Onion Jam: The stuff obsessions are made of.

It really is no surprise that the onion is one of the oldest vegetables in the world. It is a vital base of so many different foods, and can be found in almost every culture's foodstuffs. Every time I saute them, I think of a study I read a long time ago that ranked them as the smell that most reminded men of being at home. Of course Googling such a subject topic to see where I may have read it revealed some interesting data, none of which I feel is appropriate to share here...

Sometimes, inspiration strikes in the strangest ways. I had some previously made flatbread dough and a small bowl of already sliced onions in the refrigerator last night, both from unfinished projects earlier in the week. The flatbreads were actually supposed to be made last Tuesday, and although the recipe said it would hold for 2 days in the fridge, I didn't know if it was going to make acceptable flatbread by Friday night, so I figured I would turn it into a skillet pizza - a trick I first saw Alex Guarnaschelli do a couple years ago on Food Network. The oven is preheated, 400 in my case, and you heat the skillet on the stove top with olive oil and sear both sides of a dough before topping it and finishing it in the oven. Since I had a bowl of sliced onions to use up (I don't even remember what I was going to use them for), I thought I would caramelize them for the pizza. While trying to be patient and stirring them, I was chatting away with Sasa, and we started talking about onion jam.

Pizza onions: higher heat, darker color.

I knew that the ones I was working on were going on a pizza, so I was not looking for the gently moderated heat that renders onions magically gelatinous. I got them done, finished up the pizza, and began plotting about onion jam. First thing this morning I starting my perusal for onion jam recipes. Some looked too sweet and some were more on the pickled side, but I finally found this one on Panini Happy, and knew it was more on par with what I was after. I am still looking for a recipe that would be able to be canned, if anyone can help me out - but meanwhile, I adapted the Panini Happy recipe to what I had on hand and my own personal taste.

I used 1 1/2 pounds of regular Wisconsin storage onions (about 6 medium/small ones), they were fairly strong. After cooking down, they yielded 10 1/2 oz. of jam. I also made a batch of granola in the interim, since most of the cooking time is largely unattended (and my oven was hot from roasting the garlic). It's always good to have a second project, so you don't go batty while waiting for the onions to soften. Your patience will be rewarded! I did set a timer for each of the caramelizing steps, which is much nicer than trying to rely solely on color, especially if you get interruptions. The original recipe said that it will last a week under refrigeration, but I suspect it could last longer. If you don't polish it off right away, that is.

Onion Jam

• 1 1/2 lbs. onions, frenched (sliced)
• 1 head of garlic, roasted
• 1 T. granulated sugar
• 2 T. dark brown sugar
• pinch of salt
  
• 4 T. balsamic vinegar (I used 2, and then 2 of red wine vinegar, since it appears that I need to add balsamic vinegar to my shopping list)
• water

Heat a lidded saute pan over medium heat, and saute onions in a t. of olive oil until softened and translucent, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes. If they start to stick at all, cover the pan, and turn your heat down a bit.

Add sugars, cover the pan, and continue cooking and stirring occasionally for another 20-30 minutes until the onions are golden brown.

Add 1/4 c. water, cover the pan, and continue cooking and stirring occasionally for another 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, mash up the roasted garlic cloves with a fork, and mix with the vinegar.

Then add the mashed garlic/vinegar mixture and an additional 1/4 c. of water and cook and stir until nicely thickened, another 10 minutes or so.

Lean towards the 30 minute mark if you want a darker jam, I stuck closer to the 20 minute marks, and mine was a beautiful, butterscotch color.

After having some of those great grilled cheese combinations on Thursday, I know I'll have at least one foray into the sandwich realm with this jam. The funny thing is, I ate a spoonful, and immediately wanted some with eggs. Weird! So, I will let you know if some onion-y eggs appear anywhere around my home this week. I have a sneaking suspicion that I'll be doing a lot with this humble condiment...

Glimpses of Greatness and Grilled Cheeses

The last two evenings were spent completely (or maybe just somewhat completely) outside of my comfort zone. Wednesday, Sasa and I went to a Farm to Table dinner at La Merenda, in support of the movie Fresh which is screening here next week (4/19-21, 2010 at the Downer Landmark Theater). La Merenda is in the industrial Walker's Point neighborhood, just north of the Allen Bradley clock, as you can see:

We arrived just before our 7 o'clock dinner reservation, unsure of what to expect. It is a very intimate and somewhat dark space, with poured concrete counters and floors, but tastefully lightened by brightly painted cinder block walls. A smiling bartender when we walked through the front door was my first impression, and a lasting one as he recommended a great Spanish Tempranillo that Sasa enjoyed.

