Highlights of the Coronado Room in Tusayan, AZ

         This upscale fine dinning restaurant is located in the Best Western Spire Hotel in Tusayan, AZ. We were looking for a place to get some yummy prime rib for dinner and this seemed to be the only place in town.

       
The atmosphere was very nice and matched the quality of our stay at the hotel. But we found it to be a little expensive for the quality of food that we received. Complementary breads at the beginning were very tasty, but was not served with enough butter to go around. We ordered a Salad, which by the way was not included in the price of our meal, and yet it was a very tasty mix of fresh sliced veggies arranged on a bed of spring mix and arugula. Our Prime rib was cooked way beyond to our desired doneness, served with a sloppy presented baked potato and burnt fresh snapped green beans. Not sure that we will pay the prices for a return trip.... :)

Biga -vs- Poolish

       Not to long after I joined the Artisan Bread Baking Group on Facebook, I realized that I was way behind in my bread making knowledge. I have recently come to the conclusion that we could spent a month of Saturday's discussing all the different ways you can get bread to rise. I have learned that bakers take hydration and fermentation very seriously. So, today, for our Super Saturday Cooking School session we thought we would try and give some cause and effect reasoning to a few of these methods used in bread making...

To start off with we need to explain that Preferment is any bread making technique that combines a moderate percentage of flour with a tiny amount of leavening and a small amount water and lets it develop for a period of time, anywhere from an 1 hour to a week or two, unlike a sourdough start that can be kept active for years. Biga and poolish are both types of this preferment and they can both be made from another type of flour than the one you are using for the actual bread. For example, you can use spelt, rye or whole wheat flour to add different flavours to our bread.

Biga ---- (Italian) is generally lower hydration at about 60 to 70 percent hydration, which make it a firmer start. The main function of a Biga is to enhance the strength of the dough, but also has a positive influence of coaxing the flavor out of the starches of a well maintained start and is often used in those breads that need a light, open texture with holes.  Many of these breads include the popular Italian breads, such as ciabatta or pane all'olio. Biga also helps to preserve the bread by making it less perishable.

Poolish ---- (Polish/Austrian) is generally 100 percent hydration which creates a very soupy start. Usually a poolish is fermented at room temperature and the amount of yeast used depends on the time you want to ferment the poolish, meaning less yeast needs more time. You get a richer flavour due to increased acidicity and you gain a longer shelf life.

Sponge ---- (English) is like a poolish but contains all of the water and is quite thin and runny

Pate Fermentee ---- (French) is also considered a firmer start, but greatly differs from the Biga. It is usually purpose-made and includes salt. It is kneaded a bit then put in the fridge overnight or for a few days. 

Meet "Joe Vest" food Dummy extraordinaire

Today we, the American Red Cross ERV (Emergency Response Vehicle) driving and feeding team got together for a bite to eat and get to know the "new people" party. Thanks to everyone who helped make our cookout today a success. Our special food handling guest brought a light hearted Halloween twist to our party... Meet "Joe Vest" 

We, as a response team, are always practicing to be prepared in the event of of a disaster whether it be a house fire, tornado or hurricane..... Etc.  And the ERV 1205 stands ready to serve her town and nation as needed. When you see her going down the road know the people inside truly care.

We volunteers look to each other for ideas and support and we look to you, our public, for donations. If you are interested in volunteering some of your time, you can find us or your local chapter at www.redcross.org.

"French Fridays with Dorie" - Cannelés

We are doing a little french baking today in honor of a wonderful chef and her new cookbook coming out this week. Even though, we have not yet met Dorie Greenspan in person, I love her creativity and yummy goodness that comes from her kitchen through her books and the wisdom she shares with our group.

I chose to make the Cannelés, these are new for us here at the pantry. They turned out very classy and yummy... Since we don't cook with rum, My little twist on these sweet treats is I replaced the dark rum with some new coconut balsamic that I just acquired. Yummy....... 

Happy Birthday Dorie!

"Tuesday's with Dorie" - Puff Pastry Pizzettes

Now for the savory side of our puff pastry dough challenge...

I love the how this batch of dough turned out. We decided to make ours more into a savory little appetizers by adding mozzerella cheese, cartelized onions, green peppers and cherry tomatoe slices.

Very tasty, you can now find these yummy morsels on our catering menu. :)

Oatmeal Bread - From theTrapp Family Lodge

Yield: Makes 2 loaves
 
ingredients

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 3/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 1/2 cups hot water
two 1/4-ounce packages (5 teaspoons) active dry yeast
5 to 6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten lightly, for brushing dough

preparation

In a large bowl combine butter, sugar, and 1 1/2 cups oats. Stir in hot water and let mixture stand until lukewarm. Sprinkle yeast over mixture and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in 5 cups flour and salt, stirring until mixture forms a dough, and turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead dough 10 minutes, adding as much of remaining cup of flour as necessary to form a smooth and elastic dough, and let rest, covered with an inverted bowl, 15 minutes.

Lightly oil 2 loaf pans, 9 by 5 by 3 inches. Form dough into 2 loaves and transfer to pans. Brush surface of dough with egg and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup oats. Let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Bake bread in middle of oven 35-45

"French Friday's with Dorie" - Roasted Jerusalem Artichokes with Garlic”

My guys don't really care much for Jerusalem Artichokes, we have tried them many different ways because I enjoy them. Also they are very hard to get in different parts of the country. I looked at Dorie's recipe and knew that I had to add a few more veggies to mine that my family would also eat, so here is my take on the recipe...

• 1 small sweet potatoes
• 2 large Jerusalem Artichokes
• 2 peeled parsnips, sliced
• 1/2 small cauliflower
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 6-8 small button mushrooms
• 1/2 medium onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 2 garlic cloves 
•  1/8 cup olive oil
•  1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup chicken broth

 

Directions

• Peel and cube sweet potato and Jerusalem Artichokes. Add cauliflower, parsnips, mushrooms. Coated with olive oil and place in 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with parsley, salt and pepper. For moister vegetables you can add 1/4 cup of chicken broth. Pour broth over all. Top with onions and garlic. Cover and bake at 350° for 1 hour or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until vegetables reach desired tenderness. Yield: 8 servings.

Also if you would like more information about these yummy little tubers visit our Wordless Wednesday Challenge post entitled Jerusalem Artichokes

 Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (3/4 cup) equals 136 calories, Total Fat 7.3, Carbohydrate, 17.6, Sodium 31.4, Fiber 3.6g, Protein 1.9, Sugar 3.8.