Freezing a Sourdough Starter

Freezing a Sourdough Starter

Most people just freeze the starter like you would a container of tomato sauce--put it in a plastic container, seal and throw it in the freezer for a few months. You have to remember to thaw and feed at 3-month intervals. But you can also freeze-dry starters by spreading them in a thin layer on a large sheet of plastic wrap and sticking it in the freezer. The dry air of the freezer quickly removes the moisture from the thin liquid starter and you're left with freeze-dried starter that can be sent through the mail.

Because it's dry, the culture doesn't react when it reaches room temp again. To reactivate it, you need water. Now, mind you, that's the theory and I've heard people have done it successfully. There are variables, like how strong your culture is and how cold your freezer is (the colder, the better), so you might kill some cultures but it's worth a try if you want your friend to try mailing some from Japan.

Avital
(2/21/00)

Cheese Potatoes

Cheese Potatoes

1 (2-lb) bag of hash brown potatoes
   (I've found that shredded work better but the square cut are good too)
1/4 lb butter, melted
   (I have found you can omit most of the butter, just use enough to pour over cornflakes)
1/2 tsp salt (I don't use any)
1/2 tsp pepper (don't use any of this either, lol)
1 pt. of sour cream
   (I use a 16 oz container, an dhave tried low and no fat sour cream too)
1/2 cup chopped onion
   (I use a whole smaller onion and sauté it before mixing with the other ingredients, then the onions are sure not to stay crunchy)
1 can cream chicken soup
2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
Corn Flakes ( I crush mine a little bit)

Thaw hash browns. Mix together hash browns, butter, and all other ingredients.

Put in a 9"x13" ungreased pan. Mix 2 cups of cornflakes and some left over butter and sprinkle on top. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour.

O.K. So I have changed the recipe a bit over the years. LOL. But it is always a good dish to make. And it takes a pretty large bowl to mix it in. :^)

Marie J.
(2/18/00)

Susanna's Potatoes

Susanna's Potatoes

Cut as many Russet (baking) potatoes as you need into long-ways wedges (maybe eight pieces from a medium potato). Peeled or not doesn't matter. I have one son who will eat as many as four-potatoes-worth of these, so I can't really tell you how many to make! This is also good using small red potatoes - I don't peel those, just poke their eyes out.

In a large plastic baggie (like the ones in the produce department) - for six potatoes - combine 1/4 cup vegetable oil (that's a guess, I use a "glug" or a "dollop"; it's just for distributing the other flavors and non-stickiness), 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar (any brand), 1 tbsp. dried basil flakes, some chopped fresh parsley if you have it (they don't call me "Princess Parsley" for nothin'), 1tbsp. Lawry's Season Salt, small sprinkle of garlic powder or one crushed clove of garlic (you can use garlic salt, but then don't put in the Lawry's salt, too, or it will be too salty), and a little pepper if the kids will eat it.

This can be jazzed up or down anyway you wish. No Balsamic vinegar? Substitute Italian salad dressing and omit the dollop of oil. (But I think the Balsamic vinegar is the real key to the whole thing.) Don't like Lawry's? Just use plain salt instead. You can cut down the oil to as little as one tablespoon, too, though spread out among six potatoes, 1/4 cup isn't much and a lot stays on the pan! Add a little shot of tobasco if you want fire. The basics are the vinegar-y/salty/garlic-y flavors. If you don't like to use plastic bags (many do not for ecological reasons), the whole mess can be smushed with your hands in a roomy bowl, too.

Smush this together in the bottom of the bag or bowl, then dump in the potato wedges and smush to coat.

Spray a jellyroll pan or cookie sheet WITH SIDES with a little cooking spray (Pam). Dump out the wedges and spread out as much as you can. Bake at 400°F for about 20 minutes, in the lower 1/3 of your oven. Turn over with spatula. Bake until well browned - turning again if you wish. Test with fork for doneness - they should "sizzle."

