When I handed the second loaf to a friend, she asked if I had picked it up at Trader Joe’s. “No, I made it.” My simple response was met with wide eyes and a face of questions. She toasted a few slices and spread them with butter. They were even better than the first loaf which I served with a spread of lasagna and salad, followed by a delicious cheesecake served with fruit.

I loved the concept of this bread and wouldn’t hesitate to recreate the idea. However, I think if I were to use asparagus again, I would use smaller pieces; or choose a different vegetable all together. I would add garlic and remember to buy the arugula next time. The nuts would have been better toasted before adding them. All this is not to say that I thought it was bad, I just think it could be personalized to my tastes a bit more; which is the makings of a delicious recipe.

Asparagus Bread

1 cup of green asparagus
3 cups of strong bread flour
1 teaspoon of dry instant yeast
1 1/4 cups of lukewarm water
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese

1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Clean the asparagus, set two of them aside, cut the rest into 4 pieces. Boil these pieces for 2 minutes in the water, drain and rinse under cold water.

2. Combine the flour and yeast in a large bowl, mix in most of the water and knead for a few minutes, add the olive oil and knead for 10-12 minutes. Add the salt and knead on for 5 minutes or until very elastic. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

3. Work the asparagus pieces, rocket, walnuts and parmesan in with care so that they’re evenly distributed. Place the dough in a greased container, cover and let rise for about 2 hrs.

4. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Make round balls, cover with a tea towel and let rest for 10 minutes.

5. Flatten the balls and fold into taut breads with slightly tapering ends. Lay one asparagus in lengthwise in the middle of the bread and press in slightly. Sprinkle with wheat flour and cover to rise for 70 minutes or until doubled.

6. Preheat the oven (preferably with stone) to 475F. Before baking sprinkle extra cheese on the breads. Place the loaves directly on the stone. Place boiling water in a metal container on the bottom of the oven that you preheated to create steam.

7. Lower the temperature after 5 minutes to 375F. Open the door after another 10 minutes to let some air in. Repeat twice during baking. Bake for 40-45 minutes and cool on a wire rack.

Asparagus Bread is being served up as the Bread Baking Babes challenge of the month. This months challenge was hosted by Lien of Notitie Van Lien, June’s kitchen of the month. You too can be a bread baking buddy and earn a badge! You have until June 26th to bake this bread. Check out further details on becoming a buddy on Notitie Van Lien. Or enjoy one of the other Bread Baking Challenge breads which I have baked.

When I was first learning spanish, I was often at a loss for words. I would try to translate my thoughts into spanish and all too often I lacked words that I needed to explain myself. This happened daily in the beginning and all too often way more than once a day.

One memorable time was on a Sunday afternoon when I was washing dishes after a lunch which fed almost 300 people from the street. Three hundred people eating means 300 plates, 300 cups, 300 sets of silverware and a whole lot of garbage. This required large buckets as well as lots of soap and water. In order to fill the buckets with water, I asked for the…for the…el serpiente verde (the green snake)! I had no idea what the word was for hose in spanish; I do now, it’s manguera.

Why do I tell you this? Well it was what caused me a little chuckle in this month’s directions for the Babes challenge. Ilva was explaining how to form and shape the knots and started out by saying “roll them it into long snakes (sorry can’t remember the proper term).” It really is so difficult to explain what we mean when we can’t find the appropriate words in the correct language.

These knots were delicious morsels of goodness but it did take awhile to shape each of them. My friends that ate them remarked that they were delicious but commented what they looked like. Fat lips. Mini butts. Herniated belly buttons. What do you think?

