Kae’s Greek Celery Hearts

This is similar to celery victor originally invented by Chef Victor Hirtzler of the San Francisco St. Francis Hotel. Unlike celery victor, this is cooked in water,  and may be served warm or cold. This recipe came from Andros Island (not too far from Athens) where my mother visited by boat.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

2 Heads celery, trimmed and quartered 

½ Bay leaf

4 Allspice berries

½ Teaspoon brown mustard seeds

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1/4 Teaspoon thyme

1/4 Teaspoon salt

1/2 Teaspoon lemon zest, minced

1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 Teaspoon pepper

Water per recipe

Garnish

2 tablespoon minced parsley

Trim the tops off two heads of celery. (Save these for soup or salad) Quarter celery length wise.  Place in Pyrex dish. Bring water level half way up on the celery; add other ingredients save the parsley which will be used for garnish. Bake in center rack for 30~40 minutes until tender. Baste several times while cooking.  Arrange celery on a serving platter. Reduce the liquid stock to just enough to pour over celery. Strain stock and pour over celery. Garnish with minced parsley. Serve warm or cold.

Notes:

1. This is a food that has good minerals and vitamins A, B6, C, K and good source of dietary fiber.

Crème Brule

Ramekin are available specifically for this dessert and the best are characterized by being shallow and about three to three and a half  inches in diameter which allows for the right portion per person while providing an ample surface for a generous topping of caramelized crisp sugar.

2 1/2 cups heavy cream
4 large egg yolks, well beaten
4 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons Bourbon vanilla

Topping Brown sugar

Bring cream to a boil, and boil about 30 seconds.  Pour it immediately into the well beaten egg yolks, sugar and whisk them together.  Return the mixture to the pan. (If you pay attention, you do not need to use a double boiler. (See note) Continue cooking on medium without allowing the mixture to boil.  Wisk the mixture until it thickens and coats a spoon. Immediately remove from heat.  Pour the mixture into ramekins.  Cover ramekins and refrigerate overnight.

Prior to dessert, top each ramekin with a thin layer of brown sugar (teaspoon) and caramelize each ramekin sugar topping with a torch very quickly in order to keep the custard cold and firm. Garnish with a few fresh raspberries and a sprig on mint.

Note:

Improvise a double boiler, if you don't already have one, with a saucepan and bowl large enough to sit atop the sauce pan

Rutabaga Casserole, Kae’s

Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, and cauliflower, are members of the cabbage family; they get their name from their four-petaled flowers, which look like a crucifer, or cross. Other cruciferous vegetables include arugula, bok choy, collards, kale, mustard greens, rutabaga, turnip greens, and watercress.

The rutabaga is a root vegetable that looks very much like a turnip with yellow-orange flesh and ridges at its neck. Although this beta carotene-rich vegetable has been grown in the U.S. for 200 years, it is an uncommon but good tasting vegetable with a delicate sweetness and flavor. The rutabaga is easily prepared and has great nutrition. It was one of my mother’s favorite.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

2 ½ Pounds peeled rutabagas¹ diced into ¼ cubes

1 Plus 2 teaspoons salt

¼ Cup dry bread crumbs

¼ Cup heavy cream

½ Teaspoon nutmeg

1 Teaspoon brown sugar (optional)

2 Eggs lightly beatened

3 Tablespoons soft butter

2 Tablespoons butter cut in tiny bits

Pepper

Garnish

Chopped parley and pinch of paprika

Cover 8 cups of diced rutabagas with just enough cold water to cover them. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and simmer until tender 15~20 minutes. Drain well. Cool a bit then add beaten eggs, cream, bread crumbs, 2 teaspoon salt, nutmeg, (optionally brown sugar) and 2 tablespoons soft butter. Use the remaining 1 tablespoon of softened butter to butter a 2 ½ quart casserole dish. Fill casserole with mixture and dot top with butter and a few grinding of pepper. Bake uncovered at 350 F for 1 hour.

Notes:

1.        Rutabagas are a yellow-fleshed vegetable cross between cabbage and turnip. Turnips have been growing wild in Siberia and eaten since prehistoric times. Turnips and rutabagas are mildest and more tender when they are of medium size or smaller (turnips should be 1 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter and rutabagas 2 ½ to 4 inches in diameter.) The best Rutabagas come from a northern climate where they grow slowly thus developing sweetness and flavor. Rutabagas and turnips were the root vegetable of war and Depression and are often considered by many chefs to be unworthy of appearing on the menu.

