Wok Wednesdays | The Breath of a Wok

Beginning in September, after completing Stir Frying to the Sky's Edge, the Wok Wednesdays group has begun wokking our way through Grace Young's earlier book, The Breath of a Wok: Unlocking the Spirit of Chinese Wok Cooking Through Recipes and Lore. This is an intimate book, with so many stories about the chefs who contributed the recipes, as well as over 50 pages on buying and seasoning a wok. This is not just a cook book. It is a work of love and a cultural treasure.

Here's what I've made so far.....

The photo above is of Jean Yueh's Beef with Onions and Peppers. According to the author, "this is a simple Shanghai-style family dish...." It's a simple dish, naturally sweet from the onions and peppers. We loved it.

Candied Ginger and Oatmeal Muffins

These Candied Ginger and Oatmeal Muffins combine the goodness of oatmeal, whole wheat flour, and candied ginger. 

The candied ginger adds just the right amount of spiciness to these muffins. Along with the rolled oats, I used a combination of white whole wheat flour and "regular" whole wheat flour.

Spicy Angel Hair Pasta with Halibut and Tomatoes

This Spicy Angel Hair Pasta with Halibut and Tomatoes is such a satisfying Mediterranean style dish. 

This dish of spicy angel hair pasta with halibut and tomatoes includes the most amazing halibut from Alaska.

Caramel Apple Cookies

These Caramel Apple Cookies are soft and moist, and are so reminiscent of  the flavors of fall. 

As a nutritional bonus, these caramel apple cookies are made with whole wheat flour. I also used demerara sugar, which adds a wonderful caramel flavor... perfect with the apples.

Potato Bread | Potato Pain de Mie

This potato bread is so perfect for toast or gooey grilled cheese sandwiches. 

I baked this potato bread in a pain de mie pan, also know as a Pullman pan, which results in a long loaf with four corners, but you can also make it in a regular 10" by 5" two pound loaf pan, or two 8 1/2" by 4 1/2"one pound loaf pans.

Mini Cheesecakes with Salted Caramel

These Mini Cheesecakes with Salted Caramel are so ridiculously delicious and creamy. 

I'm not sure what it its about this cheesecake recipe, but the combination of ingredients is pretty amazing.

Spelt Pita Bread

This spelt pita bread, made with a mixture of whole grain spelt and all purpose spelt, is so much fun to bake. 

Baking pita bread requires a super hot oven equipped with a baking stone, and a very short baking time. If you are like me, and love staring through the window of your oven as your bread bakes, you will enjoy making this bread.

Bread Box Round Up for October 2016

Welcome to the Bread Box Round Up for October 2016, a collection of wonderful loaves, rolls, and flatbreads. 

Each month, I am posting a round up of homemade and artisan breads from around the blogosphere.

Want to add your bread to the Bread Box? I'd love to share your homemade bread. Check out the instructions at the end of this post. Send me your breads, flatbreads, pizzas, buns... anything with yeast or sourdough.