No Thanks on Muchas Gracias

This will be a quick post tonight... I've always been pretty easy-going when it comes to Mexican food, but we had maybe the worst Mexican food we've ever had this evening at a Washington/Oregon chain called Muchas Gracias. Looking for something fast and cheap we stopped by this restaurant's location in south Salem. Besides tasting awful, the food was not particularly cheap--in cost.

First, the nachos one of our group ordered included small pieces of beef, about one third of which tasted like gristle, the rest like...well, let's not go there. My son's burrito was sitting in a pile of drippings. He described the flavor and texture as being something like eating bad taco soup. He was particularly excited with the prize accompanying his meal: a long hair inside one of the buritos. That really made his day.

As for me, I can't seem to get rid of a metallic flavor in my mouth since dinner. I am not pleased a pleased reviewer. As John Hodgman might say, "that is all."

Crepes with Blackberry Compote

Today, I'm sharing warm crepes with fresh blackberry compote. (My photo also includes toasted challah bread with Dunkin Donuts' coffee.) For a basic crepe recipe, please see the Allrecipes.com. I suggest enhancing this with a tablespoon or two of sour creme as well as a tablespoon of sugar. If you're making crepes for a family of four, you should probably double the recipe.

For the compote, we had a fresh blackberries the family had recently picked. I cleaned the berries and placed them on the stove at a low heat. (It was probably about four to six cups of berries.) I added a little bit of butter followed by about a tablespoon of sugar to sweeten the berries. After it had been simmering for about fifteen minutes, I added a small amount of tapioca to thicken the mixture.

When done, it was the perfect topping for rich, homemade crepes.

Famous Texas Rolls

These are absolute favorite mouth-watering biscuits--straight from family in Forney, Texas. For some mysterious reason, they're called biscuits down south and rolls up north. Either way, though, they taste incredible. Thanks to Mildred for the recipe. It's one of our favorites.

Grandma’s Angel Biscuits

5 c. flour 1 pkg. Dry yeast

3 T. sugar 5 T. warm water

5 tsp. baking powder 2 cups buttermilk-ROOM TEMP.

1/2 tsp. Soda

1 1/2 tsp. Salt 1 cup melted butter

3/4 cup shortening

Sift dry ingred. together. Cut in shortening with pastry blender.

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add yeasty water mixture and

buttermilk to dry. Mix Well. Roll out to ¼ -inch thick. Cut

with round cutter. Dip in melted butter and fold in half. Bake

on cookie sheet at 400 F for 15 min. May be frozen before

Baking. (I never dipped, or folded my biscuits- turned out just

as good.)

These rolls may be kept in refrigerator 1-2 days before baking.

Karl's Famous Pretzels

I’ve been perfecting this recipe for several years now, and I think you will enjoy it. One word of advice is not to skip the quick immersion in the boiling water! This step makes all the difference in their final texture, creating pretzels that are moist yet crisp. I don't go into a lot of detail here about forming the pretzels, but just do your best. It takes a little practice. Even if they look odd, they should still taste great!

Ingredients and Preparation

1 1/2 cup water (1/4 cup of it warm for the yeast)

2 3/4 cups bread flour

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

about 1 1/2 tsp of dry yeast

2 tbsp softened butter

1-4 tbsp of sourdough sponge

1 or two beaten eggs

course salt

sesame seeds

1/2 stick of butter

Activate the yeast separately by adding it to the water and sugar. If you have a bread machine, try using this to prepare and knead the dough. (It helps if you add the water first.) If it’s too large a batch for the machine, try cutting the recipe in half. Otherwise, prepare the dough as you would for an ordinary loaf of homemade bread.

Neither the butter nor the sourdough is a required ingredient, but I think both help make a better finished product. The sourdough enhances the depth and richness of flavor. The butter not only improves both the texture and flavor, but it also seems to help when it comes time to form the pretzels.

Watch the dough’s progress in the bread machine carefully. It often requires a little fine-tuning with additional water and/or flour in order to achieve a proper ball of dough. You will want the dough to rise for several hours, and, depending on the size and habits of your bread machine, you may decide to transfer before long to a bread pan inside a barely heated oven and cover with a moist towel. (I pre-heat to a couple hundred degrees, put the bread in, then turn off the oven.) As an alternative, you may also want to form the pretzels now, then place in the oven under the towel to rise.

When it looks like it’s done rising, it’s time to get everything else ready. Beat your eggs for the wash and set aside. Get a deep pan and fill it halfway with water and bring it to a boil. Begin forming the pretzels by making eight-inch ropes. Once they're formed into their classic shape, carefully pick each up and dip in the boiling water for ten seconds before returning to the greased baking sheet.

When this step is complete and they’ve all had their hot bath, then brush the egg wash over each and season with the course salt and sesame seeds. Bake until lightly browned for about 20 minutes at 450 degrees. Enjoy with melted butter.

Some Quick Pretzel History

Pretzels are said to have had their origin in Europe in the 600s, and were used by monks to reward children for memorizing their prayers and studies. The History of Science and Technology, by Bryan Bunch and Alexander Hellemans, describe their invention by a monk "...as a reward to children who learn their prayers. He calls the strips of baked dough, folded to resemble arms crossing the chest, 'pretiola' ("little rewards")". Pretzels were also used as a teaching tool for the mysterious three-in-one nature of the Holy Trinity.