Orange Vanilla Shortbread Cookies

When I was a child, the first cookie of this type was a Lorna Doone by Nabisco, introduced in 1912. No one, even at Nabisco, is quite sure of exactly how the name was chosen. It is surmised it was named after a British novel Lorna Doone by R.D. Blackmore’s lead character, Lorna Doone who was Scottish. The origin of shortbread was considered Scottish. (ref. ) The Lorna Doone cookie was harder than this recipe, which practically falls apart in your mouth. My sister and I used to soak them in milk a few seconds. One does not have to entice a child to a shortbread cookie.

Shortbread is a Scottish treat and often traditional Christmas cookie. Shortbreads are not overly sweet. They have few ingredients and produce a delicious rich, biscuit like cookie. Everyone makes these a bit different. This recipe is especially tender, buttery, and richly flavored. The Lorna Doone cookie is not quite as sweet. You can cut back the butter, vanilla and the sugar in this recipe for a result more like Nabisco’s  cookie.

Shortbread lends it self to toppings which can include almost anything like sugars, dried fruit, chocolate, ground nuts like pecans or almonds and may be flavored with extracts to liqueurs. I often use a little orange extract. If adding other flavors or spices, cut back on the vanilla.

Baking temperature vary recipe to recipe from 375 F to 300 F. Here again are some pros and cons. The slower the cookie cooks, the more control you have on the degree of browning. Most cooks want this cookie just at the pale brown. The browning that forms the magical caramelization effect (Maillard reaction) that happens to toast, French fries, etc. occurs best at 309 F and higher. Therefore, we bake this cookie starting the oven at 325 F then come down from there for the best of both worlds, caramelization of sugar and a toasting.

Preheat oven to 325 F. Cookies will be cooked slowly, so as not to become excessively brown. The cookie dough is easy to prepare in a mixer using the paddle attachment. These are traditional shortbread butter cookies. It is very easy to get great results. My favorite variation to this recipe includes other flavored extracts like orange, lemon, or almond.

  

2 sticks Danish unsalted sweet butter or other quality butter²

1/2 cup white sugar + more for dusting top

1 ½~2 teaspoons bourbon vanilla (see about vanilla)

1 tablespoon of zest orange rind, minced fine

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 1/2 cup of King Arthur all purpose flour, shifted

1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional for tenderness)

Cut butter into patties to speed up softening. When butter is slightly soft, process on low until creamy then gradually add in the sugar. Increase speed to medium in well incorporated. Beat well in the orange jest, and vanilla. Combine flour, tablespoon cornstarch (optionally) and salt and sift the mixture. Once sifted, turn mixer to low, and add 1 tablespoon of dry ingredients at a time until all of it has been incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl then increase speed to medium and beat well. Feel the dough. If too sticky, beat in an additional tablespoon(s) of flour. Press dough into a ball. Press dough in a sheet pan lined with parchment paper¹. Cover dough with another sheet of parchment paper. Roll the dough to about ¼ thick and evenly as possible so it cooks uniformly. Pull off top sheet of parchment paper back on itself at a sharp angle but slowly so it does not lift the dough. Smooth any ragged edges push these back on to the rest of the dough. Try to keep the cookie dough from the edge of the pan as the dough will expand slightly as it cooks. Sprinkle top of dough with a little extra granulated, Demerara or Turbinado sugar

Place sheet pan in center of oven, reduce oven heat to 300 F and bake for 40~55 minutes or until light brown all over. Cut cookies into rectangles with a sharp knife while hot from oven. Cool 10 minutes in pan; and, while still warm, separate on cookie racks. Best served while still slightly warm.

Notes:

1. Trim parchment paper to fit the pan then butter its backside to make it stay put.
2. Butter is the primary flavor in this cookie hence getting a good one involves making a good choice. Unsalted butter has a shorter shelf-life than salted butter and less yet if it comes paper wrapped. Check butter for its expiration date. From America’s test kitchen: “Culturing, or fermenting cream before churning it into butter, is standard practice in Europe and builds tangy, complex flavors that our tasters almost unanimously preferred in both plain and cooked applications. The only domestic cultured sample earned praise for its “slight cheesy tang” and “super-creamy” consistency that baked up “short,” “crisp” cookies. But the cream of the crop, according to tasters, hails from the old country and is owned and operated by the Danish Dairy Board, which churns out butter so “silky,” “nutty,” and “rich” that one taster called it “darn near perfect.” Lurpak ® is a Trademark of the Danish Dairy Board

Comparing Bread Flour for Artisanal Baking or Pizza

Starting with the best flour for your dough means selecting among manufactures some of which have less information than necessary for a good choice. New York Bakers and King Arthurs both  (see links below) provide good information. Different types of wheat flour contain different amounts of protein. Unbleached all-purpose has the lowest amount of protein, usually around 10.5 percent. Bread flour contains about 11 to 12.7 percent. High-gluten and whole-wheat flours have about 14 percent protein.

