A very indulgent breakfast on a very slow weekend morning; paper thin almond flavored warm crêpes topped with zesty and fruity compote and snowy, powdery sugar. Dessert for breakfast anyone?
When there is no need to knead, & when the bread talks to you, what are you waiting for?
For those of you who are still contemplating taking the first step to baking a loaf at home, this is for you, a Bread in a pot. The unbelievably great crackling crumb, the hole-some lightness, awesome flavor — all come from no kneading, a long fermentation, & a hot pot.
Au Gratin is a French Style of cooking where casseroles are topped with bread crumbs & butter, & are allowed to brown under a broiler to give a crunch. Sometimes cheese is sprinkled which melts & gets crispy under the broiler, but is not a requirement. “The etymology of gratin is from the French language in which the word “gratter” meaning to “to scrape” as of the “scrapings” of bread or cheese, and gratiné, from the transitive verb form of the word for crust” (WIKI). Au Gratins are baked/broiled in the oven & then served in a (usually Oval) baking dish. I did not use an Au Gratin dish as you can see… my dish is as square as it can be. So I really do not know if it would have tasted any different in an Oval Au Gratin dish.
Goan cuisine has very strong Portuguese & Iberian connections. The art of baking bread was brought to Goa by the European Missionaries. The bread came to be such an essential part of a Goan breakfast that there came a time, “towards the end of the Portuguese rule, when every village had its own local bakery.” Goan bakers adapted the European influence and added local ingredients to their bread giving it a very distinct Goan flavour. They used to use toddy instead of yeast for leavening.
Every evening as I make my cup of coffee, I have this craving for something sweet with it. A biscotti, a slice of cake… & often times I think of the white fruit cake with the colorful candied fruits in it that we would get from the local bakeries back at home. That was long long time back. But certain tastes & aroma stay with you irrespective of the years in between. When I read this recipe, I almost visualised the cake we would have, for the picture given for this was white and the recipe asked for red cherries.
This is being sent to Jugalbandi’s Click:Crusts.
The arrival of fall here, with crisp air, and wide fluffy clouds in the deep blue skies reminds me very much of Durga Puja. Having grown up in the West Bengal, in the eastern regions of India, this is the biggest religious festivals for the Bengalis. The festivities continues for a month, but the actual ceremony lasts for 5 unique days characterized by unique tastes for each day.
