film

Even though the oven remained off and the kitchen empty my camera was full, full with the same roll of film for almost four months. I just recently got the roll developed and wanted to share the photos with you. They span from December through early March. Winter here was bleak. There were months without sun. In retrospect it's probably better I don't have many photos from the depths of the darkness. 

London:: 

The earliest photos on the roll are from a quick, random, weekend trip that Zach and I took to London in early December. It was before the morning sickness struck and let me tell you, I was all about the duck confit sandwich that we got while wandering through Borough Market. 

 Zach couldn't resist and also sampled the corned beef.

Santa Cristina Val Gardena::
For Christmas we slipped away to the Dolomites in Northern Italy with some friends. Zach skied while I drank hot chocolate and sat in the sun.

Zürich::

Since I couldn't ski this year we spent more weekends than we otherwise would have here in Zürich. We read The New Yorker at home and went out for latte macchiatos. I also started up a little needlepoint project. If by some miracle I finish it I think it will make a cute pillow or little bench for our little bébé. 

crumb coffee cake

In my opinion there is a giant misunderstanding about pregnancy cravings. I went into pregnancy with the assumption that I should stack jars of pickles next to my prenatal vitamins and cartons of ice cream next to the frozen spinach. As it turns out I didn't want pickles, ice cream, or spinach, and prenatal vitamins made me gag. So, yes, I'm going to go ahead and say, that for me, it was much more about things I didn't want to eat than the things I did, especially during the first few months. 

If it was a color of the rainbow I didn't want to eat it. If it was once alive - four legs, two legs, fins - I didn't want to eat it. If it grew in the ground or up in a tree I didn't want to eat it, unless of course you count the tomatoes that went into the thin layer of sauce between the doughy crust and gooey cheese of my twice weekly pizza. Basically if it wasn't white or a cracker I didn't want to eat it. 

My diet was bleak and bland. I hate to admit that. I was a healthy eater before so I figured I'd be a healthy eater during. Silly me. I ate what I could, when I could. For the first three months or so I subsisted on toast, oatmeal, cereal, pizza and pasta. I had become a pickier version of my already very picky four year old self.

Maybe pregnancy is like old age, where we revert back to a childlike state (the last time I saw my great grandmother she was eating Coco Puffs), because of the few things I could imagine stomaching - all white foods of course - two where childhood favorites; bagels and Entenmann's crumb coffee cake. I still love bagels, so that wasn't surprising, but Entenmann's coffee cake? 

You definitely can't get Entenmann's coffee cake here in Zurich. And I definitely wasn't going to rush to the grocery store and into the kitchen to make it. So I did without. I did without Bagels too, because although you can find the odd bagel around town, they just aren't that good. 

Even though I'm back to eating all colors of the rainbow, I knew one of my first just-for-fun cooking projects would be to try and replicate Entenmann's crumb cake in my own kitchen. Thankfully Cooks Illustrated tackled the recipe a few years ago with promising results of thick buttery crumbs floating on soft yellow cake. This is not health food, I know, but I felt it was my duty as a pregnant woman to satisfy one of the only cravings I've had. And satisfy the craving it did. I can't say it tastes like the original, because it's been so long since I've had the original that I honestly can't remember what it tastes like. But if you are craving a fluffy cake covered in a dense crumb layer then this will definitely do it for you. 

Entenmanns' New York Style Crumb Cake

from Cooks Illustrated

*the key ingredient in this cake is cake flour. If you try and substitute all purpose flour your cake will come out dense and your crumb dry. If you don't want to buy cake flour or can't find it (we don't have it here in Zurich) then for every 1 cup of cake flour substitute 3/4 cup sifted all purpose + 2 Tbsp corn starch (a little mental math exercise). Sift the flour-corn starch mixture together at least 5 times to mix it and aerate it. 

crumb toppping

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

3/4 tsp cinnamon 

1/8 tsp table salt

1 stick butter, melted but still warm

1 3/4 cup cake flour (7 oz) *

cake

1 1/4 cup cake flour (5 oz) *

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

6 Tbsp butter, cut into pieces, soft, but still cool

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup buttermilk

Make the topping by combining the sugars, salt, cinnamon and melted butter in a bowl. Stir in the flour and continue stirring until you have a thick crumb mixture. Set aside, and let cool to room temperature for at least 10-15 minutes

Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Cut a piece of parchment paper to line the bottom and sides of an 8x8 baking dish (I used a 9x7). Butter the dish and then put the parchment paper in. 

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix flour, salt, sugar, baking soda and salt on low speed until combined. With the mixer still on low add in the chunks of butter one at a time and mix until there are no large pieces and the mixture resembles a coarse crumb. Add egg, egg yolk, vanilla and buttermilk and beat on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about a minute or two. 

Scrap the batter in your baking dish and top with an even layer of the crumb mixture. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a knife/wooden skewer comes out clean. Let it cool on a wire wrack for 30 minutes. Eat and enjoy! 

