Flavorful Focaccia

Top food magazines have named focaccia one of the hot food trends of the new millennium, and I would have to whole heartedly agree. Focaccia is absolutely delicious. Unfortunately, there are a vast number of companies producing VERY poorly made focaccia. Many of these companies slap the name "focaccia" on any old bread because they're randomly shaped and topped with cheese-that's pizza, not focaccia! :)
Genuine focaccia is soft, holey, and richly doused in herb infused oil. The only way to achieve this rustic, soft bread is through the implication simple ingredient and long fermentation periods. The following recipe I pulled from "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" by Peter Reinhart. He's a culinary wiz and professor, well known for his master baking skills derived from his knowledge of French and Italian baking. This book is excellent for beginners because in the first half of the book he discusses in detail the reasons for using certain ingredients, techniques, and the chemistry behind flour and yeast. If you want to become a master baker, this is a great place to start.

Before we start, I'd like to say for a very long time I was intimidated by recipes like this. Do not be intimidated! Realize the ingredient are very simple, many of you have all these ingredients in your home right now. The trick to it is time. And really, homemade bread is always good, even if you don't get the recipe just right.


22.5 ounces (about 5 cups) Unbleached high-gluten or bread flour*

.5 ounces (2 teaspoons) salt

.22 ounces (2 teaspoons) yeast

6 tablespoons (3 ounces) olive oil

2 cups (16 ounces) water, room temperature

¼ to ½ c Herb Oil-recipe follows

As described in the “tips n’ such” page (found next to the “home” button), using weight to measure ingredients provides the most accuracy, but I’ve provided regular measurements as well. I’ve made this both ways and couldn’t tell the difference. But I was very careful to sift my flour. Also, you do not have to use Bread Flour but it has the best glutens which makes that flour better qualified for good bread making. The following directions are given assuming you’re using a large Kitchen Aid mixer, but it of course can be done by hand (and is an excellent work out!) This is definitely a labor of love, that being said, make sure you read through all the steps once before starting, that way you know what’s coming (it takes at least TWO DAYS to make).

-Stir together the flour, salt and yeast in the bowl of a large mixer. Add the oil and water and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment for 3 to 5 minutes. Once the ingredients are evenly distributed switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for five to seven minutes, or as long as it takes to create a smooth, sticky dough. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. Because of our altitude, you may need to add additional flour to firm up the dough enough to clear the sides of the bowl but the dough should still be quite soft and sticky.

-Sprinkle enough flour on the counter to make a bed about six inches square. Using a scraper or spatula dipped in water, transfer the sticky dough to the bed of flour and dust liberally with flour. Pat the dough into a rectangle. Wait five minutes for the dough to relax.

-Coat your hands with flour and stretch the dough from each end to twice its size. Fold it, letter style, over itself to return it to a rectangular shape. Mist the top of the dough with spray oil, again dust with flour, and loosely cover with plastic wrap.

-Let rest for thirty minutes. Stretch and fold the dough again; mist with spray oil, dust with flour, and cover. After thirty minutes, repeat this one more time. This may seem very boring and monotonous, but this is what releases the glutens and allows the yeast to ferment to its’ fullest ability. You won’t regret taking the time to include these steps!

-Allow the dough to ferment on the counter for one hour. It should swell but not necessarily double in size.

-Line a 17 by 12 inch sheet pan with baking parchment and proceed with the shaping and panning of the bread. Do this by forming the dough into a rectangle, similar to the shape of the cookie sheet, but smaller. Spread some herb oil on the parchment paper then place the rectangular shaped dough on top. Using your finger gently dimple (do not puncture) the dough. Drizzle with additional herb oil, covering the top. Note: The dough will be significantly smaller than the pan-leaving a two inch boarder around the dough. As the dough ferments, it will expand to the size of the pan.

-Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap, refrigerate the dough over night (or for up to three days).

