French Bread ala Moi

My brother in-law's gf brought this french bread to our soup party last Sunday. I cannot believe that it's homemade. I really didn't know it was possible to bake such good french bread without a proper, industrial bakery oven-thing...you know what I mean. So thank you, Charla!

French Bread ala Moi

2 ½ cups very warm water

2T sugar

1 T salt

2 T cooking oil

6 cups flour

2 pkg dry yeast (2 T)

Into a large warm mixing bowl, pour in warm water then stir in sugar, salt, oil, half the flour and then the yeast. Beat vigorously 2 – 3 minutes. Stir in remaining flour until all dry ingredients are completely mixed in. Leave spoon right in the heavy batter.

All the dough to rest 10 minutes, then stir down. Repeat this until the dough has been stirred down five times.

Turn the dough onto a floured board. Knead only enough to coat the dough with flour so it can be handled. Divide into two parts. Roll each part into a rectangle shape about 9 x 12 and then roll up like a jelly roll – rolling from the long side. Pinch edge of loaf to seal the dough. Arrange lengthwise on a large cookie sheet that has been sprinkled with corn meal, allowing room for two loaves. Cover lightly and let rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.

With a very sharp knife, cut three slashes at an angle on the top and then brush entire surface with a slightly beaten whole egg.

Bake immediately at 400 F for 25 – 30 minutes or until brown. Remove from baking sheets and let cool on racks.

Blue-Potato Soup

One more potato soup recipe. For now. Used blue/purple potatoes from my garden.

Recipe taken from the New York Times. Link here.

Blue-Potato Soup

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1-1/2 pounds blue potatoes, peeled and quartered

6 cups good chicken or vegetable stock

1 bay leaf

1 cup milk or light cream

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

salt to taste

Preparation

1. Melt the butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the potatoes, stock and bay leaf and heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.

2. In batches, carefully puree the mixture in a blender or food processor. (Do not overblend or potatoes will get gluey.) Place in a clean saucepan and stir in the milk or cream. Season with nutmeg, pepper and salt.

Yield: About 9 cups.

Note: To serve cold, chill the soup for at least 2 hours before adding the milk or cream.

Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup

Recipe from Ina Garten via the Food Network. Link here. Seriously the best tomato soup I've ever had. No jokes.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped red onions (2 onions)
• 2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 4 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, coarsely chopped (5 large)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/4 cup packed chopped fresh basil leaves, plus julienned basilleaves, for garnish
• 3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• Croutons, for garnish

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and carrots and saute for about 10 minutes, until very tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken stock, salt, and pepper and stir well. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, andsimmer, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender.

Add the cream to the soup and process it through a food mill into a bowl, discarding only the dry pulp that's left. Reheat the soup over low heat just until hot and serve with julienned basil leaves and/or croutons.