Sourdough Bread

100 grams active sourdough starter

200 grams water

300 grams bread flour

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix sourdough starter and water in a bowl. Add in flour and salt. Mix until a shaggy dough forms and all flour is incorporated. Cover with a damp towel or a lid just set on top, not sealed. Rest dough for 30 minutes. 

"Turn" dough by using your hands or a rubber spatula by grabbing from underneath the dough and pulling up and over the top of the dough. Turn bowl a quarter turn and do it again. Do this about 8 times. 

Let dough rest 30 minutes and turn again. Repeat by letting rest and turning 1 or 2 more times until you have a smooth dough. 

At this point, cover bowl with the lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 4 days. 

When you're ready to bake, prepare your proofing vessel (I use a round 8 inch atorage container) by lining with parchment paper.  Remove dough from the bowl and place on a floured counter. Do one more turn by pulling from bottom and stretching up over the top. You're trying to build up some surface tension on the bottom of the loaf. It should be nice and smooth. Flip uour dough over and tuck the edges under to create a nice smooth top. Place dough in parchment paper lined vessel, lightly cover and allow to rise until when you press a finger in it, the dent remains. This can take several hours since sourdough does not rise as fast as commercial yeast. 

At least  30 minutes before you want to bake, place a heavy dutch oven in a cold oven and preheat to 450 degrees. You want it to be good and hot. 

Lift the dough out of the container and place on counter. Make a slash across the loaf about 1/2 inch deep. Use the parchment paper to lift into the hot dutch oven and spray with 5 or 6 sprays of water. Cover and bake for 25 to 30 minutes with the lid on. Remove from oven and lift with parchment and place back on the oven shelf for an additional 5 to 10 minutes until it is as brown as you like it and an instant read thermometer reads 200 degrees in the center of the loaf. 

Allow to cool before slicing for best texture, or just hack it up and eat it slathered with butter. 

This recipe can easily be doubled or quadrupled. Bread freezes nicely in a ziplock bag, but you will lose the delicious crunchy crust. 

How to maintain sourdough starter:

If you keep it at room temperature it needs to be fed every 24 to 48 hours. Feed by mixing in water and flour approximately of the same amount as the starter. Make sure your container is large enough for it to double in size.

If you keep it refrigerated, it needs to be fed every 2 weeks. I remove it from the fridge, pour half into a separate jar, feed them both then leave one out on the counter with the lid just sitting on top to bake with and cover the 2nd jar and put back in fridge. Starter is active when it is bubbly and has doubled in size.

ATK Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

 From America's Test Kitchen. This recipe is a pain in the butt, but it makes delicious cookies!

INGREDIENTS

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

14 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoin almond extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

3/4 cup chopped nuts

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12- inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
2. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10 inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.
3. Add both sugars, salt, and extracts to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.
4. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. Smash down slightly to flatten tops.
5. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking seet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

Cannoli Cheesecake

 From Life, Love and Sugar

CRUST

• 15 graham crackers, finely crushed, about 1 sleeve (Or 1/2 package of oreos and 1/2 sleeve of graham crackers)
• 2-3 Tbsp melted butter
• >>> Mix together until a "wet sand" consistency results. Add more melted butter as needed to achieve this. Press into a springform pan and set aside.

FILLING

• 20 ounces ricotta Cheese
• 12 oz mascarpone cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, room temperature

WHIPPED CREAM

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, cold
• 5 tbsp powdered sugar
• 3 tbsp ricotta Cheese (Or just all of the leftover ricotta and mascarpone from making the filling; use around 1-2 c of whipping cream if taking this route)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Mini chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.

