Pain de Campagne

Pain de Campagne;("country bread" in French) is typically a large round loaf ("miche") made from a natural leavening similar to, but not as sour as, American sourdough. Most traditional versions of this bread are made with a combination of white flour with whole wheat flour and/or rye flour, water, leavening and salt. For centuries, French villages had communal ovens where the townsfolk would bring their dough to be baked, and the miches weighed from four to as much as twelve pounds. Such large loaves would feed a family for days or weeks, until the next baking day.

Before the advent of roller milling, virtually all wheat was milled by stone grinding. In order to produce a lighter, less toothsome bread, the whole wheat flour was sifted or bolted using mesh or cloth. This resulted in a whiter flour that still retained some of the bran and germ. The addition of rye flour in some recipes probably originates from the presence of rye growing among the wheat. All the grain was harvested together, and as much as 10 percent of it would be rye. Rye flour ferments more quickly than wheat flour, and it imparts a distinctive flavor to traditional pains de campagne.

Today pain de campagne is still made in France, and is enjoying a growing appreciation in the United States. The doughs are allowed to ferment for several hours, allowing the natural bacteria and yeasts to grow, and are then rounded and placed in linen-lined baskets called "bannetons". After the dough has risen, it is dumped out of the basket and onto peel, and slid into the oven where it bakes at around 450 F (240 C) for about one hour.









Pain de Campagne is my 16th bread for Bread Baker's Apprentice and I've enjoyed each and every bread. But I have to admit the fermented recipes are my favorites.

As soon as I tasted the Pain de Campagne it reminded me of a long ago dinner with a Sicilian friend. We were enjoying our dinner and he tore off a piece of bread, slathered on some cream cheese and dipped it in his wine. Hmmmmm....interesting and something I'd not seen or tasted before. So I loaded up the cream cheese, dipped and bit into heaven. I was perfectly happy for the rest of meal eating nothing but bread dipped in wine!

Bread with cream cheese goes especially well with a Merlot. And I just happened to have a bottle of Columbia Crest Merlot and had a very nice Sunday afternoon watching football and dipping in the wine!










I did start a new Bread Making Group, HBinFive and we will be baking our way through the new book "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day" by Jeff Hertzberg MD and Zoe Francois. It's a fun, freewheeling group that I'm sure anyone would enjoy. And we've even started a new side feature, Camp Breads, which is baking 5-minute breads in an outdoor grill or on a campfire.

To see a demonstration of Jeff and Zoe's bread making method, please watch the below video and if you are interested or have any questions, contact me at ms dot bigblackdog at gmail dot com. In any communication please include your full name and if you have a blog include the blog name and URL and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.


And a Book Giveaway...........


If you join HBinFive by November 15th you will have a chance to win a signed copy of "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day" by Jeff Hertzberg MD and Zoe Francois!








Please visit some of my fellow BBA'ers and see their version of Pain de Campagne:

Janice of Round the Table
Susie of Susie's Home and Hobbies
Phyl of Cabbages and King Cakes
Jolene of What's Cookin, Chicago?
Paul of The Yumarama Artisan Bread Blog


All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Whisk Wednesdays -- Peches, Poires et Pruneaux au Vin Rouge

This week for Whisk Wednesdays I made Peches, Poires et Pruneaux au Vin Rouge or Peaches, Pears and Prunes in Red Wine Sauce. A month or so ago our weekly Whisk Wednesdays' assignment was to make Savarin aux Kiwis et aux Fraises or Rum Savarin with Kiwis and Strawberries. Although I did make the Rum Savarin, my pictures did not turn out well at all. So in place of the Savarin, which was delicious, I decided to post my Poached Pears in Red Wine Sauce. OMG...were the Poached Pears delicious!

I followed the recipe except I eliminated the prunes and we had no peaches so I substituted some of my home canned Peach Butter and just added it to the wine sauce. Also I used Raspberry/Nectarin Freezer Jelly in place of the Red Currant Jelly and ground cinnamon in place of the cinnamon stick. And I did leave the pears in the sauce over night for a more intense color.

