3000 year old stew, with beets

https://babylonian-collection.yale.edu/babylonian-cooking

Randy has been sharing with me his 180 most influential cuneiform tablets (right!) and sent me a couple sites with translations of ancient Babylonian recipes. So, this is a 3000 year old stew!

1 pound of diced leg of mutton or lamb
1/2 cup of rendered sheep fat
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of beer
1/2 cup of water
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup of chopped arugula
1 cup of Persian shallots or spring onions
1/2 cup of chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 pound of fresh red beets, peeled and diced
1/2 cup of chopped leek
2 cloves of garlic

For the garnish:
2 teaspoons of dry coriander seed
1/2 cup of finely chopped cilantro
1/2 cup of finely chopped kurrat or ramps/wild leek

1. Heat the fat in a pot wide enough for the diced lamb to spread in one layer.
2. Add lamb and sear on high heat until all moisture evaporates.
3. Fold in the onion, and keep cooking until it is almost transparent.
4. Fold in red beet, arugula, cilantro, Persian shallots and cumin. Keep on folding until the moisture evaporates and ingredients emit a pleasant aroma.
5. Pour in the beer. Add water. Give the pot a light stir. Bring the pot to a boil.
6. Reduce heat and add leek and garlic that you crush in a mortar.
7. Let the stew simmer until the sauce thickens after about an hour.
8. Chop kurrat and fresh cilantro and pound it into a paste using a mortar.
9. Ladle the stew into plates and sprinkle with dry coriander seed and the kurrat and cilantro paste. The dish can be served with steamed bulgur and naan-bread.

List of Viennoiserie

http://www.guide-resto.info/les-differentes-sortes-de-viennoiseries/
https://frenchtogether.com/viennoiseries/
https://www.e-leclerc.com/catalogue/tradition-du-frais/boulangerie-patisserie/guide-dachat-13_5a78c616-7931-4a36-ae8b-a8a7e6d48840.detail

Bostock
Boule de Berlin ou berliner
Brioche
Brioche à tête
Chausson italien ou chausson napolitain
Chausson aux pommes
Chinois
Chouquette
Corniotte
Cramique
Croissant
Oranais ou lunette aux abricots
Pain au chocolat ou chocolatine
Pain au lait
Pain aux raisins ou escargot
Pain viennois (la baguette viennoise, viennois)
Palmier
Patte d’ours
Sacristain
Suisse ou pain suisse ou chocolatine ou drops
Tarte au sucre

Granola - Untested

https://www.recipetineats.com/homemade-granola-muesli/#wprm-recipe-container-23157

4 cups / 360 g rolled oats (not steel cut or quick cooking)

1 cup coconut flakes (or more nuts or oats)

4 Tbsps sunflower seeds
4 Tbsps pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup chopped nuts (hazelnuts)

1/2 cup dried fruit (eg. chopped apricots, apple, pineapple, raisins)

1 tsp Poudre Douce

1 pinch salt

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup fat melted butter or grapeseed oil or sunflower oil

1 1/2 tsp flavouring (eg. vanilla, almond essence, orange blossom)

2 egg whites

1. Preheat oven to 140C/280F. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
2. Combine Wet excluding egg whites.
3. Combine Dry including dried fruit.
4. Whisk egg whites with fork until foamy.
5. Mix Wet and Dry in a large bowl, then mix through egg whites.
6. Spread granola on the tray, making a hole in the centre, like a doughnut (see photo in post).
7. Bake for 45 minutes - DO NOT STIR - until golden. Check at 35 minutes. 
8. Then turn the oven off, leave the granola in the oven, and open the oven door open a bit. Leave the granola to cool. The colour will deepen and it will firm up.
9. Once cool, break into clusters. Store in an airtight container.

Nutella - Testing

https://www.crunchycreamysweet.com/homemade-nutella-chocolate-hazelnut-spread/
https://leitesculinaria.com/78672/recipes-homemade-nutella.html

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/236553/chocolate-spread/

1 - I tried the Leites Culinaria recipe with melted chocolate chips and it turned into a solid block! Tasty, and it melted readily when chipped out of the container and put on hot toast, but really hard to get out of the pot. Next time it will be from Crunchy Creamy Sweet with cocoa powder.

2 - The cocoa powder version works so much better. 

8 oz. hazelnuts (I'm using hazelnut butter)

1 cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 Tbsp mild vegetable oil canola or coconut; I used melted coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp salt

(Optional) 1/4 cup chopped chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Place hazelnuts on the sheet. Roast for 12 to 15 minutes. Watch them after the 10th minute if they are not browning too fast.
2. Remove from the oven and transfer onto a clean kitchen towel. Let cool until safe to the touch.
3. When cooled, gently rub the nuts with the towel until the skin comes off.
4. Place nuts in food processor and process until finely ground. Scrape the sides of the food processor bowl as needed.
5. Process nuts until the start to liquify. It can take about 5 minutes. Stop the food processor as needed to scrape the sides of the bowl.
6. In a mixer on the slow setting, start mixing the hazelnut butter. Add the powdered sugar and cocoa. Mix until well combined.
7. With the food processor running, Turn up the speed and drizzle in the oil and vanilla. Process until smooth.
8. Add the salt and process for 5 seconds.
9. (Optional - do the above in a food processor and add I added the chocolate chips are this point and processed until it all comes together. You may need to add more oil if the mixture clumps up.)
10. Scrape the spread into a clean jar. Store in refrigerator for up to 1 month.
11. If using coconut oil, you may need to let the spread sit on the counter to soften before using.

