Croissant

Preferment

1 cup (215g) nonfat milk, room temp.

1 Tbsp (10g) active dry yeast

1 1/3 cups (175g)unbleached all-purpose flour

Place the milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast over the milk.  Stir just until it begins to get cloudy..

Add the flour and stir until you get a smooth mixture.  Let sit, covered, for 2 hours or overnight if in the refrigerator.


Dough

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp (14g) active dry yeast

2 cups (440g) whole milk, room temp

6 cups (800g) all purpose flour

1/3 cup (70g) sugar

1 Tbsps + 1 tsp (20g) kosher salt

1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

2 3/4 cups (625g) unsalted butter, european style

Sprinkle the yeast over the preferment.  Mix with the dough hook for 2 minutes, or until the mass looks elastic and smoother.

 

Slowly add half of the whole milk and continue with the dough hook until well incorporated.  You can scrape a few times to loosen some of the preferment that stays on the hook and bottom of the bowl. Add the remaining milk and stir until all of the preferment is dissolved.

Add your melted butter, sugar, salt and flour to the preferment.  Mix with the dough hook for three minutes.  Let rest for 20 minutes.

You will now notice that your dough looks more relaxed!  The gluten needs this resting period in order to make it easier to knead now. Mix on low speed for no more than 3 minutes until you get a smooth dough that feels more elastic. Cover with a cloth and let rest for 1.5 hours.

On a lightly floured surface, press dough into a 2” thick rectangle and wrap.  Place in fridge for 4-6 hours, but no more than 7.

Sometime within a couple of hours of chilling your dough, begin creating the butter packet: Place butter in the stand mixer bowl and beat until pliable.  Press into a rectangle about 14x9” over plastic.  Wrap tightly and refrigerate until you are ready to roll out your dough.

Take  your dough out of the fridge and roll it out to a rectangle 28”x12”. Place the butter over the left 2/3 of the dough.  Fold from right to the left, like an envelope. Turn the dough a quarter turn so that the larger seam faces you and roll out again to 28”x12”.  Fold once again, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1.5 hours.

Remove from the fridge, roll out again into 28”x12”, re-wrap and freeze for 1 hour.

Roll the dough out to a rectangle 32”x12”.  Cut out desired shapes and place on cookie sheets.‘Proof’ your croissants by placing them in a slightly warm, humid, draft-free space for 2 hours.

Egg Wash

4 egg yolks               

¼ cup cream

pinch of salt

Whisk the yolks. Add the cream and salt and using a pastry brush, lightly cover the croissants.  Wait 10 minutes to dry.

Egg wash the croissants again after letting them proof. Preheat oven to 425.  Turn down to 400 to bake.  Place your croissants inside and bake for 9 minutes (8 for smaller croissants).  Turn the pans and bake 6-7 more minutes.

Granola

6c Rolled Oats
1c Shredded coconut
1c Wheat germ

½ c Brown Sugar
¼ c Coconut Oil
¼ c Vegetable Oil
½ c Honey

Optional
1c Almonds
¼ c Flax seeds
½ c Pepitas
1½ c dried fruits; cranberries, blueberries, raisins, etc. 

Mix all ingredients except the dried fruits. Distribute evenly over 2 large baking sheets.

Bake @ 325º for about 40minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. 

Cool and add dried fruits. 
Crumble into chunks and place in airtight storage containers. 

Li hing Tomato & Watermelon Salad

One of my favorite things to eat growing up was Li hing mui. At one of my favorite restaurants in Hawaii, Alan Wong's, is a Li hing tomato salad. Here's an easier version to make.

1c Watermelon, cubed
1c Tomtatoes

1/2 tsp Li hing powder

2 tbs Goat cheese

Toss all ingredients together. 

Fruit & Nut Scones

With a friend, I discovered the LaBrea Bakery fruit and nut scones
at the neighborhood Coffee Shop. We went to get one so I could figure out what was in a scone to re-create it. The tasting went something like this:

A: Two Fruit & Nut Scones please.
Harold: No, just get one. All I want is a bite.
*bite*
Okay. Can I get another one? I'm eating yours.

---
1c raw almonds
1c raisins 
½ c dried cranberries

½ c dried apricots, diced
¾ c flax seeds
6 tbs brown sugar
2 c whole wheat flour
9 tbs butter
¼  tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
¾  tsp baking soda
½ c rolled oats
½ c buttermilk
¼ c maple syrup

Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut in the diced butter, with the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar until it resembles small peas. Stir in buttermilk and maple syrup. Fold in all remaining ingredients. Be careful not to overwork the dough.

Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, gently press or roll the dough to circles that are 1-inch thickness. Cut into wedges. Place wedges on two parchment-lined baking sheets.

Bake @ 350º for 25-30 minutes.

Turkey Burger, hold the bun

OR meatloaf salad, depending on how you look at it. How it happened was a friend came over for dinner and said I have some ground Turkey, what can you make with it? After a minute of scanning the ingredients in my fridge, this is what happened.

Garnishes
¼ sweet onion, chopped
6 button mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 c arugula
½ avocado
1 tsp olive oil

Turkey Burger
½ lb ground turkey
1 egg
¼ c bread crumbs
¼ onion, finely chopped
2 tbs sherry or brandy
1 tsp corn starch
salt & pepper to taste

Mix turkey burger ingredients. Shape into patties and grill, bake or fry.
Saute onion, mushrooms and garlic in olive oil.
Plate cooked burger with a handful of arugula, sliced avocado and cooled mushroom & onions.

Orange Beet Salad

 

On a cross country road trip earlier this year, the Salt Lake City dinner stop was at Pago. This salad is based on the orange, beet and feta salad there.

1 pkg Mache lettuce

1 oz sheeps milk feta cheese

1 oz Marcona almonds

2 beets

1 fresh orange

Dressing

2tbs Orange juice 

1tbs extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Boil beets. Refrigerate and cube.
Cut orange slices. Squeeze remainder for dressing.

Cube Feta cheese

Toss washed lettuce with dressing. Garnish with beets, orange slices, almonds and feta.

Trail Mix Cookies

1 c butter
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
2/3 c granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
½ c dried cranberries
1 3/4c semi-sweet chocolate chips 
¾ c sliced almonds
2 c all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar. Add baking powder, vanilla and egg until thoroughly mixed. Combine flour. Stir in chocolate chips, cranberries and almonds.

Scoop dough on a parchment lined baking sheet. Garnish with sliced almonds.

Bake @375º for 8-11 minutes.