Fall in New England (Bread)

This week was Mountain Day. For those of you not fortunate enough to attend Smith College (the best college in the world), Mountain Day is a day designated by the college president as a surprise day off. One day in the fall, when the weather is pleasant, the leaves are turning, and the apples are ripe, the college bells will ring through the morning. This is a sign to all women that class is canceled. Traditionally, the day is meant to be spent having picnics by Paradise Pond, climbing Mt. Tom (a small hill they think is a mountain – so cute), and picking apples at a local orchard.

This has been going on since 1877, and as one might expect, the late September/early October students often hedge their bets for this cherished holiday (i.e., “No, don’t study for that test – I hear Mountain Day will be that day”). As I found out after graduation, Mountain Day is also precious to alumnae. It brings back wonderful memories of carefree autumn days, while we are all now shut up in our offices and apartments, hoping to do something useful with that amazing (and expensive) education.

In an effort to capture some of that Mountain Day feeling, and officially begin my fall baking (it’s my favorite season!), I looked around for something with pumpkin in it. Yes, apple would have been simpler and more appropriate, but I prefer the richness of pumpkin to a bland apple any day. Lo and behold, I located this recipe on the always helpful epicurious, and began changing it to suit my tastes and pantry. It may be a bit more Thanksgiving than Mountain Day, but the scents of fall are what count, and it is no less tasty for being a wee bit early! This is wonderful for breakfast or with your afternoon tea (every Friday at 4pm in the house living room), and while the baking time was longer than anticipated, the result in dense, moist, and very flavorful. If you like your breads a little less sweet, try using fresh cranberries - for a dessert, add dark chocolate bits. It's an easy recipe to transport you to a better time - like your years at SMITH COLLEGE!


Fall in New England Bread
based on Cranberry-Walnut Pumpkin Bread, Bon Appétit, October 2003

BREAD
2 cups all purpose flour
Spices: 1 T cinnamon, 2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp allspice, ½ tsp ground cloves, several grinds of nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pure pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon maple syrup
2/3 cup yogurt
3/4 cup dried sweetened cranberries
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
STREUSEL
3 T. brown sugar
2-3 tsp maple syrup
6 tablespoons coarsely chopped candied ginger

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9 1/4x5 1/4x3-inch loaf pan. Line bottom and 2 long sides with waxed paper. Whisk flour, spices, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in medium bowl to blend.


Cream butter and sugar together. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, followed by pumpkin, then vanilla and maple syrup. Add dry ingredients alternately with yogurt in 2 additions each. Fold in cranberries and nuts. Transfer batter to pan.


Bake bread until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour to 1 hour 45 minutes – apparently I really need a new loaf pan. When the loaf is solid and starting to brown on top, add the streusel made from the last 3 ingredients. If the top begins to burn, cover with foil.


Cool bread in pan on rack 15 minutes. Cut around bread at short ends to loosen from pan. Turn bread out onto rack; peel off waxed paper. Cool bread completely, and store in Tupperware in the refrigerator. To serve, let the loaf come to room temperature, or toast individual slices and serve with cream cheese.

Mandelbrot

It has been a busy summer. In the course of the last two months, I have started a new job, moved, and brought home a puppy. This has significantly cut into my baking time. But now that the boxes are put away and the puppy is housebroken (sort of), I can get back to my favorite pastime – EATING!

Sadly, this coincides with a period I do not usually associate with the gourmet high life – the Jewish high holidays. Admittedly, no one in my husband’s family does a lot of cooking, so my experience is pretty narrow, but generally speaking I find the culinary traditions of his people to be a bit bland. And every year, I come up with great recipes for the holidays and simply run out of energy to make them (hey, it’s a busy time of year). But I choose one easy Jewish dish a year and make the effort to try it out and find the tasty ones (why does no one like kugel except me?). For 5771, with very little time and nowhere to leave the pup while I went grocery shopping, I was stuck with limited options. So the winner was – MANDELBROT!

Mandelbrot are very similar to biscotti, without the jaw-breaking quality. They are best served with coffee, espresso, or a brut champagne to bring out their sweetness (because they aren’t very sweet). This actually works out nicely for my husband’s family, who prefer less sugary desserts. They are quite easy to make, and it’s one of those recipes that yields a million variations once you have mastered the basics. I encourage you to add cranberries, dried apricots, chocolate chips, or whatever suits your fancy. This plain-Jane version is the most traditional, and still quite tasty.

Incidentally, the recipe comes to you from a cookbook given to me by a family friend at my bridal shower. She felt it was essential for my marriage.  L’chaim, and a belated Shana Tova!


Mandelbrot
From The Jewish Kitchen: Recipes and Stories From Around the World, by Clarissa Hyman

Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients:
2 eggs
½ cup superfine or caster sugar
6 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2-3 drops almond extract
2 ½ cups flour SIFTED WITH 2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup coarsely chopped almonds (she says blanched, I say toasted and any kind you have in the freezer)
Egg wash (1 egg + 1 Tablespoon water)
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 cup chocolate chips melted with 1 Tablespoon oil

Directions:

Whisk together eggs and sugar, then add oil and almond extract.


Add flour and mix lightly, then add almonds and mix until dough just comes together. Flatten to a disk and refrigerate several hours to overnight (Short on time? Throw it in the freezer for an hour or two).


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a log 3 inches in diameter. My logs usually end up rather flat (from the habit of making biscotti), so don’t worry about the shape too much. If the dough won’t hold together, add a tablespoon of water and knead a bit. Try not to do this more than once.


Brush the logs with the egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and pop onto a greased and floured baking sheet. Into the oven for 30 minutes, until just barely brown. LEAVE THE OVEN ON!


Let the logs cool on a rack for 5-10 minutes – until they are still a little warm, but not hot. Use a serrated knife (I find a tomato knife works best) to cut ½ inch slices, on the diagonal if you can manage it. This is tricky – assume you will destroy several prospective cookies.


Return the slice to the oven, and allow to cook until light brown on each side – 5-7 minutes, then turn them, and bake 5-7 minutes more. Cool completely on the rack.


Once cool, use a fork to drizzle them with the melted chocolate and oil “artistically”. The oil should help thin it out and make life slightly easier. Think Jackson Pollack on the kitchen counter (lay down paper towels under the racks in advance). Allow to harden (will not harden completely), then pack into a Tupperware. Serve after Rosh Hashanah dinner with coffee.