Italian Knot Bread

(Pane di Pasta Tenera Condita)

biga:
3 1/2 cups of bread flour
3/4 teaspoon of dry active yeast
1 cup water (I usually need a little more)

1. Mix the flour and yeast together in a bowl with high sides. Add the water and stir to combine. Cover loosely and leave it for 15-24 hours.

bread:
1 tablespoon of dry active yeast
7 cups of 00 italian flour
1/4 cup of shortening
1 1/2 tablespoons of salt
3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of honey
450-550 ml lukewarm water
entire biga

1. Dissolve the yeast in little tepid water.

2. Mix the flour and shortening in a large bowl with your fingers until forms pea-sized crumbs.
Add the yeast mixture to the flour. Mix as well as you can. Add salt, olive oil, honey and warm water and add it to the flour. Stir together well and then add the biga. Knead the dough until it is smooth and doesn’t stick, between 5-10 minutes.

3. Place the dough into a big bowl coated with cooking spray, turn dough to coat all parts. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic and leave it to rise until it has doubled.

4. Divide the dough into 48 equal parts, roll each into 10 inch long strands and shape. See Ilva’s blog for directions on forming. Place the knots on baking sheets coated with cooking spray, spray the knots with cooking spray, loosely cover them with plastic and allow them to rise until doubled.

5. Bake at 390F for 30-35 minutes.

Italian Knot Bread is being served up as the Bread Baking Babes challenge of the month. This months challenge was hosted by Ilva of Lucillian Delights, May’s kitchen of the month. You too can be a bread baking buddy and earn a badge! You have until May 30th to bake this bread. Check out further details on becoming a buddy on Lucillian Delights. Or enjoy one of the other Bread Baking Challenge breads which I have baked.

It seems summer is here. I am not sure if she is here to stay or to simply say hello and leave again. The heat of Sacramento summers remind me of an oven. The blast of heat as soon as you leave an air conditioned building can be blistering. Climbing into a car with anything plastic or metal can be dangerous when the sun has been cooking it all day. I like the sunshine, but I am not a huge fan the dry heat.

Summer also brings a chance to indulge in some of the things that winter shuns – namely ice cream! Or better yet, ice cream on top of delicious chocolate peanut butter bars. These are just about the only reason the 99F heat may be welcome here this weekend!

To make these, I used the recipe on the Hershey’s Peanut Butter Chip bag or found here on their website. I doubled the recipe and spread it into a half-sheet baking tray instead of making drop cookies. Those were served like brownies at a large event. But after the crowds left, ice cream was added. I sprinkled chopped peanuts and chocolate over the ice cream scoop to add a little extra flair.

What are the reasons you enjoy summer weather?

I was just editing some photos of my neighborhood in Peru and thought you may enjoy seeing how some of the smaller restaurants received their groceries.

Sometimes, I love being given options and most of the time it overwhelms me. Right now, options overwhelm me. In Peru, options were for the most part limited. There were just not a plethora of things to choose from.

For example here in the US, there is a whole grocery aisle devoted to granola bars. Over the past year or two in Peru, one company has begun to market granola bars in order to complete with the one imported brand. Here in the US there is a section of pancake syrups; in Peru there is now two bottles that are named maple syrup. And the list goes on.

I know the idea in the daring bakers is to bake the same thing and see how everyone around the world fares with the same recipe. I was attracted to that idea. The growth of the daring bakers group has brought allergies, likes and dislikes as well as limited access in some places. So the recipes have grown as well to allow for more and more creative freedom. I am certain that most everyone is pleased to be able to create what they want, but it seems to leave me dazed and confused.

This month, we were to make cheesecake. I like a good cheesecake and have even admitted to eating it for breakfast. Again, the creative freedom was there to use any type of crust, any flavoring and any topping. Oh the choices! I thought about a standard triple citrus I love. I thought about making a nut and caramel one. What about a lemon cheesecake on top of a gingersnap crust, maybe topped with a bit of lemon curd and garnished with a fresh blackberry just for looks? I decided on a pretzel crust with a peanut butter cheesecake with chocolate ganache over the top. Until I started making it. Then I wanted to flavor the cream with coffee. Then I wanted to go back to the lemon. Ginger. Mexican chocolate. Are you getting the picture?

