A Cautionary Tale

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From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...One of these days I'll learn to follow my own advice. Last week, I had bad luck with a recipe that came from a well-respected publication. I was in a hurry, and while I carefully read the recipe, I bypassed the comments of readers who actually had made the bread. As a result, I ended up with focaccia that was worse than awful, it was a resolute failure. It did not rise and it stuck to the pan in which it baked. The comments, all of them, alluded to these problems, and had I bothered to read them, I could have saved myself a lot of aggravation. Now, it is not my intention to trash anyone, so I'm not going to name the source from which the recipe came. I just want to emphasize how important those comments can be to cooks who surf for recipes. The topping on this focaccia is what drew me to the recipe in the first place. I wanted to salvage something from this venture, so I decided to use it on top of some pizza dough I had purchased at the supermarket. This is an effortless preparation that makes a nice focaciia bread. I hope you'll try it next time you are pressed for time. Here's the recipe.

Rosemary and Onion Focaccia...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1 batch white bread dough (purchased or homemade)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1) Brush a large rimmed baking sheet with 2 tablespoons oil. Stretch and press dough on sheet into a rectangle slightly smaller than the sheet. Brush dough with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm, draft-free area until dough has almost doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3) Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Remove plastic wrap and dimple dough with your fingertips. Scatter onion, rosemary, and oregano over dough; season with salt and pepper. Bake focaccia until golden brown, 10–15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before slicing. Yield: 8 to 12 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Skillet-Baked Eggs with Asparagus and Fresh Herbs

Two Years Ago Today: Homemade Almond Paste

Three Years Ago Today: Smoked Salmon Quesadillas

Four Years Ago Today: Iced Watermelon Drinks

Pickled Plums - Pink Saturday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We won't see local berries for another year, but our farmer's markets still have abundant supplies of peaches, plums and pears. We've had lots of desserts lately, so I'm trying to find more savory ways in which to use the bounty. Bob found some beautiful chops at the pork store today, and while I was puzzling how I wanted to prepare them, I remembered an old recipe from Gourmet magazine. The recipe was for grilled chops that were served with pickled plums. I had a recollection of liking the plums well enough to serve them with all kinds of grilled meat. I have a tendency to love certain recipes to death. I make them so often I tire of them and they end up in the box that serves as my recipe graveyard. I suspected I'd find "my" plum pickle there. While it required some digging, I unearthed the recipe and within an hour had pickled plums to serve with our luscious pork chops. The recipe is very easy to do. If you have a small family, make a half portion of the pickle. Chances are pretty high that children won't touch them, so be forewarned and save yourself some grief. Most adults really like these. They should be served in the same way you would serve a salsa or chutney. If you are looking for something different to brighten your grilled meats, I think you'll really like this pickle. Here's the recipe.

Pickled Plums ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Gourmet magazine

Ingredients:
2-1/2 pounds assorted plums (about 10)
2 medium red onions
2 cups water
2 cups red-wine vinegar
2-1/4 cups sugar
3 cinnamon sticks
1-1/2 teaspoons whole allspice
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1) Pit plums and cut into 1/2-inch wedges. Cut onions into 3/4-inch pieces and transfer with plums to a 10-cup (2 1/2-quart) heatproof glass jar with a lid.
2) Place vinegar, water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, allspice,cloves and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Immediately pour over plums and onions.
3) Cool mixture, uncovered. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 6 hours. Pickled plums can be kept, refrigerated, for 1 week. Yield: 12 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Five Spice Plum Chutney - Vegalicious Recipes
Plum and Cherry Compote - Nami Nami
Pickled Plums and Onions - Pham Fatale
Pepper Pork with Chipotle Plum Sauce - Neo-Homesteading
Kabob Party: Easy Grilled Plums with Rosemary Balsamic Glaze - SippitySup
Beef Up Your Beef: Santa Rosa Plum and Mushroom Sauce - The Baking Barrister

This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.