-Remove the pan from the refrigerator three hours before baking. Drizzle additional herb oil over the surface and dimple it in (you can use the full ½ c or more, though it looks like a lot, the dough will absorb it while baking). The dough should at this point fill the pan and be about a ½ inch thick. Top with any additional tops desired. Such as: sun-dried tomatoes, olives, roasted garlic, fresh herbs, nuts, sautéed mushrooms, onions. Cheeses, such as parmesan should be added half way through baking.

-Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F with the oven rack on the middle shelf. J

-Place the pan in the oven and lower the oven setting to 450 degrees, bake for ten minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees and continue baking the focaccia for five to ten minutes or until it begins to turn a light golden brown. The internal temperature of the dough should register above 200 degrees, and the cheese should melt but not burn.

-Remove the pan from the oven and immediately transfer the focaccia out of the pan and onto a cooking rack. If the parchment is stuck on the bottom carefully remove it by lifting the corner of the focaccia and peeling it off the bottom.

-Allow to cool for at least twenty minutes before indulging in this deliciously decadent bread.
It goes great with soups, made into a sandwich, and by itself.
I’m making this for a bridal shower this weekend, I’ll post pictures sometime Sunday!

Herb Oil:
Warm two cups olive oil, 1/2 cup fresh copped basil, 1/3 c herbes de provence (it's a blend of dried herbs that can be found at any grocery store). This is how I like mine, but you can use ANY combination of fresh or dried herbs you like-Italian is a good substitute that most everyone has on hand or a mediterranean blend would be delicious as well. The top picture has fresh rosemary and sliced red onion. This oil will keep for two weeks, and is a great dipping oil for baguette.

Due to popular demand, I'm posting all the dishes I served at the "Summertime Celebration" we threw for my manager Amy, who is tragically moving to Texas. :) I would have taken pics of everything I made but didn't think about it till it was all half eaten. I'll post pics when I make these dishes next! As you can see, it was a strawberry themed meal. Gotta love the berries. Enjoy!

Marinated Finger Sandwiches

Yummmmm......I love these. They're perfect for luncheons or bridal/baby showers because you can make them in advance and anyone (even your husbands) can help make these. :)

Costco rolls
Sliced Deli Ham (about a pound, but it depends on how thick you slice it, just remember you need enough for 25 rolls)
Sliced Provolone or Swiss (8 oz, but again, depends on how you slice it)

I'll be honest, you can use any roll but seriously consider getting the Costco rolls or something similar. They're not too soft and a nice size. A bag comes with 30, 25 makes the recipe. All you do is slice the rolls open, put a slice of ham and a slice of cheese. Line up the rolls on a cookie sheet, I cram them 5x5.

Marinade:

1 stick butter
2 t Worcestershire sauce
2 t finely chopped Onion
2 t mustard (I like Dijon)

Melt the butter, stir everything else in. The original recipe calls for 1 1/2 sticks of butter, I felt it was a little TOO buttery but if you feel the need, go ahead and throw another half stick in. Make sure the onions are finely chopped, because they're not cooked much. Pour the warm mixture over the rolls. Top with plastic wrap and put the fridge. Let sit 7-8 hours, or over night.

Right before serving pre-heat the oven to 350 and bake till the cheese melts and the tops brown, about 10 minutes!

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Chocolate Strawberries are so great because they're so simple. The tangy strawberry perfectly compliments sweet milk or dark chocolate. There are many ways to make these, and few rules. This is how I like to make them.

Late summer, early fall seems to offer the best strawberries, with big leafy green tops like pictured above. But you can find strawberries in the supermarket year round and because we're dipping them in chocolate it doesn't really matter if they're a little sour. I buy my strawberries (you guessed it) from Costco, the packages are humongous and usually good quality. I only use half the box for this recipe.

