Chocolate Kugelhopf

This beautiful Chocolate Kugelhofp, filled with golden raisins, chocolate and brown sugar was made following this recipe from Martha Stewart Living.

What's a Kugelhofp? The Internet, being the wide and wonderful place that it is, describes endless variations and origins. A yeast-risen cake from France (especially Alsace) or Austria or Germany, it is baked in a round fluted pan, filled with raisins and sometimes almonds and dusted with powdered sugar before serving. The legends abound... One story says that the sweet bread was a gift from the three Magis returning from Bethlehem. Another, says that the recipe was brought to France by Marie Antoinette from Austria upon her marriage to Louis XIV. Another still, says it was a victory cake, baked in the shape of the sultan's turban after the Turks were defeated at the gates of Vienna in the 15th century.

This one had the consistency of a sweet bread not unlike a buttery brioche. Typically served with coffee, or at breakfast, I completely concur with the recipe that it's best toasted with a bit of butter. (But that didn't stop us from eating slice after slice just as it was. That's right. WAS. This delicious loaf disappeared quickly...)

I followed the recipe precisely, because I'm not crazy enough to think I can overrule the laws of chemistry, especially after past disasters with breads involving yeast. So, just diving into this project felt risky enough for me. But as always, variations are possible...I think any mix of dried fruit and nuts would work. Cranberries for Christmas would look pretty. This recipe added chocolate, so why not cinnamon?

It took the better part of a day, with all the rising and punching and waiting, but it was a lot of fun. And I learned a few tricks along the way. Like when you have to add a lot of flour to a batter, you should use the attachments on your beater called "dough hooks" (see the second picture below....I was on the verge of a giant mess when I figured this out....)

Here are the delicious results in pictures. I think it turned out perfectly and would highly recommend it. Enjoy!

 

Lentil Soup with Chicken Bacon

I love making big batches of hearty soup. In my house, it takes care of dinner, a couple of lunches and then there's still enough to put in the freezer for another time. The key to this one is the mix of chicken and beef flavours in the broth, and of course the chicken bacon. Start this recipe the day before to allow time for soaking the dried beans and grains.

Lentil Soup with Chicken Bacon
Serves 6 large bowls

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large carrots
4 stalks of celery
1 large onion
1 cup of green beans
1/2 cup of dried brown lentils
1/2 cup of "soup mix" (found in the dried bean section...it's usually a combo of dried beans, peas and barley)
1 chicken-flavoured bouillon cube
2 beef-flavoured bouillon cubes (I use the all-vegetable chicken and beef flavoured cubes....no MSG)
10 cups of water
3 strips of chicken bacon

Soak the dried lentils and dried soup mix in water overnight or for several hours (at least 6 hours).

Peel and chop carrots and onion. Tip and tail green beans. Chop celery. Place all vegetables in a large saucepan/stock pot with olive oil and sautee on medium until vegetables are soft and onion is slightly browned.

Drain the lentils and soup mix and add to the pot. Add the water and bouillon cubes, cover and bring to a boil. Brown the chicken bacon in a frying pan. It's very lean, so you may need to use a little bit of olive oil. (It may seem counter-intuitive to choose a lean bacon and then add fat, but I prefer the healthier olive oil to the oil in regular bacon...) Once the chicken bacon is crisp, cut it into cubes and add to the soup. Simmer on medium heat, covered, for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through and the beans and grains are soft.

Egg and Cheese Sandwiches and Root Vegetable Fries

Brunch!

This meal was awesome and unplanned. It all came together by accident...or by genius! We woke up too late for breakfast, so I decided to go straight to something a little more suited to lunch. A quick look in the fridge and I discovered some spicy hummus, eggs, and some extra old white cheddar. The last of my garden tomatoes had ripened on the counter. Sounded like the perfect mix of ingredients for a tasty sandwich. A few nights earlier, when I had the oven on, I'd chopped up some root vegetables to bake. May as well heat those up, I thought. Since I'd cut them in the shape of fries, my husband decided they needed ketchup. And wouldn't you know...with ketchup, they actually tasted a bit like fries! In less than 10 minutes, we had a and tasty meal that resembled a gourmet "grilled cheese and fries" but without the grilling, and without frying a single potato. Here's how:

Egg and Cheese Brunch Sandwiches
(Makes 2 sandwiches)

4 slices sprouted wheat bread
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons spicy hummus
1 medium tomato
several slices of old white Cheddar
salt and pepper

Special equipment: toaster oven

Toast the bread lightly. Meanwhile, fry 2 eggs in a little bit of olive oil on medium heat, breaking the yolks before you flip them. On one slice of bread, spread 1 Tablespoon of hummus, add 3 slices of tomato, salt and pepper, and one of the fried eggs. Lay cheese slices to cover the other slice of bread and return to the toaster oven on low to melt the cheese and toast the bread some more. Put the 2 sides together. Repeat for sandwich #2.

Recipe Improv: You can personalize this sandwich to your taste...choose your favorite rye or whole wheat bread, try a garlic hummus instead of spicy, and pick your favourite hard cheese if Cheddar's not your thing. This sandwich could also be done on a grill, or in the frying pan, but I wanted a version made without the oil/butter.

Root Vegetable Fries

3 large carrots
3 parsnips
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary (remember this?)
salt and pepper

Wash and peel the veggies. Cut them in sticks - roughly 6-10 cm (3-4 inches) long, and 3/4 cm (1/3 inch) in diameter. A better measurement would be to say "make them look like french fries."

Toss them in the olive oil, with rosemary, salt and pepper. In an oven proof dish or casserole, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour. Serve with ketchup.

(I made these ahead of time, kept them in the fridge and heated them up for brunch - the time consuming part of this recipe was already done. I'm a big believer in cooking stuff ahead of time and figuring out how to use it later. Whenever you have the oven on anyway, try throwing in a squash or a sweet potato (or a carrot, or a parsnip) to bake. Later in the week you can get creative.)