's going to be my supper.  Regardless,...
Ingredients
1 egg white strained for egg wash the bagel
Varieties of sprinkles - poppy seed, sesame seed, chopped garlic, coarse salt, etc. for the top of the bagels
pinch of baking soda for boiling bagel
1/4 C sugar for boiling bagel
Pizza/Baking Stone
Ice Cubes for steam in oven
Corn meal for the peel to transfer bagels onto the baking stone


Yeast mixture - Mix this three ingredients together and set aside to bubble and frothy looking.
1.    1 package dry yeast
2.    1-1/4 C warm water
3.     pinch of sugar

Dough - mix the listed ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Large wooden spoon to mix with.
2 C warm water - body temp
3 T of vegetable shortening   * I ran out, so I used 'Imperial margarine'
1 Tb salt
1 Tb sugar
1 Tb Liquid Barley Malt or 2 Tb sugar to give nice chewy texture  *Used 1-1/2 Tb honey
Fresh ground black pepper right into the dough mixture

Add yeast mixture in to the dough mixture.  Mix the dough ingredients in the bowl with large spoon.  Incorporate some more flour into the bowl to help the dough form into a wet ball and away from the sides of the bowl. - about 2 min.
Sprinkle work surface with flour.  Transfer wet dough out to the surface.  Holding dough scraper in one hand.
Flour the top of the dough.  Flour your hands.
Using dough scraper, scrape the dough over from each side and turn bottom to the top.
Repeat with flouring and scrape sides to the center and turn bottom to the top about three time.  Then, sprinkle some more flour on the dough and give a quick yank push down to the dough 1, 2, 3, motion and roll over.  Sprinkle some more flour and repeat the quick yank push down to the dough  4 to 5 times.  
The dough's elasticity has reached when you squeeze the dough with both hands to the center and when let go, the dough spreads down.  *The dough is still a very soft dough.
Form into a ball by tucking the ends under.
Brush the bowl with melted butter. Kaplunk the dough ball into the bowl.
Brush the top of the dough with the melted butter.
Brush the plastic cover with the melted butter.  Cover with towel and leave at warm place to rise to double.  About 1 to 1-1/2 hour.
Remove the Cover and Punch Down all around.  "It is very wet".
Divide the dough with the dough scraper.
Option:  You can refrigerate both in individual greased covered bowl and refrigerate up to 2 days to make bagels in the morning.
*I saved the half of the dough in a plastic wear and refrigerated.
Preheat the oven to 500'F with Bread/Pizza stone in it and on top of a cookie sheet pan with lip on one end.  (To hold the 1/4 C of Ice Cubes when ready to bake - that's all it is for.  So don't use a baking sheet)
Divide the dough into equal sizes of 6.  On the show, there were 6 bagel portions.
I would have divide mine next time into 8 or maybe 10.  (I like mine small.)
Then, pull all sides of dough to the center as though you are enclosing an object in the center of the dough.  Then, pinch the ends together, and turn the dough down with the smooth side up. 
Set aside on floured surface and cover with towel to keep the skin from forming.
Take one and push the dough down with the palm of your hand a bit.

*Boil a pot of water in a large pot with pinch of Baking Soda & 1/4 C sugar

Push the index finger through the center.  Then, rotate with two fingers (right and left index fingers) in the hole to extend the dough outward in circular motion. 
The dough should extend to "Silly" large circle.
Place on floured surface and cover with towel.  Do the same with the rest.
Dunk the first bagel with hole rested into the hot boiling water.
It may sink down to the bottom, then floats up.  You might have to help it come up if sticks to the bottom of the pot.
Boil for 1 min, then turn it over.  Boil for 1 min.
Transfer to a surface covered with towel.  *I used my kitchen sackcloth to catch water from the bagel.  It worked well.
Lauren even dry pat the boiled bagel with towel.
Separate one egg.  Save the egg yolk for some other usage.
Strain the egg white through a strainer.
Using pastry brush, brush each boiled and dry looking bagel with egg white.
Sprinkle the top with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, plain, etc. with your favorite toppings.
* I chopped Jalapeno and sprinkled or added to the dough.
Place each garnished dough onto a peel covered with corn meal and sesame seed (to have flavor on the bottom of the bagel also.
Transfer the bagels into oven.
Add 1/4 C of ice cubes on the tray that is sitting under the baking stone to create  steam.
Drop down the baking temperature to 450'F and bake for 25 min.
Turn off the heat and leave bagels in for 5 min.
Then, crack open the oven door and rest for another 5 min.
Remove the bagels to cooking rack and cool for about 20 min.
Enjoy with variety of toppings.