Not only did I take a break from cooking and blogging, but I also took a break from reading some of my favorite blogs. After trying to catch up on the months of posts that I missed I now have a nice looking list of things to make. Here it is in case you need some inspiration.

Baked oatmeal as recommended by Ali and Amy

Speaking of Ali and Amy, I want to make Ali's Lamp Chops  and Amy's Chicago Deep Dish Pizza

This Spinach salad that I've been eyeing in the Jerusalem cookbook

Darcy's roasted vegetable salad with honey dressing sounds amazing

The tomato and sourdough soup, also from Jerusalem, that Jess made sounds absolutely delicious.

These onion and potato pierogis, and I should probably also get the cookbook

I hope everyone had a nice weekend. It was sunny and beautiful here, which after a long, very grey winter was amazing. It looks like today is going to be even nicer. Time to head outside and take advantage because as the Swiss like to tell you, just because it's warm today, doesn't mean it won't snow tomorrow.

hello again

I'm back in the kitchen...

...with a bump!

Both are miracles, one a bit more miraculous than the other. The stripped sweater is covering five months of belly and baby growth. I'm due the first week of August. A summer baby. Our baby! Half me, half Zach, but entirely a new and unique little person. It's amazing, mind boggling and completely awe inspiring, and I'm loving every minute of it.

I've learned a few things along the way: that peanut butter and jelly on toast really is the ultimate comfort food; that maternity jeans are right up there with yoga pants as the best creation ever; and that the thump thump roll thump of a baby kicking from the inside is one of the most incredible feelings there is (I smile every single time). We are overjoyed and excited and so very thankful. 

It wasn't my intention to stop blogging, but as it turns out morning sickness (all day sickness really) is kryptonite to a food blog. I didn't want to eat anything, let alone read about, write about, or cook food. Nope. I just wanted to lie on the couch and watch The Bachelor. And that's pretty much what I did until the extreme exhaustion of creating a human began to wane and I made my way back into the kitchen. It wasn't so much that I wanted to cook, but that I had reached my scrambled eggs and buttered toast threshold. I was cooking, but without gusto or inspiration. But then Friday something wild happened - I spotted a recipe, I ran out to get the ingredients, and I made it, just because, just for fun. It was a turning point, the first time I've done that since December, and I didn't even realize what was happening until the oven was preheated and the ingredients mixed. Sitting down with my bowl of toasted muesli I knew it was time to get back to the blog, so...

Hello Blog! 

Hello Readers! 

Hello delicious bowl of toasted muesli!

This muesli is adapted from a recipe that was featured in the October 2012 issue of Whole Living. It's called toasted muesli, and it falls somewhere in between muesli and granola. True muesli, as I've become acquainted with it over the last two years (it's a Swiss invention), is typically composed of raw oats, grains, nuts and dried fruit, all unsweetened and eaten with yogurt. It can be pretty mushy. Granola, composed mainly of oats and nuts, is sweetened and toasted in the oven to yield that satisfying crunchy texture. The millet and puffed quinoa pull this recipe towards a muesli, while the slight sweetness and crunch bring it towards a granola. Call it what you will - to each their own - but since I'm in Switzerland and muesli reigns supreme here, I'm going to stick with calling it toasted muesli. 

Muesli/Granola is really all about personal preference. Use this recipe as a guide and adjust however you want (more nuts, less nuts, more fruit, less fruit, no coconut, way more coconut, etc). 

Toasted Muesli

adapted from Whole Living October 2012

1/3 cup boiling water

1/2 cup whole millet

2 cups oats (gluten free if desired)

3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

3/4 cup mixed chopped nuts (I used pecans, almonds and walnuts)

1/2 cup maple syrup

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

2/3 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup mixed assorted dried fruit chopped (apricots, apples, peaches, pear, etc)

1/2 cup puffed quiona

Preheat the oven to 325ºf / 160ºc

In a small bowl, pour boiling water over millet, cover with a plate and let sit for 30minutes. 

In a large bowl mix the drained millet, oats, coconut flakes, sunflower seeds and the chopped nuts with the maple syrup, olive oil and salt. Stir to coat. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the muesli mixture out on it. Place it in the oven and bake, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until the mixture is lightly toasted, about 20-30 minutes. 

Let the muesli cool and then add the cranberries, chopped assorted dried fruit and the puffed quinoa. Stir to mix. Store the muesli in an airtight glass container for up to 2 weeks. 

I hope I'm smart enough to make a batch or two of this muesli and hide it away for after the baby's arrival. 

Goodness, it's hard to start blogging again after such a long absence. I have so much I want to say and catch you up on, but it's overwhelming. I don't know where to begin. I think I'll leave it at this for today and save the rest for future posts. Sound good? Please also feel free to send me any questions or advice. I'd love to hear from you. 