Flours with different protein levels are good for different kinds of breads. For instance, unbleached all-purpose is most suitable for soft varieties such as white sandwich bread, while bread flour works best for rustic or hearth loaves.

Flour Type NumbersIn some markets, the different available flour varieties are labeled according to their ash mass ("mineral content") that remains after a sample is incinerated in a laboratory oven. This is an easily verified indicator for the fraction of the whole grain remains in the flour, because the mineral content of the starchy endosperm² is much lower than that of the outer parts of the grain. Flour made from all parts of the grain (extraction rate: 100%) leaves about 2 g ash or more per 100 g dry flour. Plain white flour (extraction rate: 50–60%) leaves only about 0.4 g.

• German flour type numbers (Mehltypen) indicate the amount of ash (measured in milligrams) obtained from 100 g of the dry mass of this flour. Standard wheat flours (defined in DIN 10355) range from type 405 for normal white wheat flour for baking, to strong bread flour types 550, 812, and the darker types 1050 and 1600 for wholegrain breads.
• French flour type numbers (type de farine) are a factor 10 smaller than those used in Germany, because they indicate the ash content (in milligrams) per 10 g flour. Type 55 is the standard, hard-wheat white flour for baking, including puff pastries ("pâte feuilletée"). Type 45 is often called pastry flour, and is generally from a softer wheat (this corresponds to what older French texts call "farine de gruau"). Some recipes use Type 45 for croissants, for instance,^[16] although many French bakers use Type 55 or a combination of Types 45 and 55.^[17] Types 65, 80, and 110 are strong bread flours of increasing darkness, and type 150 is a whole meal flour.
• Czech flour types describes roughness of milling instead of amount of ash, though sometimes a numbering system is used, it is not a rule. Czechs determine following four basic types of mill: Extra soft wheat flour (Výběrová hladká mouka / 00), Soft wheat flour (Hladká mouka / T650), Fine wheat flour (Polohrubá mouka), Rough wheat flour (Hrubá mouka) and Farina wheat flour (Pšeničná krupice)

In the United States and the United Kingdom, no numbered standardized flour types are defined, and the ash mass is only rarely given on the label by flour manufacturers. However, the legally required standard nutrition label specifies the protein content of the flour, which is also a way for comparing the extraction rates of different available flour types.
In general, as the extraction rate of the flour increases, so do both the protein and the ash content. However, as the extraction rate approaches 100% (whole meal), the protein content drops slightly, while the ash content continues to rise.

The following table shows some typical examples of how protein and ash content relate to each other in wheat flour:

Ash	Protein	Wheat flour type
		US	German	French	Italian	Czech
~0.4%	~9%	pastry flour	405	40	00	Hladká mouka výběrová 00
~0.55%	~11%	all-purpose flour	550	55	0	Hladká mouka
~0.8%	~14%	high gluten flour	812	80	1	Polohrubá mouka
~1%	~15%	first clear flour	1050	110	2	Hrubá mouka
>1.5%	~13%	white whole wheat	1600	150	Farina integrale di grano tenero	Pšeničná Krupice

This table is only a rough guideline for converting bread recipes. Since flour types are not standardized in many countries, the numbers may differ between manufacturers. Note that there is no Type 40 French flour. The closest is Type 45.
It is possible to determine ash content from some US manufacturers. However, US measurements are based on wheat with a 14% moisture content. Thus, a US flour with 0.48% ash would approximate a French Type 55. For US bakers of French pastry seeking an equivalent, for example, they could look at tables published by King Arthur Flour, showing their all-purpose flour is a close equivalent to French Type 55.
Other measurable properties of flour as used in baking can be determined using a variety of specialized instruments, such as the Farinograph.