My "kids" (now 32, 30, 28, & 17 - but they grew up on these) fight for the "burned" ones. Two-year-old grandson spurns other foods at meals that feature these potatoes.

Susanna C.
(2/17/00)

Carolyn D's Chicken Pot Pie

Carolyn D's Chicken Pot Pie

Here is the recipe as promised. Yes, it is a production, but most worthwhile things in life are, such as spinning one's own yarn. I tend not to measure as I cook, but it will turn out well, I guarantee. . .

Filling
One good sized chicken, 4-5 lbs
3 large yellow onions, peeled and chopped
at least 5 cloves garlic, minced
3 leeks, rinsed very well, and julienne-style cut
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
about 4 carrots, of a good size, diced
3 parsnips, look for the small tender ones, peeled and chopped
3 ribs celery,and a few celery leaves, chopped
1 red pepper, also diced
2 tsp fresh rosemary, or 1 tsp dried, chopped
3 tbsp butter, pref. unsalted
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup half and half
3 tbsp flour
2-1/2 cups stock, more or less
a pinch of Bell's poultry seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Pastry Crust
1 pkg yeast
2-1/2 cups unbleached white flour, I like King Arthur's
1/2 cup stone ground cornmeal
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp fat from the chicken (see below) or butter
a pinch of Bell's seasoning, just a pinch
black pepper, a few grinds
about 3/4 cup water

Procedure: NOTE: for your own sanity, start the dish the day before. You will be that much happier and more relaxed when you serve it.

The day before, take your chicken, cover with cold water, bring to a simmer, and hold at a simmer 1 hour.

Remove chicken from water, SAVE water. When chicken is cool, remove all meat from bones and set aside.

Return bones, skin, giblets, etc. to pot and cook an additional 2 hours. Drain from bones.

Chill stock overnight.

The next day, in the morning: Remove stock from fridge or the ice cold back porch. Skim off excess fat, save fat for the dough. Bring stock to boil and reduce to about 3 - 4 cups.

While stock is reducing, chop veggies. Sautee onions, garlic and leeks in a bit of butter. Add mushrooms, carrots, parsnips and celery. Add rosemary and Bell's seasoning (just a pinch or it will overwhelm). Cover and sweat veggies over medium heat for at least 10 minutes. Add red pepper, simmer a few minutes more, then turn off heat, set aside,and make bechamel.

Bechamel: Melt butter in heavy small saucepan. Add flour and stir vigorously with a wire whisk until incorporated. Cook flour in butter for just a minute or two. Then, rather carefully, add stock by 1/2 cup ladleful. Stop after each ladle to incorporate into the roux with your whisk. Stir constantly with a whisk. After about 2 cups have been incorporated, add wine, stir again until thickened, and then add half and half. If mixture still seems too thick, add a bit more broth. Remove from heat.

Pour bechamel into veggies, mix your chicken pieces in, and refrigerate the filling until the dough is ready. Immediately proceed to make the pastry.

Bear with me. . .

Pastry:
Proof your yeast in 1/4 cup of the water. Mix flours, salt, Bell's seasoning, and a bit of fresh ground pepper in a large mixer bowl. Make a well, and break in two eggs. Add melted chicken fat or butter, proofed yeast and remaining 1/2 cup water. Mix with flat blade of a Kitchenaid or with your hands. (I am not a fan of putting delicate yeast doughs into the food processor, but be my guest if you are risk averse). When dough is slightly sticky, but well incorporated, cover and let rise one hour. Punch down and put in fridge until about an hour before you want to put the pie into the oven. Remove and let warm up before serving.

About an hour before dinner:
Preheat oven to 375º F. Take dough out of fridge. Let it warm up a bit and then roll it out to a 10" by 14" rectangle.

Butter a 9" by 13" baking dish. Warm up filling, pour into dish, arrange crust on top. Make three decorative slits to prevent the dough from bursting. Bake for approx 45 minutes, but check it after 30 to make sure that crust is not getting too brown. Enjoy!