Our dinner was four courses, with a focus on local and sustainably farmed meats and produce. Photography skill is put to the test in a room like this, and I think I failed to capture the ambiance, which really was quite lovely. Chef Peter Sandroni talked briefly on the restaurants commitment to local food, and thanked us for supporting the local restaurant scene.

This may be where it gets a bit tricky... since parts of each course were truly great. Amazing even. But as a whole, each dish left just a little something that I wanted to love and just didn't. One thing I did love was this amazing cheese on the first course: a Montchevre Honey Goat Cheese from Belmont, Wisconsin. It was lightly breaded and pan fried, and was really outstanding.

As the evening progressed, I have more and more dimly lit pictures. I actually liked the sodium light colored hue the orange walls added to the atmosphere, although it really does nothing to accentuate my food photography! I have a slew of pictures over at flickr that I will annotate with other happy moments in this dinner. I am also planning to check out La Merenda again, and try some additional small plates.

Last night, my Husband and I carpooled with Peef and Lo, and Sonja - another blogger from Milwaukee by way of Boston. We had full circle discussions about food on our ride out to Madison for the celebration of the new website Grilled Cheese Academy. This site, produced by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing board is drop dead gorgeous - full of inspirational cheese sandwiches of the grilled variety. You may not think twice about a grilled cheese, but it is indeed inspired eating, especially when prepared by L'Etoile's Chef Tory Miller.

The small Cafe Soleil rests beneath its parent restaurant, where unfortunately, I have never eaten. I was a little wrapped up in chatting (further reading will have to be done here after meeting another Milwaukee food blogger - Mel!), and not as conscious of my surroundings as I am when I'm alone... but when my Husband noted that Chef Miller looks really excited about what he's doing, I had to pay attention and agree. This is the type of passion that makes everyone as excited about a grilled cheese sandwich as he is - and not to mention that the sandwich combinations that the Grilled Cheese Academy showcases on their site are solid recipes. Epicurean grilled cheese sandwiches for people who love to cook, and some that are easy enough for a quick throw together. There is also a section for recipe submissions, so if you feel that you have a worthy contender, you can submit!

The above specimen was one of my favorites: The Monroe. Bacon, Limberger cheese, spinach, onions and fig jam happily playing together in one sandwich. I have never eaten Limberger before, and I have to say it was much different that I was expecting. It was delicious! Another of my favorites was this one:

The Biloxi. Pulled pork, coleslaw and bread and butter pickles. I actually ate two samples of this one, even though I ran out of room and it meant I didn't get to try each variety. Next to each plate of grilled cheese samples, were a couple of different varieties of Wisconsin beer, and I have to say I was more than a bit surprised how expertly paired up they were. Granted, I could have been more scholarly and written everything down, but that would have deterred me from my gusto in sampling. I forgot to mention the rocky piles of cheese cubes, little bites of Wisconsin cheese in a nice range of every flavor imaginable: blues, fontina and even a raspberry one that was particularly good. I have also downloaded a set of photos to flickr, and will try to annotate later today as I remember...but do remember that the Grilled Cheese Academy website has a recipe for each and every mouthwatering photo on their site! Way to go, Wisconsin Milk Board! Also be sure to check out other Wisconsin blog and food blog pages over the next few days to read more on their takes of this event as well.

When it comes down to it, I think the past couple of days have taught me a few things. I love to eat, I can have a critical palate, and I definitely know what I like and why, but what I really love is being enslaved to my kitchen, concocting and tweaking and testing - and then writing about it. I have a deep sense of appreciation for professionals that are able to make food and serve others, and it is fun to go and see what is out there, especially when the whole food experience is akin to live theater. But to have the pleasure to cook and bake in my own home is much more rewarding to me than reviewing.

I recall writing some paper in college in which I used this quote, and I believe that it was to the same effect: that I would rather "stoke the star maker machinery behind the popular song" (that was Joni Mitchell, by the way). I am not introverted, but do walk that fine line. While attempting more events is no doubt in my future, I am absolutely content to keep my "day job", blissful as it is, and immerse myself fully in the wonders of flours and other such things.

My Foodie Week, and Carbohydrate Update

So, this week so far has been laden with Carbohydrates. Yes, with a capital "C". When it comes right down to it, I like to cook - but man, I LOVE to bake. I think dough is something that becomes completely addictive to work with, and batters are small miracles. I know we all should be eating less wheat, but it doesn't deter me from this unabashed love affair with flour. I find myself hopelessly wishing I knew many people in need of eating breads, muffins, cupcakes and the like since I would be so willing to share, but sadly the baked good is sometimes boycotted. Maybe that is why I do my part to keep them happy. After all, grains can be good for you, especially if you don't eat a whole loaf of bread in a single sitting and limit more refined flours.