To Brioche or not to Brioche...

What, you ask, is brioche? I'm not a particular fan of Wikipedia, but check them out for the basics on this very rich bread. This recipe comes to us from family in Yakima, Washington. I'm taking tonight's recipe straight from the guest cook. No re-writing...it's Friday, after all.

Ingredients

1 pkg. active dry yeast (1 tablespoon)
1/2 c. warm water
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/4 t. salt
3 eggs
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour, unsifted
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk

In a large bowl, dissolve yest in water. Stir in sugar, salt, and eggs. Cut butter or margarine into small pieces and add to liquid. Gradually beat in 3 1/3 cups flour, mixing until flour is evenly moistened and dough holds together. Shape into a ball and place on a floured board. (I use a pastry cloth on the dining table--the table is lower than the counter and that gives better leverage.) Knead until smooth and satiny (5 - 20 minutes), adding flour as needed to prevent sticking. (Start w/ 3 1/2 cups, use the last half cup in the kneading process....)

Punch dough down and knead briefly on a lightly floured board to release air. Divide in half and shape each half into a round loaf. Place loaves on lightly greased baking sheets; press down each loaf until it is doubled (about 45 minutes).

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 24 - 30 minutes or until crust is light brown and loaves sound hollow when tapped. Cool and racks. Makes 2 loaves.

Stir, or knead on floured board to release air. Shape dough and back according to directions for brioche a tete or petite brioches, following.

For brioche a tete, pinch off a sixth of the brioche dough and set it aside. Shape large portion into a smooth ball by pulling surface of dough to underside of ball.

Set ball, smooth side up, in a well-buttered 9-inch diameter fluted brioche pan or a 2/quart round baking pan. Press dough down to fill pan bottom evenly. Shape small piece of dough into a teardrop shape that is smooth on top. With your finger, poke a hole in center of large dough portion through to pan. Nest pointed end of small piece into hole--settle it securely, or topknot will pop off at an angle during baking.

Cover w/plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until doubled (1 - 2 hours).

With a very soft brush, paint surface of brioche with egg yolk mixture; do not let mixture accumulate in joint of topknot. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven (325 for glass pan) for about 1 hour or until well browned and bread begins to pull away from sides of pan. Let stand for 5 minutes; then carefully invert to remove from pan. Turn upright and serve warm, or let cool on rack and serve at room temp.

Parting comments from today's guest cook:

I think challah is much nicer: lots of egg, but lighter. Brioche has a certain glamour: fiction scenes set in France describe characters dipping their brioche in coffee...At least, I've read that this summer. Who wants a bread that needs dipping like a biscotti?

Stay Tuned....for Karl's famous pretzels tomorrow.

Strawberry Spinach Salad Extreme

Ever had one of those weeks? After we all picked blackberries along the Willamette River on Sunday afternoon, my wife prepared the most lovely blackberry pie yesterday, but the recipe was so complicated and convoluted that it created the most incredible amount of dirty dishes. In the process of getting everything cleaned up (yes, I am the husband who cleans), the dripping water off of the many dishes remaining after two dishwasher cycles created a little stream along the granite counter overnight, gathering on the lip of the refinished kitchen cupboard. When I opened the cupboard doors under the sink this morning, almost a cup of water splashed out on the floor.

So, after gluing and clamping the damaged cabinet facing back in position tonight, I'm back in the blog saddle here. Let this be a lesson on the importance of clear and sensible recipes!

This week, I thought I'd feature some recipes from friends and family. Unfortunately (hint...hint, reader), no Costco-sized boxes filled to the brim with recipes have yet arrived. We'll begin with this little number sent in to us from family in Kent, Washington. It looks delicious, and, for some reason, I have this craving for Sweet Tomatoes restaurant in Portland. Late night Sweet Tomatoes run, anyone?

Ingredients

1 quart thinly-sliced strawberries

1 can of drained mandarin oranges

12 to 16 ounces of fresh baby spinach leaves

1 tbs of poppy seeds

2 tbs sesame seeds

Dressing

1/2 cup salad oil

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce

1/ tsp paprika

Blend dressing with mixer. Top salad with feta cheese.

Pacific Northwest Salmon Dip

This has become one of our favorite dips.

Salmon Dip

2 – 8 oz. pkgs. of softened cream cheese

beat w 1/4-cup lemon juice

2-3 chopped green onions

Pepper and tobasco to taste

Fold into the above

1 good-sized piece of smoked salmon broken into pieces. Make one day ahead!

The "Make one day ahead" rule really is important, but it's hard to follow--especially if you're hungry. Smoked salmon is definitely the best choice. I would also recommend Josephson's salmon from Astoria, Oregon--if you're picky about your salmon. I try to pick-up some of their precious smoked salmon whenever I happen to be passing through beautiful Astoria.

Special thanks to T & K for sharing this one years ago. This coming week, I will be highlighting recepie suggestions for this blog from friends and family.