Just in time for the supper.  I made chicken sandwich with fresh tomato from my garden, hot spicy brown mustard, Thai Basil, and Apricot Pineapple preserve.  I thought about it, but why not, I thought.  The sandwich I bought at the Ace Bakery, Ferry Market, San Francisco had jam and cream cheese together in baguette with arugula and eggplants.   My bagel has crispy shell and is chewy inside. The Thai Basil and Apricot Pineapple preserve complimented each other in my bagel and the heat of spicy brown mustard went well with the preserve and chicken slices and tomato slices.  Each individual ingredients in my bagel sandwich did a good job in filling me up.  As for the jalapeno in my bagel - I was surprised - it's not 'hot'... I will find out tomorrow morning. 
The next time, I will try to give each bagel a more consistent form and size.

Dragon Breath Chili - Contest Winner

For our office's Holiday party fund raising, we held a Chili Cook Off Contest.  While normally, I guess, I assume, that the recipe has to be your own, since there is no such rule for this contest, I thought I try Dragon Breath Chili recipe by Guy Fieri, Foodnetwork.com.  I am sure I would have won just the same with my own recipe, but the name of the Chili is very intriguing - "Dragon Breath Chili" - sound deadly hot? or spicy? or fiery? Is it going to be fiery hot that you will be blowing steam or fire from your mouth? hmmm... very interesting.  So, I set to work on to study the recipe, then, I decided on doing this in two days.  Cook with what I have, then, purchase what I don't have the 2nd day.  Italian Sausage is one of the ingredients and Lager beer.  I had a 2nd thought about this, but my "becoming a chef" discipline is telling me to be brave and test something new.  It's my quest for the rest of the year.  I could skip the sausage, but I ventured out to look for the "bulk" Italian sausage.  Luckily it was not difficult to find at Foods Co.  I found the Chuck steaks, too.  Great!  But no Poblano.  I did some wikipedia check to find out how this "Poblano" looks like and drew the picture on my shopping list.  Nope, no Poblano.  Got fresh Anaheim and Jalapeno.  Regardless, I browned all the meat ingredients.  I thought there would a lot of fat from the Italian sausage, but surprisingly I only had about 1/8 cu fats from browning lean ground beef, Chuck cubes, and Italian sausage.  I decided to cook them in crockpot overnight.  I added home made chicken stock and whatever all the dry spices that I have on hand in my pantry.  Then, placed beans on top.  Didn't want to mix them up yet.  They will get too mushy, as they are canned beans.  Normally, when I make my own Chili, they are cooked in my pressure cooker, etc.  Instead of Kidney beans, I chose Black Beans.  On the Day 2, I found Poblano... and ground coriander.  I wished my tomatoes in my garden are all ripe, but it's been 4 months, and they are still green.  So, to follow the recipe, purchased canned tomato sauce and paste. Tasted the Day 1 mixture of the meat in the crockpot.  Wow!  actually why should I add any other ingredients?  it tasted really good as is.  But, then, the "rule" and my quest popped up in my head - "Follow the recipe".  So, I got busy right after work and started to roast the peppers - over the open fire - I was pretending that it is safe and okay.  After all I have been watching Julia Child and Jack Peppin for the last months and Tyler Florence's TV episode to Mexico.  They all roasted peppers on open fire and dunk them into a bowl water and peel the darkened peel.  Save time!  but kind of messy at the stove.  (I have done that in my counter-top electric oven.)
But it was a good experience.   I let the whole ingredients cook in the crock pot the 2nd day from 10 pm to 6 am.  Then, again from 8:30 am till 11 am.  The taste?  It's definitely "Chili".  Not tomato-ish or tart or just hot.  It's a medley of flavors, all 15 spices that tantalizing every part of the tongue.  Meat are very tasty.  Flavor has infused through every bite of the meat and beans.  At 2 pm, the announcement came through - the winner of the Chili Cook Off contest is "Dragon Breath Chili".
Hope you will it a try and surprise yourself.
When I cook this again for my family, I would make them my family famous "Sopapilla" served with Honey.  Cover the chili bowl with Cheddar cheese.