Memories

I subscribe to Bon Appetite and was so pleased they featured a Boston Brown Bread recipe.  My mother used to make BBB and we'd enjoy it hot with a side of baked beans.  What I loved about the bread (beside the delicious, rich flavor) was the fact you cook it in a coffee tin.

Since I use a Kurig and do not have coffee tins in the house, I had to ask around work to find a couple.

Right now, my house if filled with a slightly sweet (molasses and brown sugar) scent of bread baking.  A perfect day for baking bread as Hurricane Sandy (my mother's name by the way, so especially apropo to make this recipe) covers our region with buckets of rain, wind, and cold.

Here's the recipe from Bon Appetite November 2012 issue http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/11/boston-brown-bread

Boston Brown Bread 

Recipe 10 servings Active: 20 minutes Total: 3 1/2 hours (includes baking and cooling time)

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter plus more for serving, room temperature
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup mild-flavored (light) molasses
1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup rye flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup raisins (optional-I do not add)

Special Equipment Two empty, clean 11-13-ounce coffee cans Ingredient Info Rye flour is available at natural foods stores and some supermarkets. Preparation Preheat oven to 350°. Cut two 6-inch squares of foil. Coat insides of cans and one side of foil squares with 1 tablespoon butter. Stir milk and next 3 ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves and mixture is just warmed (do not boil). Whisk whole wheat flour and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Add milk mixture; whisk until smooth. Fold in raisins, if using. Divide batter between cans. Smooth tops. Cover cans with foil, butter side down. Secure foil with kitchen twine. Place cans foil side up in a deep roasting pan or a heavy shallow pot. Transfer pan to oven. Pour very hot water into pan to come about 3-inch up sides of cans. Bake until a skewer inserted through foil into the center of each loaf comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer to a wire rack. Let cool for 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around edges of cans. Invert to release loaves onto rack. Let cool completely. DO AHEAD Bread can be made 3 days ahead. Wrap tightly in plastic; store at room temperature. Slice bread. Serve with soft butter.

Fall Cooking

Today I made a pumpkin soup that we loving call Harvest Time Soup. This is a family favorite and really takes advantage of fall veggies. You can purchase a cooking pumpkin, bake and remove the flesh to add to the soup. I've done this before, but the cooking pumpkins are not always available. So, to create the texture of pumpkin, I mix in butternut squash with canned pure, pumpkin puree. The soup can be rich and if you want to reduce the calories, you can saute the shallots in olive or vegetable oil, use evaporated milk instead of cream, and use turkey bacon (not a fav of the family). So tonight we will sit down to a hearty soup (perfect for this time of year), with a crusty Italian bread and salad. Yummmmm!

Bouquet of Wooden Spoons

I did some baking this weekend-banana bread, squash casserole, and tomorrow an apple pie. As I was mashing really ripe bananas with a wooden fork, but couldn't help but look at my bouquet of wooden spoons.  I love wooden utensils.  There is something about the touch of the wood beneath my fingers and how they do not burn you when you are cooking over a hot stove.  I keep them in a Peruvian water picture that is a family piece and makes a great holder for all of the spoons. 

Every where I go that has a home section, I look for wooden spoons.  I have bamboo, olive tree, cherry, and oak.  They come from all over, the latest (the honey dipper) is from the country of Greece and is made from an olive tree.  Every once in a while I take the time to oil them so they don't split and become brittle, but I do admit to throwing them into the dishwasher when I'm pressed for time.

What's your favorite cooking tool?