Which reminds me, I wanted to thank those of you who emailed me during my hiatus to let me know that you were thinking of me and that you missed me here in this space. That really meant a lot to me. I missed you too! 

satisfying a craving

I'm sitting here in the dark. It has been dark since about 3:30. I haven't gotten up out of my chair at the dining room table, where I'm camped out with my computer and blanket, to turn on any of the lights. It is also raining. The drip from the gutter onto the metal sheet beneath the bay window is mildly annoying, okay fine, very annoying. Unlike the light situation there isn't much I can do about the incessant drip, besides maybe turning some music on, or moving into a different room. That's a good idea actually, maybe I will bring my chair into the kitchen and slip my computer next to this nice loaf of bread, which if I'm lucky will still be warm and fragrant.

I started the dough this morning before I went to the market and I only just now had my first slice with peanut butter and jelly on it. I didn't wait for the bread to cool down. The top gave slightly as I cut into the still steaming center, but a nice slice found it's way on to the cutting board. I quickly cut a second piece, because although I like the end piece, I wanted my first bite to be from a soft middle piece.

This bread is hearty and grainy, made with whole wheat flour and full of all sorts of seeds. I like my bread that way, dense, full, textured. Sure I also like light and fluffy ciabatta and the big bubbles that form on soft pizza dough, but when it comes to bread that I'm going to toast (or eat hot out of the oven), I like it to have a little bit of depth, in flavor and composition.

I don't bake bread regularly, but I should. One of the cookbooks I leaf through most often is Tartine Bread. I have been meaning to start and feed a sourdough starter since last Fall. I can't seem to gather the courage to tackle it. I'm full of excuses. Last night when the urge to bake bread came over me I cursed my lack of ambition in the starter category. I had to look past Tartine Bread, and their beautiful rustic loaves, and towards bread recipes that utilized compressed and instant yeast. I eventually settled on a recipe from Sarabeth's Bakery for their house bread, their go-to sandwich, toast, everything loaf. It is a good recipe to start with; it is easy and it meets my seedy and dense criteria. I don't doubt that there are other loaves out there for me to try (please share recipes if you have any favorites). If these short, grey, and wet days continue on like this, which I have to believe they will since it's already been a month since we've seen sun, I will have plenty of time and desire to bake a variety of different loaves. But for now, this loaf is doing the trick.

// Whole Wheat Seed Loaf //

adapted from Sarabeth's Bakery: From Our Hands to Yours

As with many bread recipes the steps might seem complicated when really they are quite simple. The only hard thing about bread baking is the timing. You will need to allow of two rising periods, the first one being the longest. I met some friends for an impromptu lunch just as the second rise was finishing so I put the dough in the refrigerator to slow things down a bit. The dough sunk a bit, but it still tastes delicious. 

1 oz compressed yeast (or 3 1/2 tsp active dry yeast - if you use the dry yeast be sure to note different initial instructions)

1/4 cup of honey

2 1/4 cups cold water

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

2 1/4 cups bread flour + more as needed (I substituted all purpose and added 2 tbsp of vital wheat gluten)

2 tbsp cornmeal

2 tbsp sesame seeds

4 tbsp flaxseeds

4 tbsp sunflower seeds

1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

softened, unsalted butter for greasing the bowl and the pans. 

If using compressed yeast crumble the yeast into the bowl of your stand mixer and add in the honey. Let it stand for a few minutes or until you notice the yeast giving off some moisture or bubbles. Whisk well to dissolve the yeast in the honey. (If using active dry yeast - sprinkle the yeast over 1/4 cup warm water (105º-115ºF) and let it stand for 5 minutes to soften the yeast, then stir to dissolve. Pour int othe mixer bowl, add 2 cups of water and the honey, whisky to combine. 

Mix the flours, cornmeal, seeds and salt in a large bowl. Using the paddle attachment begin to mix the honey-yeast mixture and slowly add the flour mixture. Beat on low speed until a dough begins to form. Gradually add in a bit more bread flour (about 1/2 cup or so depending) to form a rough dough that cleans the side of the bowl. Replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook and knead for 5 minutes. Add a little more flour only if necessary. 

Dump the dough out on to a clean work surface. You want the dough to be tacky not sticky. It should not stick to the counter. If it does knead in a bit of flour until the texture is right. Butter a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Leave in a warm place until the dough doubles in volume, about 1 1/4 hours. 

Cut the dough in half and form two equal sized balls. Place the balls under plastic wrap and let sit for 5 minutes. Flatten each ball into a rough rectangle, 8 inches on the long side, and then fold in the edges, pinch the seems together and place seem side down in a buttered pan. 

Place the two pans of dough on a baking sheet. Between the pans place a cup or vase full of hot water. Place the cookie sheet with the dough and glass into a kitchen sized plastic bag (I used a garbage bag) and seal the edges, partially trapping air inside. Let it stand for about 45 minutes until the dough has risen about 1 inch over the edge of the pan. 

Preheat your oven to 375ºF. Remove the loaf pans from the cookie sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 40 minutes or until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow. Cool on a wire wrack. Or don't cool and slice and eat warm.