Pancakes are in regular rotation in my kitchen, and this morning I used three non-white flours in my standard pancake mix: whole wheat, oat, and buckwheat. At first, Boy-O asked if they were pancakes since he wasn't used to the flecked buckwheat, but after the first bite, he ate twice as many as I did.

As excited as I was about the Multigrain Sandwich Bread, I got it in my head that I had to make the Lahey Peanut Butter and Jelly Bread. Yesterday, I mixed up the dough in the evening, and waited patiently until this morning to continue. It was a super sticky dough, that had peanut butter emulsified with the water. As I lifted the lid, I was happily overwhelmed with the "peanutiness" of the dough, and was daydreaming most of the morning about slicing into a perfectly dreamy PB&J bread around lunchtime.

As with all doughs, they can sometimes be temperamental and difficult to read. This happens to me once in a while, usually when I am fresh off the heels of a great dough triumph like the Multigrain Sandwich Bread. I get to thinking that I know more than the dough, which can be dangerous territory, and then very gracefully, the dough reminds me that I am not in control. Like so many other things in life, just when you start to think you have it all figured out, you are humbled into realization that you really know nothing.

Fortunately for me, this endeavor was not inedible, just not as glorious and perfect as Mr. Lahey's orignal shown on page 104 of his book. PB&J bread bakes for more than an hour in a loaf pan, and if you decide to make it, make sure to cover it with aluminum foil around the 30 minute mark. I'm glad I set my timer for a half hour, because the egg wash made mine so dark, that had I let it go longer, I think it would have burnt.

My decision to use grape jelly also proved to be the wrong move, as it melted into the bread, creating moist, yet somewhat flavorless tunnels in the finished loaf:

But perfection is something to strive for, and I now know why he says to use a seedless JAM and not a JELLY. If you are looking to make it, consider buying this book! It is after all, on the list of James Beard Foundation recommended Essential Baking Books! (Meanwhile, if you just can't wait, you can find the recipe here.)

After it came out of the oven, we went outside. We intended on a walk, but then ended up cleaning up the yard a little. I turned over 2 of my 3 plant beds, figured out how to use a contraption that assists you in pulling dandylions (I found it in my garage, and boy is THAT addicting!), and started cleaning out the garage. We decided to pull out the table, and then I washed it since it was obvious that the day was so nice that we couldn't eat our lunch indoors.

When we sliced the bread, Boy-O took the first bite, and declared that it didn't really taste like peanuts. I concurred. But it was the nicest bread! Soft, and just faintly peanut flavored, but more like it had been "tenderized" by peanuts than made dense by peanut butter. I immediately imagined that any number of nut butters could stand in for the peanuts and a loaf made even without jam would be a very nice sandwich loaf indeed. I made him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on it, which passed the taste test. After each bite, he exclaimed "this is really good!", almost as if he were surprised at each mouthful.

I'd wager that anything tastes better when consumed outdoors...

I had a slice on the side of this salad which I decided to make yesterday when Marisa had posted it. I of course adapted it to use up things that I had on hand, but really just had to omit the fresh parsley and garbanzos and sub in kidneys (which I found hiding mysteriously in the back of my pantry). It is a really great salad... and one that I will continue eating for the remainder of the week, no doubt. It was good with a side of PB&J bread, too!

I'm hoping to make another pair of these beds, situated in the sunny middle of my back yard...

Which brings me to the Foodie Week portion of my post: Peef and Lo attended a dinner last night at Meritage in support of the film Fresh, which opens here on the 19th for a limited run. Several area restaurants are hosting "Farm to Table" style dinners, with focus on locally and sustainably raised ingredients. You have to click over to read the whole Burp! report, since I can assure you that if you are in the Greater Milwaukee area, you will want to book a reservation at Meritage. I know I want to!

I will be attending the event tonight at La Merenda, a tapas bar in the Walker's Point neighborhood. I've never been there, so I'm hoping this inaugural dining experience there will be one for the books! The three course tasting menu also includes tickets to the film showing at Landmark Downer Theater next week, April 19-21, which I was very excited to see after first reading about Joel Salatin here at innBrooklyn. Talia saw a lecture last weekend, and nicely summed up the philosophy of this "high priest, lunatic farmer", many points that sound as logical as they are inspirational.

Tomorrow evening, we have a "Food Blogger Carpool" going to Madison for the official launch of the new website Grilled Cheese Academy. It is not a school, just an awesome place set up by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board to find killer grilled cheese recipes. I am as excited to mingle with other food bloggers as I am the excuse to spend more time with my Husband at a food event! Like I said to Lo, I think it was the beer and cheese that won him over...