King Arthur Bakery Flour

Brand name	Sir Lancelot	Special	Sir Galahad	White Whole Wheat	Round Table	Queen Guinevere
Moisture (Maximum)	14.0% 14.0%	14.0% 13.5%	14.0% 14.0%
Protein (14% M.B.)	14.2% +/- 0.2%	12.7% +/- 0.2%	11.7% +/- 0.2%	12.5%-14% 9.2 +/- 0.3%	7.0% +/- 0.2%
Ash (14% M.B.)	.52% +/- 0.02%	.48% +/- 0.02%	.48% +/- 0.02%	1.20% min .44% +/- 0.02%	.34% +/- 0.02%
Falling Number	250 +/- 30 sec.	250 +/- 30 sec.	260 +/- 30 sec.	350 sec. min 280 +/- 30
FARINOGRAPH:
Absorption %	63.0 +/- 2.0	62.0 +/- 2.0	61.0 +/- 2.0	70 +/- 2.0	53.0 +/- 2.0	53.0 +/- 2.0
Peak	7.0 min. +/- 1.5	7.0 +/- 1.5	7.0 +/- 1.5	9.0 +/- 1.0	1.5 +/- 1.0	1.5 +/- 1.0
Stability	14.0 min.+/- 3.0	13.0 min. +/- 3.0	12.5 min. +/- 3.0	13.0 min. +/- 1.5	2.5 min. +/- 1.0	3 min. +/- 1.0
MTI 1	30 B.U/ +/- 10	30 B.U. +/- 10	30 B.U. +/- 10	20 B.U. +/- 10	80 B.U. +/- 10	80 B.U. +/- 10
Wheat Type	100% Hard red spring	100% Hard red spring	100% Hard red winter	Hard white spring Soft white/red winter	Soft red winter
Treatment	Malted	Malted	Malted	None	None	Chlorination
Enrichment**	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No

**Enrichment includes: Wheat flour enriched (niacin; reduced iron; thiamin; riboflavin; folic acid) and malted barley flour. All flours are to be prepared by grinding clean; sound wheat in accordance with current FDA regulations. All testing methods AACC approved.

King Arthur Organic Flour

Brand name	100% Organic Bakers Classic	100% Organic Select Artisan Flour	Organic Baker's Classic Flour With Restored Germ	100% Organic "Big-O" Hi-Gluten	100% Organic Whole Wheat Flour
Moisture (Maximum)	<14.0 percent	14.0 percent	14.0 percent	14.0 percent	14.0 percent
Protein (14% M.B.)	12.7% +/- 0.2%	11.3% +/- 0.2%	12.7% +/- 0.2%	14.1% +/- 0.2%	13%
Ash (14% M.B.)	.60% +/- 0.02%	.54% +/- 0.02%	.60% +/- 0.02%	.55% +/- 0.02%	> 1.40%
Falling Number	250 +/- 30 sec.	260 +/- 30 sec.	250 +/- 30 sec.	250 +/- 30 sec.	> 300 sec
Farinograph
Absorption %	62.0 +/- 2.0	61.0 +/- 2.0	62.0 +/- 2.0	62.0 +/- 2.0%
Peak	7.0 +/- 1.5	7.0 +/- 1.5	7.0 +/- 1.5	7.0 +/- .1.5 min
Stability	13.0 min. +/- 3.0	12.5 min. +/- 3.0	13.0 min. +/- 3.0	13.0 min +/- 3.0 min
MTI 1	30 B.U. +/- 10	30 B.U. +/- 10	30 B.U. +/- 10	30 B.U. +/- 10
Wheat Type:	Hard red spring	Hard red winter	Hard red spring	Hard Red Spring	A blend of HR and HW Wheat
Treatment	Certified organic malted barley flour	Certified organic malted barley flour	Certified organic malted barley flour	Certified organic malted barley flour	Untreated
Enrichment	Unenriched	Unenriched	Unenriched	Unenriched	Unenriched

All flours are to be prepared by grinding clean; sound wheat in accordance with current FDA regulations. All testing methods AACC approved.

Links:

1. New York Bakers Flours
2. Pre-Fermenting Flour
3. Ash Content
4. King Arthur’s Flour
5. King Arthur's -Description of Premium Flours (PDF)

Notes:

1. MTI, or Mixing Tolerance Index, is a measurement of dough strength as determined by the Farinograph recording dough mixer. The MTI is the measure of breakdown rate of the dough after it has reached its optimum or peak mixing time. An MTI of 20 indicates only slight breakdown and a strong flour, 30 is a mellow flour, and 40 to 50 indicates a slightly weak flour. An MTI of more than 50 indicates a weak flour.
2. The endosperm is the largest part of the wheat kernel and takes up 83% of its mass