Carolyn D.
(2/13/00)

Katie's Secret Fudge

Katie's Secret Fudge

This is a recipe I got from my mom and had to fix it so that I came out right and not like "soup" as my mom always made. It carries a stiff warning though:
DO NOT EAT MORE THAN 2 PIECES A DAY OR YOU
WILL LIKELY BE MAKING A LOT OF TRIPS TO THE POWDER ROOM.
I have had one dear friend who did not heed my warning and learned the hard way.

8 cups Sugar
1 (14-1/4 oz) can of Evaporated Milk
1 can of Eagle Brand
2 cups Imperial margarine (or real butter if you want to make it fattening)
36 oz Nestle Chocolate Chips
2 pints Marshmallow Creme
2 tsp Vanilla
2 cups Chopped Nuts (optional)

Cook the sugar, milk and butter to the soft ball stage (236°F) stirring frequently.

Remove from heat, add chocolate, marshmallow creme, vanilla and nuts. Beat until chocolate is melted and blended. Pour into a buttered cookie sheet. Immediately score the candy in squares (1" x  1/2" x 1-1/2").

When cool, cut in squares.

I like to make this in a large T-Fal pan because it doesn't stick or burn and the clean-up is easy.

Katie
(2/11/00)

Debbi's New York-style Cheesecake

Debbi's New York-style Cheesecake

1-1/2 cups graham cracker or vanilla wafer crumbs (I prefer graham)
6 tbsp butter, melted
(opt) 1/4 cup ground toasted almonds (pecans are better, but you can any favorite nut)

3 lbs cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 tbsp vanilla extract
3 whole eggs
2 egg Yolks
juice of 1 lemon
zest of 1 lemon, minced

Mix in a small bowl the graham or vanilla crumbs, butter and almonds. Pat into a 10 inch springform pan. Bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven and cool. Reduce oven temperature to 300ºF.

Beat until smooth the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Whisk together until fluffy the eggs and egg yolks. Add the cheese mixture, lemon juice and zest. Beat until smooth.

Wrap the bottom of the springform pan in foil. Foil should reach 2/3 of the way up the pan. This is in case the springform pan leaks. Trust me here. Pour the filling into the pan. Tap the pan on the counter top several times to break up the air bubbles. Place the filled springform pan in a roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan up with enough water to reach half-way up the sides of the springform pan.

Place in the 300ºF oven and bake for 1 hour. After 1 hour, rotate the roasting pan so the cakes browns evenly. Be care to not slosh hot water into the cheesecake or burn yourself. Add more water if needed. Bake for an additional 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until a cake tester comes out clean. I check it every half of an hour, since I have a teeny oven.

Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Carefully remove the springform pan from the water and set it on a rack to cool for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Then, move the cake, still on the rack, into the refrigerator.

Chill overnight, or for at least 8 hours.

PotWench (Debbi)
(2/11/00)

Sun Maid Raisin Granola

Sun Maid Raisin Granola

You can add other ingredients or take away as you desire.

2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup wheat germ
1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts or almonds
1 tsp of salt
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup of oil
1-1/2 cups raisins

Combine oats, coconut, wheat germ, nuts and salt in a large bowl. Stir in condensed milk, add oil and mix thoroughly. Spread mixture on a shallow baking pan lined with waxed paper (I think with a non stick pan you could skip the waxed paper as sometimes the mixture sticks to it and it's hard to stir).

Bake in 300° oven, stirring occasionally for 1 hour until golden.

Remove from oven and stir in raisins (other dried fruits are good also) while still warm. Let cool then store in air tight container.

Makes 8 cups.

Jackie P.
(2/10/00)

Hello Dolly Cookies (aka "Demon Cookies")

Hello Dolly Cookies (aka "Demon Cookies")

Use an 8" square dish. Melt butter and crunch up graham crackers to make a graham cracker crust (if anyone knows of a *really* good way to crunch up graham crackers, let me know. They work their way through plastic bags and I don't have a cuisinart.)

On top of the graham crackers, pour out a bag of your favorite chocolate or butterscotch chips (or mix them). Pour on a can of Eagle Brand. Sprinkle on coconut. Bake in a 350°F oven until the top is *slightly* brown and caramelized.

This is the important part - no matter how good it smells, let it cool!

Eating it too early is like putting molten lava in your mouth.

Lea Bob
(2/10/00)

Gail's Fudge

Gail's Fudge
Soo easy and sooo good...

3 cups semi sweet choc chips
1 can Eagle brand condensed milk
1 cup nuts
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. of your favorite brandy (or Baileys?)

Heat chocolate chips and Eagle brand slowly in saucepan until chocolate chips are melted. Remove from heat and add nuts, vanilla and brandy. Mix pour into a 8" pan that has wax paper or foil lining it.

Chill.

Yum, yum... I think I will go make some now...

Gail
(2/10/00)

Carolyn's Sourdough Starter

Carolyn's Sourdough Starter (aka Fun with Grapes)

Basically, the grape sourdough starter is made with a small bunch of un-sprayed grapes (I think the recipe insists on un-sprayed because the yeast spores are on the skin, and maybe the spraying does something to them). You will use a TON of flour getting it started, after that, it just needs some maintenance. This takes about 2 weeks to develop, but it makes the best bread I have ever tasted, and, properly used, is as vigorous as any yeast.

1 lb grapes, pesticide-free and UNWASHED
4 cups lukewarm water, about 78 degrees
4 cups unbleached white flour

Make sure all of your bowls and mixing implements are scrupulously clean. This is important in the beginning. Put the grapes in a large piece of cheesecloth, tie with a string. Mix flour and water together in large non reactive container, mush the grapes a bit in the cheesecloth bag, holding it over the bowl, to allow the juices to go into the flour/water mix. Push the grape bag to the bottom of the bowl, and cover with the flour/water mixture. Cover with plastic wrap secured with a rubber band. Leave at room temp for three days.

Day 4: You should notice bubbling on the surface, and a ripe fermented aroma. The starter should not be pink or orange, if it is, throw it away. If it is a purplish black color, it is fine.

Refresh the culture by temporarily removing grapes, adding another cup of flour and another of water, stir, then replace the grape bag.

Cover again.

Days 5-9: it will look pretty vile at this point, but take heart. Just let it ferment.

On Day 10 begin regular feeding. Remove and discard the bag of grapes. Dump out all but about 2 cups of the culture.

Place in a new, clean container -- a large crock is best, something that can be sealed but is not airtight. You will be feeding this baby twice a day (the LaBrea book says to do it three times, but I find twice to be more than adequate). Don't worry this stage doesn't last too long.

Add two cups flour and two cups water at the first feeding. (morning)

For the evening feeding, dump out (or give to your friends, along with feeding instructions, or freeze some for an emergency) half the starter, then again, add 2 cups flour and 2 cups water.

Repeat for four days. At each feeding, dump out part of the starter, then replace with fresh flour and water. By day 14, your starter will be very vigorous, and you can store it in the fridge, and use it in any sourdough recipe. It is a good idea to take the sourdough out of the fridge the night before you plan to use it, freshen it with new flour and water, let sit overnight, and then use it in your recipe the following day. Or, you can use the starter to make a levain (see the Bread Alone cookbook, this is essentially a stiff dough made from starter that is further fermented to make a very tangy bread with wonderful texture -- my favorite).

I find that, after the initial two week period, the starter needs little maintenance. However, you should refresh it if you haven't used it in a while.

Carolyn
(2/7/00)

Be warned!

*Most of the list members who posted recipes are not available for any questions.
*Some have left the list. Some have died.
*There are no photos and there may not ever be any.
*This is not a recipe "book" geared to those who cannot cook without someone holding their hand.
*The blog owner and list members who posted the recipes are not responsible for the recipes or their content. Spoons do not make you fat.
*The standard disclaimers on any and all content apply to appease the Gummit brownshirts and their allies.