I am lately in a constant state of amazement over the people that I have met during this past year, my first one blogging. I feel like I have real, lasting relationships with people that before blogging I never would have known existed! It is inspirational to connect with people who are "geeky" about different aspects of food, be it food politics, cooking and baking, preservation, gardening, or recently - culturing (I'm looking at you, Julia!). It seems like wherever I turn for inspiration, I find genuinely friendly people, excited to share a few moments of their days with a complete stranger. It may be just to "geek out" over a recent obsession, but sometimes it is even to help with little life problems, such as marmalade that didn't "gel" and bathroom tile. This is exactly what makes my life feel so rich, so thank you to everyone new I've met, and also to those that I've known for years! Some are silver and some are gold.

Multigrain Sandwich Bread (A non-Lahey recipe, if you are keeping track.)

Last Friday, I entered the day with the sole task of making this bread. I had a subscription to Cook's Illustrated for a few years in the early 2000's, and during one of my moves, decided to go through the 4 or 5 year stash that had accumulated and pull out the recipes that I knew I would make. I usually have to be in the right frame of mind for this, since sometimes everything looks like it would be worth saving. In my own best interest of avoiding a basement full of clutter (and because we all know that once a recipe crosses the boundaries of a kitchen, chances are it will never be seen again), I kept only the "healthy" recipes that for the most part did not contain a pound of butter, and ones that I absolutely knew I would make. Among them are some of my favorite recipes, flatbreads made stovetop in a cast iron pan (and in about an hour!), a chicken tikka masala that I'm fairly sure enriches my life to great extent, and a lemon pound cake to shame maybe all other lemon pound cakes, excepting maybe Dorie Greenspan's...

Anyone even somewhat familiar with Cook's Illustrated can tell you that they exhaustively test recipes, and as a one-time devotee I can tell you that if you follow their directions, you are guaranteed an end product that lives up to their rigorous testing. Now that I have cooked from some of their recipes for nearly a decade, I can also say that many of their recipes make good "jumping off points", and many very fat-laden ones can successfully be lightened.

Part of this bread's base of grains is a 7-grain hot cereal mix from Bob's Red Mill. I will also note, that Bob's Red Mill grains usually have killer recipes on the backs of their packages, and their grain mixes for breakfasts in particular are good on their own. So if you happen to pick up a package and then don't have time to make this recipe, you will no doubt use it up in no time. This particular variety did not come in organic, but I would assume you could probably substitute one of their other organic mixtures if you were concerned.

The other great thing about this recipe is that it makes 2 loaves. Normally, I'd rather have the excuse to be making a new loaf and not worrying about consuming two. But this one is so good, that one disappeared by the end of the day, and now there is just a third of the second loaf left. It would also be a great thing to have waiting for you in your freezer, if you don't happen to have a throng of hungry people stopping by your house to eat up your leftovers...

I do have a kitchen scale, and did weigh my amounts when they were given. This dough was the next best thing to a "knead-less" variety, and overall a pleasure to work with. I would not probably recommend trying to make it without a stand mixer, since it is a pretty stiff dough. If I were pressed to formulate a proper critique, and I was being kind of picky, I'd say to nix the oats on top, since many of them didn't stick, and were rather messy when I cut into the bread. I'm considering mixing a bit into my dough next time. That said, they do look nice, and who am I to worry about a little messiness?

Easy Multigrain Sandwich Bread - Cook's Illustrated March/April 2006

• 6 1/4 oz. (1 1/4 c.) 7-grain cereal mix
• 20 oz. (2 1/2 c.) boiling water
• 15 oz. (3 c.) unbleached AP flour (plus extra for dusting the work surface)
  
• 7 1/2 oz. (1 1/2 c.) whole wheat flour
• 4 T. honey
• 4 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 2 1/2 t. instant yeast (I used active dry from the co-op refrigerated bulk bin)
• 1 T. table salt
• 3/4 c. sunflower seeds
• 1/2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats, or quick oats

Place cereal mix in the bowl of standing mixer and pour boiling water over. Let it sit, stirring occasionally, until mixture cools to 100 degrees, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, mix flours in medium bowl.

Once grain mixture has cooled, add honey, melted butter, and yeast and stir to combine. Attach bowl to standing mixer fitted with dough hook. With mixer running on low, add flours, 1/2 c. at a time, and knead until dough forms a ball, about 2 minutes. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rest 20 minutes.