The Poached Pears in Red Wine Sauce was probably one of the easier desserts I've made in months and yet it was so elegant and down right gorgeous. Since you can make everything the night before and the dessert is so pretty and not too sweet, it would be a perfect dessert for a holiday meal. I could not wait to serve it to Mr. Tastebuds who thoroughly enjoyed each and every bite!







Peches, Poires, et Pruneaux au Vin Rouge
Recipe adapted from Le Cordon Bleu at Home

24 pitted prunes (I eliminated the prunes)
6 small peaches (I subbed 1/4 c. home canned Peach Butter)
6 small pears
1/2 lemon
1 bottle dry red wine, preferably burgundy (I used Merlot)
12 ounces red currant jelly (I subbed home canned Raspberry/Nectarine Jelly)
12 peppercorns
1 stick cinnamon (I subbed 1 tsp cinnamon)
1 tsp vanilla

Garnish:
Mint Leaves and I used some slices of Kiwi Fruit

Soak the prunes in cold water to cover for 20 minutes

Peel the peaches and pears, leaving the stem intact on the pears. With a vegetable peeler carefully remove the pear core and discard. Rub the fruit with the lemon to avoid discoloration.

Combine the wine, jelly, peppercorns, cinnamon and vanilla in a deep sauce pa and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes. Add the prunes, reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add the peaches and pears and continue simmering for another 15 minutes.

Remove the pan from the burner and let the liquid cool to room temperature.

When the liquid is cool, remove the pears with a slotted spoon to a dessert plate or bowl. Strain the wine sauce. Drizzle some of the wine sauce over the pears. Garnish with mint and serve.







All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

TFF -- Chicken Paillard with Creamy Parmesan Salad

******Bad Breath Warning******

I am not much of a salad person but there are a few salads that I thoroughly enjoy and one is a good Caesar Salad. I know Tyler calls his salad Creamy Parmesan but it's really a darn good Caesar! And you will most definitely have some wicked breath after enjoying it. Just spread the goodness around and make sure that everyone at the table gets their fair share!

I made my own version of Chicken Paillard dredged in flour and Pecan meal and the recipe is below. When the chicken had cooled, I cut it into bite-sized pieces and then mixed the chicken into the salad.

And for the salad I used a bag of Spring Ready Mixed Salad Greens and added some chopped Green Onions and fresh minced Parsley. For the dressing I added some fresh minced Basil and Tarragon and substituted Anchovy Paste for the whole Anchovy Fillets. And I only used the juice of 1 lemon which yielded over 1/4 c. of fresh lemon juice which was plenty.






Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Pecan Meal
Recipe developed by Big-Black-Dog

2 boneless chicken breasts
1 TBL butter
2-3 TBL EVOO
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. ground pecan meal
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Mix pecan meal, salt and pepper and flour. Dredge chicken breasts in pecan/flour mix until breast is completely coated.

Heat butter in heavy bottomed pan. When butter has melted, add EVOO and wait a minute until oil is thoroughly heated. Add chicken breast and saute over medium heat, turning once. Chicken breasts are done when juices run clear.



Chicken Paillard with Creamy Parmesan Salad
Recipe adapted by Tyler Florence

Chicken:

* 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 4 eggs, whipped slightly with splash milk
* 2 cups panko bread crumbs
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Dressing:

* 2 anchovy fillets (I used rounded 1 tsp Anchovy Paste)
* 2 egg yolks*
* 2 clove garlic, smashed
* 2 lemons, juiced (I only used 1 lemon)
* 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Option: 4 minced fresh Basil leaves and 2 sprigs of fresh minced Tarragon

Salad:

* 1 cup organic grape tomatoes, halved
* 1 bag fresh baby arugala
* 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, boccancini, halved
* Shaved Parmesan, for garnish
* Lemon wedges, for garnish
* Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

For the chicken:

Begin by pounding out the chicken breast gently between 2 pieces of plastic wrap.

Prepare a breading station with flour, whisked eggs and milk, and panko crumbs. Season all with salt and pepper. Coat the breasts in flour, egg then panko. Lay the coated breasts out on a flat tray and refrigerate to let the crust dry out (about 10 minutes) this will ensure there is less moisture and less chance your coating will break when frying.