2. In a large bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, mascarpone cheese, sugar and flour on low speed until combined and smooth. Be sure to use low speed to reduce the amount of air added to the batter, which can cause cracks, and to make sure you don’t over mix. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the cinnamon and vanilla extract. Mix on low speed until well combined.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined.
5. Pour the cheesecake batter into the crust and spread evenly.
6. (If you do not care about cracks forming in your cheesecake, skip this step. Note: Cracks will not be visible as the cheesecake will have a topping) Place the springform pan inside another larger pan. Fill the outside pan with enough warm water to go about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. The water should not go above the top edge of the aluminum foil on the springform pan.
7. Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center is still jiggly when moved (but not liquidy).
8. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in oven with the door closed for 30 minutes. Do not open the door.
9. Crack oven door and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another 30 minutes. This cooling process helps the cheesecake cool slowly to prevent cracks.
10. Remove the cheesecake from the oven, then remove the pan from the water bath and remove the aluminum foil. Refrigerate the cheesecake until completely cooled and firm, 6-7 hours or overnight.
11. When the cheesecake is ready to serve, make the whipped cream.
12. To make the whipped cream, add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, ricotta cheese and vanilla extract to a large mixer bowl. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
13. Spread the whipped cream on top of the cheesecake, then sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and a little additional powdered sugar, if desired.
14. Remove from springform pan and serve. Cheesecake is best for 3-4 days.

Ruthie's 7-Layer Bean Dip

Layer in a low bowl:

1. 2 cans of Frito bean dip (regular flavor)

2. 3 ripe medium avocados

3. Mix together - 2 Tbsp or less of lemon juice, 1 c of sour cream, 1/2 c of mayo, and 1 pack of Lawry's taco seasoning

4. 1 small can (3.8 oz) of black olives, sliced

5. 3 firm Roma tomatoes, diced w/ seeds removed

6. 3 green onions, chopped

7. Grated cheddar cheese

Mississippi Mud Pie

 From New York Times Cooking via Samantha McDonald

Ingredients

For the Graham Cracker Crust:

 About 15 whole graham crackers

¼ cup/50 grams granulated sugar

½ teaspoon kosher salt

8 tablespoons/114 grams (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the Brownie Cake:

8 tablespoons/114 grams (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

6 ounces/170 grams bittersweet chocolate, chopped

⅓ cup/67 grams dark brown sugar

⅓ cup/33 grams Dutch-processed cocoa powder, plus more for dusting

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

3 large eggs, separated

½ cup/100 grams granulated sugar

¼ cup/32 grams all-purpose flour

For the Chocolate Custard:

4 ounces/113 grams bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons/29 grams unsalted butter, cut into pieces

½ cup/100 grams granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ cup/25 grams Dutch-processed cocoa powder

¼ cup/28 grams cornstarch

2 cups/480 milliliters whole milk

4 large egg yolks

To Finish:

1 ½ cups/360 milliliters cold heavy cream

Dutch-processed cocoa powder for dusting

Directions

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. In a food processor, grind the graham crackers to fine crumbs — you should have about 2 1/4 cups crumbs — and tip into a bowl. Add sugar, salt and butter, and toss until evenly moistened. Tip the crumb mixture into a 9-inch springform pan. Use your fingers to press the crumbs into a thin, even layer on the bottom of the pan and at least 2 1/4 inches up its sides. Bake the crust until just set, about 10 minutes. (The crust will continue to cook in the next step.) Increase heat to 350 degrees.

Prepare the cake: In a bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water but not touching it, melt together the butter and chocolate. (Alternatively, do this in short bursts in the microwave but be careful not to scorch the chocolate.) Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the dark brown sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and salt. Let cool slightly, then whisk in the 3 large egg yolks.

In large bowl, beat the remaining 3 large egg whites with an electric mixer on medium until foamy, about 30 seconds. While mixing, gradually add the granulated sugar in a steady stream. Increase the mixer speed to high and continue to beat until you have stiff peaks, about 3 minutes. Using a large rubber spatula, fold the egg-white mixture evenly into the chocolate mixture. Sift the flour evenly over the chocolate mixture and fold it in. Transfer the batter to the prepared crust and smooth the top. Bake until a crust has formed over the top, the center is just set and a toothpick inserted 1 inch from the edges comes out with moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. The center of the cake, under the crust, should still be very moist and fudgy. (Peek under the crust if necessary.) Do not overbake. The cake will sink slightly as it cools. Let the cake cool completely, at least 90 minutes.

Prepare the custard: Set the chocolate and butter in a medium bowl. Place a fine-mesh sieve over the bowl and set it aside. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, salt, cocoa powder, and cornstarch. Add the milk, little by little, while whisking to incorporate it fully. Whisk in the egg yolks. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it has thickened and just come to a low boil. Continue to cook the custard, whisking, for another minute, then immediately pour it into the sieve, pushing it through with a small spatula. Let the custard stand for 1 minute, then whisk it together with the butter and chocolate until smooth. Pour the custard over the cooled cake. Cover the custard with plastic wrap or wax paper, making sure to press it gently into the surface of the custard. Chill until the custard has set completely, at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Just before serving, remove the ring from springform pan base and transfer pie to a serving plate. Whip the cream to soft peaks and spoon high dollops over the top of the pie, leaving about a 1-inch border. Dust with cocoa powder.

Indian Lentil Curry (Dahl)

 From the blog "Veggie Desserts"

Ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil or coconut oil

2 onions diced

3 garlic cloves finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh ginger peeled and grated (or ½ tablespoon dried ginger)

½ teaspoon finely chopped red chili (or ½ teaspoon dried chili flakes), optional

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon coriander seeds

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon garam masala TIP: If you don't have all the whole spices, just use 3 teaspoons of Garam Masala instead.

1 cup (200g) dried red lentils, uncooked (rinsed and drained)

4 carrots, sliced thick

1 zucchini, quartered and sliced thick

1 can (14oz/400ml) chopped tomatoes

1 can (14oz/400ml) coconut milk

2 cups (500ml) vegetable broth/stock

Salt and pepper

Juice of half a lemon or a small splash of vinegar

2 handfuls fresh spinach washed

Cilantro

Directions 

***Stove Top***

Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook gently for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and red chilli and cook for a few minutes.

Grind the cumin, coriander and mustard seeds lightly in a pestle and mortar, then add to the pan, along with the turmeric and garam masala and cook for 1 minute. 

Add the lentils, tomatoes with their juice, coconut milk and broth/stock, then stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and cook on a medium/low heat for 15-20 minutes until reduced and thick. If you have time, you can leave it a little longer on a very low heat for even more flavor (just stir often and check it doesn't scorch on the bottom of the pan).Taste and add more chilli if desired. 

Stir in the lemon juice and spinach until it wilts. 

Top with cilantro and serve warm with rice, naan bread or poppadoms.

***Instant Pot***

Set the Instant Pot to 'saute' setting and heat the oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for about 4 minutes until it gets soft but not browned. Add the garlic, ginger and red chili and cook for a minute, then turn off the Instant Pot.

Grind the cumin, coriander and mustard seeds lightly in a pestle and mortar, then add to the pan, along with the turmeric and garam masala and cook, stirring, for 1 minute (there will be enough heat left in the Instant Pot to do this). 

Stir in the lentils, tomatoes, coconut milk and broth/stock. Put the lid on the Instant Pot, close the steam vent and set to Manual (Pressure Cook)/High Pressure pressure using the manual setting, then set the time to 8 minutes.

After the time is up, wait for 10 minutes and then carefully use the quick release valve to release remaining pressure, or let the pressure release naturally. Stir in the lemon juice and the spinach until it wilts and serve!

***Slow Cooker***

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook gently for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and red chili and cook for a few minutes.

Grind the cumin, coriander and mustard seeds lightly in a pestle and mortar, then add to the frying pan, along with the turmeric and garam masala and cook for 1 minute.

Add the onion mixture to the bowl of the slow cooker, along with the lentils, tomatoes, coconut milk and broth/stock. Place lid on slow cooker and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8-10 hours. Taste and cook longer if necessary for the lentils to be lovely and soft. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the lemon juice and spinach. 

Buttermilk Syrup

 From Erin Smith

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk (or milk)

1/2 cube butter

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Bring sugar, buttermilk, and butter to a rolling boil. Boil for one minute. Remove from heat and add the baking soda and vanilla. Enjoy!