2 pints strawberries-make sure they're firm and dry. Mushy ones won't carry the chocolate well, and if you dip wet strawberries the chocolate will fall off.
1 bag chocolate chips-I know, I know, culinary savvy people resent chocolate "chips". You can use baking chocolate if you like but I like chocolate chips because they have a stabilizer in them which allows the product to be comfortably left at room temperature without falling apart. I'm very partial to Guittard's chocolate chips, but Nestle works great too. Dark or milk, doesn't matter, keep who you're serving in mind.
1/2 c white chocolate chips-this is for looks. I drizzle them over the top or give them polka dots. Not necessary but definitely adds something to the final product.

Melt the chocolate. There's a million and one ways to do this. I'm lazy and use a microwave (again, the culinary students are cringing). BUT I do it CAREFULLY. I only put the chocolate in for 30 second increments and rigorously stir with a whisk between (the trick to shiny chocolate is stirring). Melt the chocolate in a deep bowl, it makes it easier to dip the berries later. When you've melted it to the point that there's a few lumps in the bowl, stir and allow the residual heat to melt the rest of the chocolate. This will ensure you don't burn your chocolate. (If it gets chalky and muddy, you've burned it. Throw it out and start over.)

Have a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper ready. Dip the berries into the chocolate...very uncomplicated. Set it on the tray. Once you've used up all the berries, melt the white chocolate. Dip the tongs of a fork into the white chocolate and drizzle over the top.

Tips: Don't dip the berries too far in advance. As they sit, the juice from the berry begins to secret into the chocolate. They're still good, but a mess. Also, store them in a fridge if it'll be a couple hours before serving. This keeps the chocolate firmly attached to the berry. Don't serve them cold (cold chocolate tastes like wax), set them out at room temp 15 minutes before serving.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

This is a salad my mom makes. If I remember right, she got the menu from my lovely aunt Pat who also gave me the ham and provolone sandwich recipe you'll see above! I love this one because it's extremely simple and very easy to change up.

Baby Spinach-You can use regular spinach, baby spinach is more tender and the smaller leaves are more manageable. I buy the box from Costco which comfortably serves 10-12.
Sliced Strawberries-I slice them thin, and let them sit in their own juices for a while. I usually use a couple handfuls. About a pint.
Crumbled Feta-I like the blocked Feta that's packed in a saline solution-it's fresher and moist...er. I typically buy this from Sunflower or Costco (if I have another use for it) but most grocery stores carry both the pre-crumbled stuff and the block version.
Candied Pecans-Candy your own! Throw a couple handfuls of roughly chopped pecans in a small skillet with a 1/4 c sugar. Cook on medium high heat till the sugar caramelizes and hardens...or just buy it! :)
1 bottle Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette-One bottle is plenty for the whole box of spinach


This is the recipe I typically use but for the party I was on a budget, so I used ingredients I had on hand. I replaced the Feta with freshly grated parmesan-reggiano, and candied pecans for toasted almond slices.

Strawberry Bisque!

The first time I had strawberry soup I said, "This tastes like a smoothie...but better!" This makes a very nice chilled soup (and impresses people more than it should :) ). It also makes a kick-A smoothie! The reason why it's so much better than a smoothie (in my opinion) is because there's no ice or concentrate, it's all berry puree.

2 pints Strawberries
1 c half and half (or 1/2 c milk, 1/2 c cream)
1 c sour cream
1/3 c sugar
2 T lemon juice

Cut off the Strawberry...leaves?...put all ingredients in a food processor and process away! Taste the bisque. Some strawberries are sweeter than others; you may need to add extra sugar. I like to remove most of the seeds by pouring it through a fine strainer or sieve. BUT if you're lazy (like I often am) you can let it sit for a couple hours, then when you serve it don't stir it and pour careuflly. The majority of the seeds will sink to the bottom and stay there. Chill the bisque, it keeps for a couple days. It's perfect if you want to make it ahead of time. Garnish with cream and a spring of mint (like above). It's also yummy with long, curly chocolate shavings.

Serves 4

Adjustments: This works great with raspberries, or a mix of strawberries and blackberries (if you use blackberries only, you'll need more sugar, and no lemon juice). You can also use a blender to mix the ingredients, I like using a food processor better, but if you have a nice blender don't let it go to waste!