Shallow fry the paillard in hot oil for approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side depending on how thick the breasts are. Drain well, season with salt and set aside when done.

For the dressing:

Put the anchovies, egg yolks, garlic, lemon juice, and water into a blender and process for 30 seconds until the mixture is smooth. With the blender running, pour the olive oil in slowly for the dressing to emulsify. Stir in the Parmesan, season with salt and a couple of grinds of black pepper; set aside. (Refrigerate the dressing if you will not be using it right away.)

Prepare the salad by splitting the grape tomatoes in half through the middle lengthwise, mixing all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the dressing and toss the salad well.

To serve lay the warm, crispy chicken paillard on the base of the plate and top with the salad. Garnish with shaved Parmesan cheese, a wedge of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil.

*RAW EGG WARNING

Food Network Kitchens suggest caution in consuming raw and lightly-cooked eggs

Due to the slight risk of Salmonella or other food-borne illness. To reduce this risk, we recommend you use only fresh, properly-refrigerated, clean, grade A or AA eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks or whites and the shell.






Please visit Tyler Florence Fridays and see what the rest of Tyler's groupies are up too this week.





While making the salad I did enjoy a glass of my new favorite Red Wine, De Bortoli Petite Sirah. It is so good and only $5.99 a bottle. Do you believe that price! I'm getting more on Saturday. It's not a wine I'd get for a special dinner party but for our family dinners, Sunday through Thursday, it's just great!








All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Thrifty Thursday and my First Treat!!!

Today was a very hectic day. We were expecting thunderstorms and I had to get my perennials planted. But of course I had to make a trip to the nursery to buy a few more pots. The storm chased me home but I did get the plants in, all 22 pots, and a few of my HUGE annual planters done too. And then it opened up and poured rain and it's still raining out as I'm typing. But my plants are so happy and basically standing at attention with all the refreshing rain!

Last week I had a great week as far as garage sales go. I rarely have the time to stop but for some reason I stopped. When I walked up the driveway of the sale, I saw IT! I could not believe my eyes, there was the small, black matte, ceramic vase that I've been looking for for over 25 years. WOW! My Great Grama had a vase exactly like this. My Mom has it now and I've always loved it. Actually, I did have it for a while but when I moved to FL I gave it back to my Mom for safe keeping. The vase is not expensive but I treasured it. Plus I love the deco style and it always looked great in my home.

The price tag on the black vase was $.25 but I would have paid easily $50 for it. I was so excited and I could not wait to tell my Mom. She is now looking for the original vase and I hope she finds it because I'd love a pair!





If you have time, I did write a post about my Great Grand Parents and my remembrances of Fried Dandelions Blossoms and Dandelion Wine.

I felt so good about finding the little vase that I stopped at another garage sale that was a few blocks away. Three weeks ago I re-arranged my cupboards and discovered how pitiful my collection of dessert dishes is. I found these gorgeous dessert plates 4 @ $.25. I love them!



Also last week I picked up another rag doll at TJMaxx marked down to $3. I keep her in my kitchen to keep me company while I bake. She sits very nicely on the hood shelf above my stove.

I also picked up these little jointed wooden dolls. Aren't they cute! The pair was $.25 and I could not resist them. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them yet. For now they are both in my bookcase along side my cookbooks. The do need some clothes though!






Thrifty Thursday is hosted by Leigh of Tales from Bloggeritaville. Please visit and see all the wonderful, inspiring "finds" from other garage sale groupies!




Last night's dinner was Rouelles de Veau Bourgeoise or Veal Shanks with Pearl Onions and Mushrooms. Since I'm just learning about wines, Mike at our local Wine Store is my wine coach and he suggested a bottle of Cotes du Rhone Domaine Andezon. And I'm just pouring the last glass. Although the wine was wonderful at dinner, the last glass is fabulous!



Lori of Family Trees May Contain Some Nuts is the host for Treat Yourself Thursday and how I'm going to look forward to Thursdays now that I know a treat is waiting.


All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog