SylviaH's blog

I've just returned from my first visit to Aspen, CO.  

I went with my daughter to visit the new vacation home, she's been busy decorating.

She showed me all over Aspen, wined and dined me day and night.  It was an amazing week, I came home with the 'Rocky Mountain Highs".

The weather, town, new home and food were all so beautiful!  And, we missed 'The Blackout"...

Feeling a little guilty, I baked the boys some sourdough bread before I left...'Robbie, my grandson requested 'sourdough'!

A very delicious recipe.  This is my first test version using, fresh Black Mission figs, the orginal recipe from 'The Art of Wood Fired Cooking' by Andrea Mugnaini uses, dried figs and is baked in a wood fired oven '.  This book has many of the basics for mastering your wfo and, full of tasty recipes and lovely photos. 

I baked Sicilian Semolina Bread from D T. DiMuzio's book 'breadbaking' tweaking the formula and fermentation of the biga to adjust to my time schdule for wfo baking.  I also made a fresh peach and blueberry Breakfast Tart with a Pate A Foncer crust and Almond Cream from M. Suas AB&P book with some tweaks again with ingredients and for wfo baking.  The pizza's where Margherita pizza and a fresh homemade pesto sauce and shrimp pizza.  I baked the pizza's in a very hot oven.  When baking pizza fast apx. 2min.

After a couple failed attempts using semolina grind for my starter.  My starter was going great with the duram flour.  I had only enough duram flour left for one loaf of Franko's Altamura.  I gave it a go today in my wfo.  Franko's formula 'Rocks' 'lol'.  I hope to have a better bake next go round.  My oven was to hot and the bread was getting overproofed, just to many irons in the fire today!

This sourdough focaccia if based on the excellent post,  for a 'sourdough raisin focaccia' by bwraith.  http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/2581/sourdough-raisin-focaccia

While doing a little R&R around the house 'to say the least'!  I wanted something healthy, handy and easy for dinner...this is what I found in the frig.  Hmmm, a meaty ham bone in the freezer along with some black eyed peas, in the veg. bin, lot's of carrot's, 7lbs. and a large container of fresh spinach, all organic veggies,  fresh blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, baby romain's, yumm, some home made candied walnuts.  Fresh berry, gorgonzola salad dressing.

After reading Mebakes excellent post here with the suggestion using a finely ground sea salt, for easier dissolving on dough.  I decided to make a batch.  I should have done this a long time ago..what a great suggestion!  Thanks Mebake for the post!  

These decorated sugar cookies were fun to make and flew away quickly after a lovely family Easter dinner.

                         Happy Easter, 

                               Sylvia

Buttermilk Hot Cross Buns