beer batter gruyere pull apart bread

A few weeks back, I stumbled upon Smitten Kitchen's awesome post on this ingenious pull apart bread. Doesn't it just look amazing? And with my affinity for anything bread, I couldn't help but drool a little bit. Since I had a leftover block of Gruyere from the petit croque monsieurs, it felt like a sign to break out the yeast and beer. Luckily for me, the Cook's Illustrated Cookbook that V. sent me (plenty of thanks again), had a beer batter cheese bread that called for Gruyere and a lighter beer (which I prefer to drink and also just so happened to have sitting in the fridge). I must say that was another sign, don't you agree? Naturally, I went on my merry way to blend two recipes to make something all my own.

I loved Smitten Kitchen's idea of incorporating the flavors of a Welsh rarebit, which I never heard of until flipping through the pages of the Martha Stewart Hor's D'oeuvres book. Though it would have been nice to do the same, I decided that the assertive mustard and spice flavors would overpower my much milder Gruyere, not to mention the lighter Heineken. So I opted to use less Dijon that still offered a slight kick and amped up the amount of freshly ground black pepper.

The results? A kitchen filled with the savory aroma of a soft cheesy bread that pulls apart with ease. It reminisced of a larger, more palate intriguing, bread stick. As for my constant taste tester, Mom thought it reminded her of a bread she grew up eating as a child, finding the distinctively light yet unique flavor familiar. I instantly laughed, since this was a beer batter cheese bread that I'm almost certain you wouldn't find in Asia decades ago. It was probably the rye and wheat flours she recognized. The loaf was divided into a section for my brother and the rest went with me for snacking purposes on my trip to San Francisco.


Devil's Teeth Baking Company's cafe latte and donut muffin, Tea Way's boba milk green tea, Devil's Teeth's apple pie, Philz Coffee's tantalizing turkish, Devil's Teeth's beignets, and Saigon Sandwich's roast chicken banh mi


Speaking of SF, I couldn't resist sharing some of the delicious food that came my way all in one day. A very big thank you and hug to S., who spent the day taking me around the city and eating along the way.

Beer Batter Gruyere Pull Apart Bread adapted from Smitten Kitchen & Cook's Illustrated

Bread
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup plus 1/2 cup light beer
3 cups AP flour, divided
2/3 cup rye flour, divided
2 tbsp sugar
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs, room temperature

Filling
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyere

In a small saucepan, melt butter for bread with 1/4 cup of beer, until the butter is just melted. Remove from heat and add remaining 1/2 cup of beer. Set aside to cool to between 110 and 116 degrees.

In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, stir 2 cups of AP flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. With mixer on low, pour in beer-butter mixture, mixing until the flour is moistened. Add eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add 1/2 cup of AP flour and 1/3 cup of rye flour, mixing until combined. Slowly add the remaining rye flour until dough starts to pull away from sides of bowl. Add in remaining AP flour if necessary. Switch to dough hook and knead on low for 3 to 5 minutes.

Oil a large bowl and transfer dough into it. Turn dough over to completely oil the dough to prevent drying. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside to double, about an hour.

Back in the same small saucepan, melt 2 tbsp butter. Remove from heat and whisk in mustard. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine Gruyere with salt and pepper. Keep in fridge until ready to use.

Grease a loaf pan lightly with butter.

Turn out dough onto a well floured surface, and roll out into a 20x12 inch rectangle. Brush the mustard-butter mixture across the dough, all the way to the edges. Cut the dough into 5 strips, each 4x12 inches. Sprinkle 1/5th of the cheese mixture evenly on top of the first strip. Place another strip on top and cover with another 1/5th of the cheese mixture. Make sure to press lightly down after each strip to ensure good adhesion. Repeat until all the strips and cheese are used.

Cut the stack into 6 or 7 segments 2 inch segments. Arrange stacks of dough down the length of the loaf pan. I placed the non-cheesed side of the first segment facing out toward the pan, preventing the cheese from potentially sticking to the pan. Continue stacking the segments, finishing with the last segment non-cheesed side facing out as well. Loosely cover with plastic wrap for second rise, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350. Bake loaf for about 35 minutes, until puffed and browned. Transfer to wire rack and cool for 5 minutes before flipping out to serve.

petit croque monsieur

Jus d'orange, dejeuner, steak frites, and of course croque monsieur were just a few of the vocabulary from a typical French cafe menu I was taught back in my high school French class. To be completely frank, I probably lost all but minimal ability to form a complete sentence in French, but would you be surprised if I told you that I still remember these words? Yes, food has a special place in my heart, and apparently mind, because just like my limited French vocabulary, my Chinese reading skill is also predominantly confined to a menu. The way I see it, what can be more important than being able to order a plate of food to comfort your growling stomach? Not much.

