Jason's Ciabatta Bread

I could probably live happily off bread and soup! And this recipe is as easy as gets.
This is a formula originally posted on usenet in the great alt.bread.recipes group by Jason Molina all credit to him and to The Fresh Loaf


500g bread flour
475g (~2 cups) water
2 tsp. yeast
15g salt


In Kitchen Aid style mixer: Mix all ingredients roughly till combined with paddle, let it rest for 10 minutes.
With the paddle beat well, it will start out like pancake batter but in anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes it will set up and work like a very sticky dough.

Place into a well oiled container and let it triple in size - about 2 1/2 hours.

Empty on to a floured counter cut into 3 or 4 peices. Spray with oil and dust with lots of flour. Let them prove for about 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes or so the loaves should be puffy and wobbly. Pick up and stretch into your final ciabatta shape (~10" oblong rectangle) and flip them upside down (this redistributes the bubbles, so you get even bubbles throughout), and onto parchment or a heavily floured peel. Try to do it in one motion and be gentle, it might look like you've ruined them completely, but the oven spring is immense on these things.

Bake at 500F until they are 205F in the cnter (about 15-20 minutes), rotating 180 degrees half way through. Some people like to turn the oven down to 450F after 10 minutes.

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY Reading Room Lamp in Bronze with Antique Burnished Brass Shade

Height | Width | Base
78.7 38.1 20.3D(cm)

Shade Size:20.3DX38.1DX26.7SH(cm)

Wattage:60.0W×2

£699.00 UK delivery

Barcelona Light

These brass ceiling chandeliers at Barcelona Design seem quite simple at first glace but when you see the type of ceremonial statement they can make in a space, you’ll realize just how impressive they are. The Vague Stelle ceiling lamp, which makes up the chandelier levels, was created and designed by Antoni de Moragas during the conversion of an old textile warehouse into a restaurant. The structure of the light is made with polished and varnished or chromed brass, while Pyrex tubes surround stainless steel braided wires from which the bulbs hang. You can combine the lamps, two or three times, to create a longer chandelier like structure. This wonderful lamp has a modern look while at the same time, hinting towards something medieval, right? Learn more at Barcelona Design.

French Onion Soup

Serves 6.

INGREDIENTS

3 pounds yellow onions, cut into 1/8-inch pieces
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon table salt, plus more as needed
1 pinch sugar
8 cups water , plus more as needed
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 sprig fresh thyme
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 baguette , crusty
8 ounces Gruyère cheese-I sliced it thick and placed it over the top of the crock…..the cheese melted mostly into the soup and a little off to the sides, but it created a thick, even layer this way.
INSTRUCTIONS

Melt butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat.
Add the onions, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and sugar. Toss to evenly coat.
Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Take the cover off, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are lightly browned. I cooked mine for a little less than 90 minutes.
At this point, stir every 5 minutes and add water (a tablespoon at a time to loosen up the dark brown stuff that forms on the bottom of the pan).
Continue to cook until the onions are an even dark brown color, an additional 30 minutes longer or so.
Add the flour and stir for two minutes.
Add 8 cups water and thyme to the onions and bring to a boil.
Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add white wine and simmer 10 minutes longer.
Add salt to taste.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 325 degrees and adjust a rack to the upper middle position.
Cut the baguette into 3/4 inch slices and arrange on a single layer on a cookie sheet.
Bake until the bread is dry, about 10 minutes. Remove bread slices and set aside.
Heat broiler and place 6 heatproof bowls in a baking sheet. Fill each bowl with about 2 cups soup. Top each with two baguette slices and evenly distribute cheese slices over the bread. Broil until well browned and bubbly, about ten minutes. Cool for five minutes before serving.

Vegetable Gardens

A few years ago I had a half allotment. That was hard work! The ground was terrible, it was near a load of trees (little sun) and we had a dry summer and constant watering was order of the day- every day, twice a day. The romantic bit was calling OH on way home and saying "Darling, can you bring in a few ears of corn, I have the water boiling"

Nowadays I have loads of pots with mixed salad leaves, herbs, and a small bed of asparagus, beans, peas. Fresh parsley and Basil on my window sill as well as loads of tomatoes and peppers.

It's not difficult to grow stuff in small space.

Walnut Tart and Icecream

The kids will love making the icecream!

Walnut Tart with Quick Fudge Ice Cream

Serves 6

1 recipe Sweet Rich Shortcrust Pastry

Walnut filling
125g unsalted butter, softened
125g light soft brown sugar
3 large eggs
Grated zest and juice of 1 small orange
175g golden syrup
22sg shelled walnut pieces
Pinch salt

Fudge ice cream
150g chewy toffees (such as Werthers)
100g double cream
600ml good vanilla ice cream, softened

1. Bring pastry to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 190 c
2. Roll out pastry on light floured worktop and use to line 23cm fluted tart tin. Prick the base, chill for 15 mins, then bake blind. Cool. Lower oven to 180c.
3. To make filling, put butter and sugar in a bowl, cream until fluffy. Beat the eggs one at a time, then beat in orange zest and juice. Heat golden syrup until just runny. Stir in butter mixture, then walnuts and salt.
4. Pour mixture into the pastry case and bake for 45mins until lightly browned.
5. To make the ice cream, put toffees and cream into pan, stir over medium heat to melt. Cool slightly, then stir quickly into the ice cream so it looks marbled. Freeze until ready to serve with the tart.

Summer Reading

Ruskin Stones of Venice. Understanding Venice and her architecture stone by stone.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. One boy's journey as he listens to his heart and follows his dream

The Glass Bead Game- where do I start? "The deity is within you, not in ideas or books".

Hunger by Knut Hamsun."Keep it, keep it!" I answered. "You are very welcome to it! It is only a couple of small things, doesn't amount to anything—about everything I own in the world."

Ruskin Stones of Venice, Hermann Hesse The Glass Bead Game, Hunger by Knut Hamsun and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho