For those of you uninitiated into the "bread starter" world (ie. moi) here's what I have to look...

M

marilynfl

Moderator
forward to: (see link, Mature Audiences only. Some graphic material may be disturbing, such as The Ever Expanding Yeast Ball which--oddly enough--resembles my waist.)

This is one of those times when:

"a single picture is worth a thousands words"

translates to

"Jesus, Mary and Eduardo The Baker, what have I brought into this world?"

Brief summary:

Add water to make slurry

Add 2 cups flour to starter

Wait 8-12 hours

Throw away half

Add 1 Cup flour

Wait 4 hours

Throw away half

Add 1 Cup flour

Wait 4 hours

Use.

Then even more detail if it gets "liquidy."

Apparently I'm already a bad mother, as this whole convoluted process should have started last night. However I only had whole wheat flour and Lily White low protein flour and organic pastry flour and cake flour and bread flour....NONE of which is all-purpose, like they say!

So right now, booking a flight to LA, renting a car, girding my loins in cast iron, driving to La Brea, buying a loaf of chocolate cherry bread, stopping off for a visit with Joe, Lisa, cheezz, and any other poster in the LA area, getting back on the plane and flying back home looks to be infinitely easier...and less scary.

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/tips/sourdough-tips.html

 
Next time try their little packets of Pain de Compagne or French Sourdough starter

No keeping/feeding required-just mix up the night before and they make great bread.

 
I'll pick you up at the airport and we'll drive straight to La Brea Bakery. The valet parking staff

may sneer at my beat-up Matrix with crusty gardening tools in the back, but what the heck. Lisa and cheezz will join us. A turkey, bacon and sage panini awaits. They put the sage leaves on the outside of the bread so they get all crispy! We'll sit at a sidewalk table and gaze at the celebrities eating next door at Campanile. If any passing Hollywood types get fresh you can clobber them with your chocolate cherry loaf. I love La Brea bakery.

In the meantime, use the bread flour. It will not make any difference, I promise. Use equal amounts, by weight, of flour and water until you get familiar with the consistency.

 
oh my, I just LOL and spit my coffee. Clobber. great word. but not with that loaf! please!

 
Uh, oh...I ordered it, too. No time for such nonsense right now!

Wonder when my pkg will arrive. *sheesh

LOL

 
No, only up in the hills to the north. It's raining now, and here that means car accidents on every

freeway and sirens every five minutes. Just think how badly we'd drive in the snow!

 
Chopped liver!! I recall Steve was coordinating a wonderful dinner for CB. Ask for leftovers!!

And then, everyone should head north and see Pat and others North...I think we can mapquest Mar's virutal visit....

I can meet up with her on her return visit at Newark airport. I am sure their will be a delay, before the Fla flight.!!

 
Chicken Liver and Pancetta Crostini (recipe from AOC restaurant) rocked! Check it out > > >

AOC Chicken Liver Crostini with Pancetta

½ lb chicken livers, cleaned
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp good-quality olive oil
2 oz pancetta, cut into small dice
½ large white onion, finely diced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 Tbsp (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut in small cubes and slightly softened
¼ teaspoon sherry vinegar, optional

Season the chicken livers with salt and pepper on each side. Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Swirl the olive oil into the pan and wait another minute. Place the livers in the pan without crowding them (you may have to do this in batches). Sear the livers on the first side for a minute or two until they are nicely caramelized. Turn them over and cook 1 more minute, until they are just medium rare. Transfer to platter or baking sheet.

Return the pan to the stove, lower the heat to medium and add the pancetta. Cook about 2 to 4 minutes, stirring often until the pancetta is just starting to become crisp.

Add the onion and thyme, season with salt and pepper and cook an extra 2 to 3 minutes, until the pancetta is crispy but still tender and the onion is translucent and just starting to color. Transfer the onion and pancetta to a platter or baking sheet to cool.

Chop 1/3 of the livers and add them to a large bowl with 1/3 of the onion. Place the rest of the onion, pancetta and liver in the bowl of a food processor.

Return the pan to the stove over low heat and add the balsamic vinegar. Reduce the vinegar to a glaze, about 1 to 2 minutes, and then pour it into the food processor, using a rubber spatula to scrape all of it in. Purée the livers and then add the butter little by little, pulsing all the time until the butter is completely incorporated.

Transfer the purée to the large bowl and fold in the chopped liver and remaining onion and pancetta. Test for seasoning and adjust with salt, pepper and the sherry vinegar, if using. Makes about 1 ¼ cups.


Crostini and Assembly

4 ( 1/8”-thick) slices of pancetta, rounds intact
1 baguette
¼ cup good-quality olive oil, plus about 1 ½ tablespoons more for drizzling
1 head frisée, cleaned, trimmed and separated
¼ cup sliced green onions
¼ cup parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
About 1 cup chicken liver spread

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a sheet pan. Arrange the pancetta on the paper and top with another sheet of parchment and then another baking sheet (this will keep the pancetta flat as it bakes). Bake the pancetta 15 to 20 minutes, until crispy. When cool, break the rounds into thirds.

Slice the baguette on the diagonal into 12 (one-fourth-inch-thick) slices (there will probably be bread left over). Brush both sides of each slice generously with olive oil, about one-fourth cup in all. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet and bake them 10 to 14 minutes, until golden and crispy but still tender in the center.

Combine the frisée, green onions, parsley leaves and chopped parsley. Dress with a splash of sherry vinegar, a good drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper.

Spread the chicken liver mixture on each crostino and top with a piece of pancetta. Arrange the frisée on a platter and then nestle half the crostini among the salad ingredients. Top with a little more salad and prop the remaining crostini on the first six.

Each crostino: 213 calories; 7 grams protein; 14 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 14 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 67 mg. cholesterol; 301 mg. sodium.

 
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