So there should be no surprise that I was glad to see a take on the classic French sandwich in the cookbook. Though it is generally a simple ham and cheese sandwich, Martha Stewart, as usual, puts a nice and somewhat fancier spin on it. And as usual, I put my own spin on it with the ingredients I already had and were able to find at the local supermarket. I swapped out the white bread for my healthier 100% whole wheat. With all that butter and Gruyere, I couldn't help but make a healthy substitution. It won't cancel out all that fat, but hopefully it will help a little bit.

With shelling out extra dough for the Gruyere, I just had to buy regular smoked ham that was on sale to save my wallet from even more damage. I added some freshly cracked pepper right on top of the ham layer to add the pronounced peppery bite it lacked compared to Black Forest. The sandwich was akin to an adult version of grilled cheese, with saltiness from the ham, robust nuttiness from the Gruyere, and slight sweet crispiness from the pears. One note: just make sure to serve this straight from the pan since the all the butter and cheese will coagulate once cold.

Petit Croque Monsieur adapted from Martha Stewart

makes 8 sandwiches

3 tbsp unsalted butter
3 small ripe but still firm Forelle pears, 1 cut into 1/4-inch dice, and 2 sliced vertically into 1/4-inch thickness
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
8 slices wheat bread, crusts removed
5 tsp Dijon mustard
8 slices smoked ham
8 thinly sliced Gruyere cheese
freshly ground black pepper

In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tbsp butter. Add the diced pears and cook, stirring, until just tender, 1 to 2 minutes, depending on ripeness. Increase the heat to medium-high, sprinkle with sugar, and cook until golden brown and caramelized, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the balsamic and swirl the pan until the liquid is absorbed. Removed from the heat and transfer to a plate to set aside.

Melt 1 tbsp butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Working in batches if necessary, add the pear slices and cook until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Set aside.

Using the remaining 1 tbsp butter to spread over one side of each slice of bread. Flip the slices over and spread the other side with mustard. Slice the bread in half diagonally. Assemble each half sandwich, butter-side facing out, with 1 slice of ham folded to fit, 1 slice of cheese folded to fit, and slices of pears to fit.

Working in batches, cook 2 sandwich halves at a time over medium heat until the cheese is melted and the sandwich is golden brown. Garnish each half with 1 tsp of the diced pears.

lemon chicken salad on toast points

This has been long overdue, yes, I know. I've been having trouble finding the right ingredients in my fridge to relate to a recipe from the book. But after a good motivating complaint from A., I made adjustments to this recipe to accommodate my food supply. I defrosted a two pack Foster Farms chicken breast to start, and trimmed off a couple of ounces as a dinner treat for my dog.

Like I said, I made substitutions, and they ranged from carbohydrate to garnish. For such a small amount of chervil, I didn't want to drive out to the supermarket and waste money on a bunch that will most likely go bad in my refrigerator hopelessly waiting for another recipe. I did a bit of research online and found that chervil shares a similar flavor profile as parsley, so I snipped some from my herb garden. Since parsley has a more assertive taste, I reduced the amount to compensate.





After tasting the chicken salad, I would suggest adding some lemon zest, perhaps a teaspoon or two, to enhance the lemon flavor. The lemon that I used was neither particularly sour nor potent, therefore I always taste as I season. As for the amount of mayonnaise, I drastically decreased it, since I'm not a big fan of the emulsion. There was just enough added to moisten the chicken and give it that "chicken salad" look.

The wheat bread definitely gave it more of an open sandwich feel, which I don't mind, considering I love sandwiches. But if you're really looking to serve this for a fancier affair, the original poppy seed tartlet would be a better serving platform. As for the garnish, again, I did not want to buy a bag of grapes, only to use a few. Although the rest would have been a nice snack. However, I had some apples, and since apples pair well with chicken, I figured it would make a fine substitution. The thin slices added a nice slightly sweet crisp to the supple chicken breast. Hope you all enjoy the changes I've made to the original recipe!

Lemon Chicken Salad on Toast Points adapted from Martha Stewart

makes 32

2 cups low-sodium canned chicken broth
2 7-oz skinless, boneless chicken breast
3-4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 slices of whole wheat sandwich bread
1/2 Fuji apple, thinly sliced and trimmed to wedges
1-2 tsp lemon zest (optional)

Place the chicken stock in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add chicken breast, reduce heat to low, and poach until breast is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken breast and let cool. Remaining broth can be reserved for another application.

Shred the chicken into small pieces and place in a medium-sized bowl. Stir in lemon juice and zest, mayonnaise, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Can be made one day ahead.

Cut each slice of bread into four wedges. Toast in a 300F oven, about 6 minutes on each side, until dry and slightly toasted. Cool on wire rack.

Spoon a generous amount of the chicken salad onto each toast point. Garnish with a slice of apple.