Sometimes I think I suffer from cooking ADHD.  I try out a new thing for a while, then decide that I’ve done that and move on to something else.  A few months ago it was pan-seared duck breasts.  Last year I was doing the whole wheat sourdough starter (which I would still be doing if I hadn’t killed it).

Maybe I just like the challenge of exploring a new type of food, a new ingredient, or a new cooking technique.  Once I have tried it and understand it, I feel like it is successfully in my repertoire and so I search out something new.

Recently, I’ve been thinking about pita bread.  We have a good-sized population of expats from various Mediterranean countries and enjoy a few restaurants that cater to them.  My favorite is Beirut, but there are others.  Locally-made fresh pitas are available in two types – softer/more doughy and drier – at my local Villa market.  Even the drier type is a far cry from the tough-as-shoe leather pitas I remember from my childhood.

But I wanted to make my own pita bread.  So I did.  Turns out it is pretty easy.  The biggest challenge is making the individual breads evenly round and the same size.

First step: Mix whole wheat and white flours, water and a small amount of yeast.  Combine until it forms a very wet sponge then let it sit for several hours.

Second step: After the sponge has a foamy surface, add more flour and combine into a dough.  My dough turned out really sticky, almost to the point of not being able to handle it.  Am not sure what it should look like, but next time I’m going to cut back on the liquid a bit.

Third step: let the dough rise for another hour or two, until doubled in volume.  The dough can be refrigerated and used over the next several days.  The flavor will improve over time due to fermentation.

Fourth step: Form the dough into individual breads, rolling it about 0.25 in / 0.75 cm thick.  As you can see, my dough was so hydrated I had to use a lot of flour.  Also, I didn’t manage to get consistently sized and consistently round breads.  I like to say that they are “rustic” or “artisinal”.

Fifth step: Baking.  Heat a baking stone, some unglazed quarry tiles, or a cast iron skillet in a very hot oven – 450 F / 220 C.  Then cook the breads, a few at a time, on the stone.  They only take about three minutes to cook and there is no need to turn them over.  Sometimes they puff up, but according to the recipe, sometimes they don’t. 

Set them aside on a rack to cool a bit.  They can be stored in a tea towel to keep them fresh and warm.  They can also be reheated before use.  Even though they have that rustic look, the flavor and texture was spot-on.

I prepared Indian spice pork chops, marinated in a rub for a few hours so the flavor really soaked in.  Served along with homemade hummus, a red cabbage cole slaw, and salted cucumbers with plain yogurt.  Quite a tasty dinner.

San Francisco in April – Interested in subletting a fully-furnished apartment in San Francisco for a few weeks in April?  It you or someone you know is interested, please send me a message and I’ll connect you with my friend.

A continuation of the tale of Valentine’s Day 2009.

After brunch, the lot of us headed up to Muangthai Ratchadalai Theatre on Ratchadapisek Road to watch “Chicago”.  I mean, after that huge front-page “article” in The Nation, how could I not? 

In all seriousness, though, I actually purchased tickets months ago, long before any newspapers put their integrity for sale.

The show was a lot of fun.  Chicago is, in my opinion, a great example of the American musical genre.  The staging is simple and there is a good balance of choreography and song.  And it is quite sexy.  The audience, mostly Thai, ate it up.

On the way home we stopped at the market to buy some ingredients for dinner.  Instead of fighting the crowds at a restaurant (and since we had already eaten out once today), we opted to cook at home.  Below, Tawn dresses up for dinner.

The centerpiece of the meal was a very nice bottle of Pommery Champagne gifted to us by Boon, a visiting Chicagoan whom we met last November.  Here’s a short video we shot to thank him.

The menu was simple: mixed field greens with Italian sausage (sautéed in some leftover duck fat from last week’s duck breast dinner), Jacques Pépin’s mother’s recipe for easy cheese soufflé, a baguette with truffle oil and balsamic vinegar, and chocolate soufflé with raspberry coulis.

This soufflé recipe is great.  It is from his very interesting book The Apprentice, in which he shares the stories and recipes tracing his path from childhood to career.  He explains that when his mother married his father at age seventeen, she did not know how to cook, except for a few simple dishes.  Pépin’s father liked cheese soufflé, which she had never cooked before.  A friend had told her that it consisted of a béchamel sauce, grated cheese and eggs.  So easy!

No one ever told her that the eggs should be separated – the yolks added to the base and the whites whipped and folded in.  As he writes, “Ignorance is bliss, and in this case it was indeed: the soufflé rose to a golden height and became a family favorite.”

It really is an easy recipe and if you’ve been hesitant to try a soufflé, this would be the one to start with.  The ingredients are simple: 6 tablespoons of butter and 6 tablespoons of flour.  Melt the butter in a saucepan, whisk in the flour, and brown for ten or fifteen seconds.

To that, add 2 cups of cold whole milk, whisking constantly at a medium-high heat until it thickens, about five minutes.  What results is a basic white sauce (same thing you use for making macaroni and cheese). 

Season with 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg.  If you want, make it interesting and add a dash of cayenne pepper.  Set it aside to cool for about ten minutes, stirring every so often so it doesn’t form a skin.

Meanwhile, beat together six extra-large eggs in a bowl.  Grate about 6 ounces of swiss, ementhal and gruyere cheese.  For interest I substituted about 2 ounces of soft chevre (goat’s cheese).  You can also add a few tablespoons of chopped chives or spring onions, if you like.  Another interesting addition would be some crumbled, crispy bacon.

Combine it well and then put it in a gratin or soufflé dish and then bake it in a 400° F oven for 30 to 40 minutes until the souffle is fluffy and browned.  That’s it.

The nice thing about this soufflé is that you can prepare it in advance and wait to cook it without any difficulty.  It is a little denser than the average soufflé (since the egg whites weren’t whipped) but it is still super-easy and really tasty.

What goes well with a soufflé?  Salad.  We did mixed greens with a Japanese-style soy sauce dressing, topped with some Italian sausages.

Regular readers will recognize that I really like salads with some meat on top.  Truly, it can be a meal unto itself.  Add a few pine nuts for texture and you’re set.  And, as you can see below, we were.

While we ate and drank, I put two chocolate soufflés into the oven from the freezer, remainders from last week when Brian and Geng were over.  Cook’s Illustrated Best Make-Ahead Recipes cookbook?  Love it!  Everyone should keep a few soufflés in the freezer.

I hope your Valentine’s Day was every bit as special as ours.