Add salt, and knead on medium-low speed until dough clears sides of bowl, 3-4 minutes (it only took 2 minutes for me), adding 2-3 T. of additional AP flour if it doesn't clear the sides of the bowl. Continue to knead for 5 more minutes. Add seeds and knead for another 15 seconds.

Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead by hand until seeds are dispersed evenly, and dough forms a smooth, taut ball. Place into a lightly greased 4 qt. container (I used the base of my crockpot and then covered with the glass lid), cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise until doubled, 45-60 minutes.

Adjust oven rack to middle position, and heat to 375. Spray or grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface, and pat into 12x9 inch rectangle. Cut dough in half crosswise. With short side facing you, and starting at the farthest end, roll dough piece into a log by tucking it under itself as you go. To seal it, pinch the seam gently together. Spray lightly with water or cooking spray, and roll each log in oats. Place loaves seam sides down in pans, pressing gently into corners. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until almost doubled, 30-40 minutes. (Dough should barely spring back when poked with a finger) Bake 35-40 minutes (until loaf registers 200 on an instant read thermometer). Remove from pans, and cool before slicing, about 3 hours.

I can tell you that it is a shame that I haven't made this sooner. It may seem to take a bit in the time department, but not really in the labor department, so it will fit nicely into my bread baking repertoire, even though it is not a Lahey bread. It is soft, and not too grainy tasting, and nicely earthy from the sunflower seeds, not to mention it makes great toast! I would imagine that some tweaking can be done, if you keep the boiling water to grain mix ratio constant. I also think some walnuts or pecans would be a nice addition.

In case Mr. Lahey thinks I have lost my obsession, I think I'm going to fit one of his loaf pan breads into my week, because I've been eying a peanut butter and jelly bread, and it can not go as long as this Cook's Illustrated one did without being tested! I'm sure I'll let you know how it turns out. I'm figuring it can take the place of some dessert, since I know I need to cut back a little.

Spring Greens: Leek, Asparagus & Ham "Shepard's" Pie

Spring. Green. Everything is a lovely shade of verde lately. A week full of rain has produced greens in all the shades of the green rainbow, colors of green that you forget exist outside of spring. Chives are happily poking up from my herb bed, and organic leeks at the Outpost were 79 cents a pound! It's really here, no denying it now.

Still thinking about the innBrooklyn call for Asparagus recipes, I decided to use up the rest of my Easter leftovers last night by doing one of my favorite things with leftovers: making a pie. I love quiche, but my Husband does not, fortunately for me it is never hard to get him to eat leftover's by making a Shepard's Pie of sorts, basically a crustless quiche with a mashed potato topping. It is amazing to me that I can go into the fridge, pull out several bowls of languishing leftovers, add a bit of heat and a simple sauce and turn it into something delicious. Perhaps not the most elegant, regal or photogenic of recipes, but satisfying nonetheless. Another plus is that it goes into the oven, so almost all the cleanup is done before dinner begins.

My recipe of sorts for Leek, Asparagus & Ham "Shepard's" Pie: (or the "Or so" Leftovers recipe)

• 3 medium leeks, sliced
• 1 c. or so leftover ham
• 3/4 c. or so frozen peas
• 1/2 c. or so asparagus (I used leftover already blanched from dinner on Wednesday)
• 2 T. AP flour
• 1 1/2 c. water or stock
• 2 c. or so leftover mashed potatoes
• 1 egg, beaten
  
• salt, pepper, herbage of your choice - chives in my case
  

Saute the leeks in a bit of butter and/or olive oil until wilted, about 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper (and I also used some Aleppo pepper). Stir in flour, and continue stirring for a minute. Add stock and whisk until smooth and thickened, a minute or two depending on your heat. Add in the ham, asparagus and peas, and continue cooking over medium-low heat until everything is heated through. Pour into a 9x9 glass baking dish.

Mix mashed potatoes with the beaten egg until smooth, and spread out over the top of the dish. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes until heated through and the potatoes start to get brown around the edges.

Recipes like these always beg for inspiration, you could add cheese to your mashed potatoes, or add more leeks and veg for a vegetarian version. Ham is a highly seasoned meat, so I really didn't feel the need to add any other flavors to the mix. I added a fair amount more of black pepper at the table, post photographing:

Which reminds me of the saying, "Be a miser with the salt, and a Demon with the pepper". I'm not sure who said that, but I like it, and usually feel that pepper is tremendously unsung in the culinary world. I often add it to the oil/butter I'm sauteing in, to release those oils that bring out the surprising heat in plain old black pepper.

Now my leftovers are gone, and I can start a new week of adventures with no jumping off point. This is good and bad, but something will emerge, I'm sure of that.