Blueberry Pie and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

I made this wonderful dessert for my husband's birthday this past weekend. Here are the recipes:

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

• 3 cups half-and-half
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cupsugar
• 2 tablespoons peach preserves (got this from Alton Brown's recipe)
• 1  vanilla bean, split and scraped

Combine all ingredients (including the bean and its pulp) in a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, bring the mixture to 170 degrees F. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Pour mixture into lidded container and refrigerate mixture overnight.

Remove the hull of the bean. Freeze mixture in ice cream freezer for 30 minutes. Spoon the mixture back into a lidded container and harden in the freezer at least 1 hour before serving.

Blueberry Pie


Filling:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 c tapioca flour
• 1/4 c AP flour
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 4 cups blueberries
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Pie crust:
2 1/2 c AP flour
2 1/2 Tbs granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
7 Tbs lard, chilled
3 Tbs butter, chilled
5-7 tablespoons ice water


To make the crust, in a large food mixer, stir together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Work the butter in, on "sitr" level, until pea-sized lumps form. Sprinkle in the water, 1 tbsp. at a time, and adding only enough of the water to form a rough mass. Form into two balls and refrigerate for about 20 mins before rolling out. Lay one 12 in round of crust for bottom. Meanwhile, mix together ingredients for filling and transfer to the pie. Place the other 12 in round pastry on top and pinch sides to close. Make appropriate slits to allow air release.

Great Whole Wheat Bread

I have been reading a lot about the benefit of making bulk bread dough, storing it in the refrigerator and baking as needed. In search of a truly satisfying whole wheat bread, I used the recipe in Mother Earth News' Dec08/Jan09 issue, titled 100 Percent Whole-Wheat Sandwich Bread from 5 Minutes a Day for Fresh-Baked Bread. I made some changes to incorporate some great white whole wheat flour I have from Wheat Montana. The subsitutoins I made where 1 c whole wheat flour, 5 2/3 c white whole wheat flour. It is the best whole wheat bread I've made.

100 Percent Whole-Wheat Sandwich Bread

Whole wheat flour has a nutty, slightly bitter flavor, and it caramelizes easily, yielding a rich, brown loaf. Milk and honey are tenderizers, and their sweetness complements the bitter notes. Although we’ve showcased a loaf-pan method here, this dough also makes lovely free-form loaves on a baking stone.
1 1⁄2 tbsp granulated yeast (1 1⁄2 packets)
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp salt
1/2 cup honey
5 tbsp neutral-flavored oil, plus more for greasing the pan
1 1⁄2 cups lukewarm milk
1 1⁄2 cups lukewarm water
6 2⁄3 cups whole wheat flour

1. Mix the yeast, salt, honey, oil, milk and water in a 5-quart bowl or other container.
2. Mix in the flour using a spoon, high-capacity food processor with dough attachment, or a heavy-duty stand mixer with dough hook.
3. Cover loosely, and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top); about 2 to 3 hours.
4. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next several days.
5. On baking day, lightly grease a 9-by-4-by-3-inch loaf pan. Using wet hands, scoop out a 11⁄2 pound (cantaloupe-sized) hunk of dough. Keeping your hands wet (it’ll be sticky!), quickly shape it into a ball following the method in Step 5 of The Master Recipe (above).
6. Drop the loaf into the prepared pan. You’ll want enough dough to fill the pan slightly more than half-full.
7. Allow the dough to rest for 1 hour and 40 minutes. Flour the top of the loaf and slash, using the tip of a serrated bread knife.
8. 5 minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, with an empty broiler tray on another shelf.
9. Place the loaf in the center of the oven. Pour 1 cup of hot water into the broiler tray and quickly close the door. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until deeply browned and firm.
10. Allow to cool completely before slicing in order to cut reasonable sandwich slices.

Makes 3 1 1⁄2 pound loaves.

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/Artisan-Bread-In-Five-Minutes-A-Day.aspx?page=6#ixzz1C4Hkn9oy