What did I end up with? A pretzel crust with a chocolate cheesecake. I thought it would make a great base for ganache, fresh fruit or caramel sauce. That decision is up to you now.

Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake

2 cups of pretzel crumbs
3/4 cup of butter, melted
1 cup of brown sugar
3 (8oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 cup of sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup of heavy cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1/2 cup of melted chocolate

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath. Cover the bottom of the 9-inch springform pan with foil to prevent water leakage.

2. Mix together the pretzel crumbs, melted butter, and brown sugar and press into the bottom and sides of the springform pan. Set crust aside. Place springform pan inside a larger pan.

3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and melted chocolate and blend until smooth and creamy.

4. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan.

5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, or until the edges of cheesecake are firm and the center still has a good jiggle. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. Then, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill overnight.

Chocolate Cheesecake is being served up for the April Daring Bakers Challenge. The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge. Please visit the Daring Bakers Blogroll to see what other wonderful Flourless Chocolate Cakes are being served up!

Take a peek at the other Daring Baker challenges I have completed!!

Dear Lemon,

I hate to bring this up. I know, the last time I wrote, it was well, to sort of break it off with you. You know the story: I needed you; you were never there; someone else was. I admit, the time I spent with Key Lime was wonderful. But, I admit he was much more sour than you.

Why do I tell you all this? You see, while I was away from the US there has been all this talk about the new one in the family. Your cousin, Meyer. You’ve heard what they have said, I am sure. Seems he is like every girls best friend. A sweet guy. And so many other things.

Well, I met him. And I fell for him. Hard. I never knew love could be so sweet. I guess I just felt like you should hear the news from me.

Meyer Lemon Cookies

1 1/4 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/3 cup of milk
juice from half a lemon
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1/3 cup of butter, softened
1/2 cup of sugar
1 egg

for the icing:

1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
1 tablespoon of light corn syrup
juice of half a lemon
zest of a whole lemon
1 tablespoon of water

1. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In a measuring cup, combine milk, lemon juice and vanilla. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix well. Mix in flour mixture, alternating with milk on low speed until smooth

3. Scoop out batter onto a baking sheet, about 6 to a sheet as they do spread. Bake in a 350F oven for 11-13 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Allow to cool two minutes on a tray and then transfer to a cooling rack.

4. While the cookies are baking, prepare the icing by mixing together the powdered sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, lemon zest and water. Once the cookies have cooled slightly, spread the icing over the cookies. Cool completely.

Not long after I arrived, I had this surge of “I need to bake!!” and left alone to my own devices, I get a little crazy in the kitchen. It seems I can at times go day after day without much cooking or baking, but if it builds up like that, it really becomes almost like a power surge and I begin flinging flour and shaking sugar. Well, maybe not quite like that, but I do seem to dirty enough dishes for an army.

I was pleased to bake up several treats that day and since I seem to be the master of indecision, I wanted to make sure I had something chocolate-y, something citrusy and another fruity type dessert by the end of the day. I might have kneaded some bread as well. I am starting to feel bad for my guests, it seems I serve them a plateful for dinner and overwhelm them with dessert.

When faced with the idea of a French Yogurt Cake, I couldn’t help but balk at the idea of a mere loaf. It just didn’t live up to “dessert” for me that day. I chose to head another direction with this recipe. Instead of baking the batter up in a loaf pan, it got poured into a 8″ springform. After the cake cooled, I split it horizontally to make two layers. In between the layers, I spread lemon curd. You know, lemon cake…lemon curd.

But then, here’s where I got crazy. I really wanted something that was going to scream different, exciting, and “eat me!” all at the same time. So, I whipped up some Blackberry Buttercream Frosting to top the cake with. Could you resist a delicious slice of citrus-y lemon cake topped with fresh blackberry buttercream? Yeah, I didn’t think so either!