Pains au Lait - Testing

I've started to experiment with coffee cake, which we mostly eat with coffee in the morning. Which seems like a very Continental thing to do, so I searched to find out what exactly is considered a Viennoiserie; I now have a list! Pains au Lait is a simple sweet bread favorite to children, usually served with Nutella. Of course, this means I have to make home-made Nutella, next.
I've taken some liberties in interpreting these recipes, so the level of experimentation is more than following instructions. Whatever happens, I'll eat it!

0 - Try it with Chocolate Spread until you can get hazelnuts to make home-made Nutella.
1 - Never having eaten (not that I can recall) Pain au lait from a bakery, I'm not precisely sure what I'm aiming for. I'm pleased to say that my first attempt produced little loaves that rose. The texture is a bit dense, but that might be fine with chocolate spread or nutella (when I make either). I only used egg white to brush the tops and, in a covered container overnight, the crust feels sticky... which is fine, but is that right? Next time, I will brush with milk, then the time after that, a combination of the egg white and milk, just to see. Oh, and I'll also increase the amount of sugar; I suspect a bit more sweetness would be welcome.

https://cuisine.journaldesfemmes.fr/recette/342946-pains-au-lait
https://www.yumelise.fr/pains-lait-extra-moelleux/

This is all by weight:
500 grams flour (400gr?)
10 grams dry active yeast
1 rounded tsp of salt
35 70 grams white sugar
1 egg yolk
80 g of butter
250 milliliters of milk
1 egg white, beaten, a Tbsp of milk

In a large bowl mix together the flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Create a well in the center.
Melt the butter then warm the milk in it but to no more than 110F. Quickly whisk in the egg, then pour into the flour well.
Mix and knead until the dough coalesces into a sticky ball.
Cover with a damp towel and leave in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles in size, maybe an hour, depending on ambient temperature.
Loosen the dough and weigh it; this will help to divide it to make 12 little buns. Divide the weight by 12 (it should be about 75gr each). Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into 12 pieces of about 75gr.
With minimal handling, roll each piece into a ball. Again, using as little flour as possible, roll each ball into a fat sausage and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Score each little bun with three slashes of a sharp blade or lame.
Again, allow to rise until double its size in a warm spot, about 40 minutes.
Whisk the egg white and brush the buns with it (try not to let any dribble down onto the paper).
Bake 15-20 minutes in a 350F oven. Let them cool at least 5 minutes. After 20 minutes, wrap in a dish cloth and keep in a sealed tin to enjoy whence thou wilt.

Pouding Chaude au Fudge (Hot Fudge Pudding) - PUBLISHED

A recipe from my maternal grandmother!

1 - What a very strange recipe, but it worked out really well! I was full of trepidation about pour the hot sweet cocoa mix on top before putting it in the oven, but it worked, and created this very odd floating pudding. The sauce thickened and went to the bottom, and the batter fluffed and baked on top, while creating a kind of custard underneath. It's excellent served right out of the oven, but is perfectly good once it has cooled down. It would be fun to try spicing it, too.

2 - Made it again, and it's really good! I still think it's a weird recipe though, and because of that I'm also kinda proud that it came from my Grand'Maman.

3 - We are now able to have people at the farm thanks to the gradual relaxing of the Covid-19 protocols. I served this to 4 people and no recommended changes were offered. On to the final test!

POUDING CHAUDE AU FUDGE

1 cup sifted flour 133g
½ tsp baking soda 2g
Pinch of salt 2g
¾ cup sugar 152g
2 Tbsps cocoa 11g

Milk (see instruction #3)
2 Tbsps white vinegar 
2 Tbsps melted butter
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup brown sugar
4 Tbsps cocoa
OPTIONAL 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1¾ cups boiling water

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, sugar and cocoa. Make a well in the center.
3. In a half-cup measure, put in 2 Tbsps of white vinegar and fill to the 1/2 cup mark with milk. Add to the well.
4. Add the melted butter, along with the nuts. 
5. Mix well and place in a greased, square baking dish. Set aside.
6. In a separate bowl combine the brown sugar and extra cocoa (and optional cinnamon). Whisk in the boiling water.
7. Pour the sauce over the batter and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes.
8. Serve immediately while hot with plenty of sauce on top.

POUDING CHAUDE AU FUDGE
1 tasse de farine tamisée
½ c. à thé soda
Pincée de sel
¾ tasse de sucre
2 c. à table cocoa
Mettre le tout dans un bol. Ajoutez 2 c. à table de vinaigre plus assez de lait pour en faire ½ tasse. Mettez-y 2 c. à soupe de beurre fondu ou margarine et 1 tasse de noix hachés.  Brassez bien et mettez dans une casserole carrée. Combinez 1 tasse sucre brun, 4 c. à table de cocoa et brassez avec 1¾ tasse d’eau bouillante. Mettez sur le pouding et cuire à 350 F. environ 45 minutes. Coupez en carrés et servir chaude avec la sauce sur le dessus.
Recette de Marie-Thérèse (Lambert) Noël de Tilly  -   (1899 - 1962)