carbs, glorious carbs!

This afternoon some friends came over for a laid-back pre-Oscar lunch, so I got to try out a few recipe modifications I've been thinking about and use some of the sourdough starter I've been maintaining for the past two weeks. 

Our menu:

• Sriracha marinated pork tenderloin and salmon fillets 
• Rosemary and mint oven roasted brussels sprouts and fingerling potatoes
• Wild yeast baguettes 
• Blackberry and nectarine custard pie

Let's focus on what really matters, the carbs.

Wild yeast baguettes 

Yield: 6 baguettes
430 calories per baguette
Active time: 25 minutes
Total time: Overnight proof required, about 20 hours

ingredients

1 cup sourdough starter, fed about an hour before use 

1½ cups lukewarm water

1 teaspoon instant yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

2½ teaspoons salt

5 cups high gluten flour

preparation

The day before:
1. Combine warm water, yeast, and a pinch of sugar. Let sit for 10 minutes. 

2. Combine the starter, flour, sugar, salt, and yeast mixture, mixing with a spoon to form a smooth dough. 

3. Allow the dough to rise in a covered bowl for about 2 hours and then refrigerate overnight (up to about 18 hours). I covered mine with both plastic wrap and a towel. The photo below is after the 2 hour rise.

The day of:

4. Remove the dough from the fridge and divide it into 6 pieces. On a floured surface, gently shape each piece into a baguette. 

5. Place into a baguette pan.

6. Cover and let rise until very puffy, about 3 hours.

7. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F.

8. Brush the baguettes with egg wash and topping.

9. Place water bath below the baguette pan. A water bath  is a pan of water that is placed into the oven to provide a constant, steady heat source that ensures even, slow cooking. 

10. Bake the baguettes for 25 to 30 minutes, until they're a very deep golden brown.

11. Remove the loaves from the oven and cool.

Other modifications:

• Use a parchment lined baking sheet instead of a baguette pan.
• Don't include a topping with the egg wash.

Original recipe can be found here. 

Blackberry custard pie

Yield: 8 slices
160 calories per slice
Active time: 5 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes

ingredients

2 cups washed blackberries
1 large nectarine, sliced about ¼ inch thick
¼ cup melted butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon dried lavender 

3 large eggs

¾ cup almond milk

¼ teaspoon salt

preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease a 9-inch pie dish. 

3. Arrange blackberries on bottom of the baking dish, keeping the fruit fairly flat. Pinwheel the nectarine slices on top of the blackberries.

4. Combine the butter, sugar, flour, vanilla, eggs, almond milk, dried lavender, and salt in a medium sized bowl and blend with a hand mixer until all ingredients are well blended. 

5. Slowly pour the batter over the fruit, making sure to evenly distribute it around the pan.

6. Bake the custard until golden and firm to touch, about 40 to 45 minutes.

Other modifications:

• Change up the fruit depending on your tastes or the season.
• Substitute almond extract for the vanilla.
• Use clove, nutmeg or cinnamon instead of lavender with pomaceous fruits. 
• Use dairy milk: The custard will be a little more dense and, if you use whole fat milk, taste a little richer.

Original recipe can be found here.