French Yogurt Cake is being served up for Tuesdays With Dorie. This weeks TWD recipe was chosen by Liliana of My Cookbook Addiction (where you will find this weeks recipe). Enjoy more French Yogurt Cake by visiting the blogroll at the Tuesdays With Dorie website. Or, see what other goodies we have enjoyed on past weeks!

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To learn about other Current Food Blog Events or their round ups, check out the Current Event listing here at Canela and Comino. A Current Event button has been added to the site, so you can check the listing at any time!

Sometimes the frosting is more important than what is underneath. In this case, I was delighted to have this delicious frosting be so colorful and so perfect for several delicious recipes in the last couple of weeks. Find some fresh blackberries and bake a cake…you’ll know just what to do next!

Blackberry Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup of butter, softened
1/2 cup of fresh blackberries, washed & dried
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1 (16-oz.) package plus 1 cup of powdered sugar

1. Beat butter, blackberries, vanilla, lemon zest and salt at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.

2. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended and smooth after each addition.

Blackberry Buttercream Frosting is being served up for Food In Color: Pink. Food In Color is hosted this month by Priya’s Easy N Tasty Recipes. For informations about other Current Food Blog Events or their round ups, check out the Current Event listing here at Canela and Comino.

Things have not yet fallen into routine for me here. I realized this as the bread was to be baked this month through a longer process than normal. I guess the idea of commitment was something foreign to me in these past days. When you are not exactly sure what each day will hold, it can be awfully difficult to nurture and develop bread dough.

I made several batches of bread thinking that “this one” would be the chef I would use. The third chef was taken from a batch of delicious challah bread and started instantly. I know that if it went into the fridge, it wouldn’t see daylight for another week!

All in all, this was a simple recipe. It took a bit of planning to make it through the many steps, but it was enjoyable for me to see after many hours that the yeast had in fact given rise to something greater. I found that each time I added flour, it was about a cup short than what the recipe called for. I am used to the humid climate of Peru and was trying to make judgment based on the texture and feel of the dough instead of the recipe itself.

Although we really enjoyed the flavor of the bread, I found that mine spread instead of rose on the last round. I would certainly love to try again for a higher, more whole-y bread. Good thing I still have two “chefs” hanging out in my fridge.

Pane Francese is being served up as the Bread Baking Babes challenge of the month. This months challenge was hosted by Sara of i like to cook, March’s kitchen of the month. You too can be a bread baking buddy and earn a badge! You have until March 29th to bake this bread. Check out further details on becoming a buddy on i like to cook. Visit the Bread Baking Babe blogroll or enjoy one of the other Bread Baking Challenge breads which I have baked.

These winter days seem to chill me to the bone. I am not sure if it is more the weather or my state of being. Things here all too often seem cold and distant, almost as if the weather is just a reflection of the people it surrounds.

My days seem to have fallen into a routine, although every day holds something new. I certainly have not “settled in” by any means just yet. There are so many steps to make before I fall into a stride. So many things on my list to do. So many loose ends yet to tie up.

One part of my routine seems to include an afternoon coffee. Partly, it warms me up. Partly, it reminds me that the evening is here and the day is almost over. It is even more enjoyable to have a cup of black coffee with a sweet treat. I have enjoyed cakes and cookies, but had yet to make biscotti. Somehow biscotti just seems right with coffee.

Cinnamon Biscotti

2 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of sugar
6 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 egg white, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Mix flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in medium bowl to blend. In another bowl, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add 2 eggs and egg yolk; beat well after each addition. Mix in vanilla, then dry ingredients.

2. Divide dough in half, placing each half onto a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray. Shape each half into 9-inch-long, 1 1/2-inch-wide log (easier with wet hands). Brush logs with egg white. Bake until golden and firm to touch (dough will spread), about 30 minutes. Cool on baking sheets about 10 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.

3. Using a sharp knife, cut logs into 1/2-inch-wide diagonal slices. Turn biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheets. Bake until pale golden, about 20 minutes. Cool on racks.