The CuisiNerd

Another recipe for dinner rolls, this time more bread-style than brioche.

Dry:

• 2 lbs flour (this can be a mix of bread and whole wheat flours. Recommend not going more than 50% WWF)
• 2 tsp salt

Wet:

• 1 Cup warm water
• 1 Cup warm milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 teaspoons yeast
• 1/2 stick melted butter (add after the yeast has activated)

combine wet ingredients and let yeast activate for about 10 minutes. Add to dry ingredients in stand mixer and knead with dough hook for about 20 minutes.

Allow to rise until doubled in size (about 90 minutes) and divide into rolls. Place close together on a cookie sheet and let rise for another 20-30 minutes. Heat oven to 425F (Gas 7 for those in Europe) and bake for about 20 minutes.

This is a dill dip similar to those you find in veggie trays or in the produce department at the store, and it’s way cheaper to make yourself from scratch, and it’s tastier.

Equipment:

• Wire whisk or hand blender
• small bowl (1qt should be fine)

Ingredients:

• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp water
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1.5 Tbsp dried dill weed
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1/4 tsp salt

put the egg yolk, water, lemon juice, garlic, and salt into the bowl and blend until smooth. add a little bit of the oil and emulsify. slowly add the oil and blend until smooth.

(Congratulations, you’ve just made mayonnaise!)

Add the sour cream and the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Let sit for an hour or two for the flavors to blend. Serve with your favourite veggies.

If you’re scaling this recipe up, you don’t need to add an extra egg yolk – a single egg yolk is enough to make several cups of mayo.

Got this one from Margit and modified slightly, as I was making some for my friend Blaine who is on a very restricted diet at the moment as he battles a brain tumor. The diet is very rich in fresh vegetables, and this salad is a great fit (and tasty too!)

Take about 3 lbs of sweet potatoes (or just one, see my previous post) and cut into approximately 3/4″ cubes. Plop them in a large pot of boiling water and boil until tender but firm (8 minutes was a little too long and they ended up a little soft). Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside to cool for a while (in the fridge if you have room).

Slice two or three sweet peppers of various colors (1 red, one purple in this case) and one purple onion into thin strips and chop a handful of basil as finely as you can (but don’t go overboard!)

Make a dressing consisting of 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, 2/3 cup apple cider vinegar. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic. Add 1/2 tablespoon honey (raw if you can get it) or a comparable amount of stevia and shake well. The original recipe for this calls for tossing it with a french-type dressing. I’m rather partial to Annie’s Naturals Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette (which is good on all kinds of things), but had to get creative this go around since Blaine’s food plan specifically says no canola oil.

Add the chopped stuff to the cubed sweet potatoes and toss with the dressing. Let it mellow for a little while in the fridge, and then enjoy with a friend or several.

Update: Sadly, Blaine lost his battle with cancer shortly before Thanksgiving of 2007. He is deeply missed by all who knew him.