101 Ways with Stale Bread

In France they call it ‘pain perdu’. In Russia they ferment it to produce alcohol. In America we throw it away. Here are a few ideas for making delicious use of that stale (but not moldy!) loaf.

Croutons

Great for adding texture to salads and creamed soups.

Slice bread into 1/2" thick slices then cube. Spread out on a roasting tray. Melt a knob of butter, and mix with a similar amount of olive oil and a little salt. Sprinkle this mixture over the bread cubes, tossing to coat evenly. Bake at 325 F for 20 minutes or so. The amount of oil, butter and seasoning will of course depend on how much bread you have; the cubes should be coated but not dripping. Baking time will also vary according to the type and dryness of the bread. Check the oven regularly to ensure the bread is crisping up and turning golden, but no darker.

The croutons can be stored in a tin for a couple of weeks, or frozen then revived for a few minutes in a hot oven.

Bruschetta

(pronounced 'brusketta', not 'brushetta'!)

This works will with any kind of French stick, but is particularly good with a stale sourdough baguette. Slice the bread into 1/4" rounds. Place in a single layer on one or two roasting trays. Season with oil, salt, dried herbs and hot red pepper flakes according to taste (for example if you plan to pile cream cheese onto your bruschetta, a hint of chili would be a good contrast, but if your topping is to have a lot of herbs or hot spice keep the oil mix mild).

Bake as for croutons, checking the oven regularly. The bruschetta will also keep for a couple of weeks in a tin.

Serving suggestions:

• with a guacamole dip
• piled with salmon mousse and a thin slice of cucumber
• spread with pesto*
• mince some black olives and mix with sun-dried tomato paste*
• mashed blue cheese with crumbled walnuts

*The Saclà product range is perfect for the job.

So go on, dip into the bread bin and get creative!

Cheese Fondue from Switzerland

Here's a lovely recipe if the weather is cold in your part of the world, regardless of whether you've been on the piste.

Serves 4

1 garlic clove, halved
1 lb Gruyère
½ lb Emmental
4 oz Appenzeller
4 level tsp cornflour
12 fl oz dry white wine
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 glass kirsch
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
Crusty bread cut into 1” cubes (allow ½ lb per person)

Rub inside of fondue pot with garlic halves. Add the cheese and the cornflour and mix well. Add the lemon juice to the white wine and pour over the cheese. Stirring constantly, heat through until the cheese has melted and is bubbling gently. Blend in the kirsch and season to taste. Place on adjustable burner and serve immediately.

Dip chunks of bread into the fondue, stirring in a figure-of-eight movement to avoid the bottom burning. Anyone who drops a chunk of bread in the mix must pay a forfeit – by drinking a glass of Kirsch.

Apart from the Kirsch forfeit the Swiss are very strict about what you drink with your fondue. A dry white wine is acceptable, and so is tea.

ApfelStrudel for My Lieblings

My German friend, Ulrike, gave me this recipe 20 years ago. Go on, serve it to your Valentine this weekend.

Ingredients 

For the dough:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
about 125 ml water (lukewarm)
pinch of salt
1/2 stick butter

For the filling:
1 1/2 pounds apples
1 cup golden raisins
2/3 cup chopped almonds

Plus:
butter for the tray
some extra flour to work the dough

And for the topping:
melted butter
sour cream
fine, fresh breadcrumbs
sugar and cinnamon

powdered sugar

Method

Sieve the flour onto a pastry board. Make a hollow in the middle and put the water and salt into it. Mix (use the warmth of your hands as everything should be at room temperature), then add the melted butter and knead into a dough. Beat the dough until it is smooth and can be 'pulled'. Shape it into a ball and put in a bowl, covered, in a warm place for about an hour.

In the meantime, peel and core the apples, and cut them into into thin slices. Grease the baking tray.

Take the prepared dough and place it on the pastry board, sprinkling a little flour over it. Roll it out as flat and thin as you can. Place the dough on a large, clean tea towel, also sprinkled with flour, and pull it to extend it further. This takes a bit of practice as the dough tears quite easily. In any case it needs to be very, very thin and even, so do take care that there is no extra thickness at the edges.

Now, with the dough still on the tea towel brush it with melted butter to cover, then spread some sour cream onto the dough, and sprinkle some breadcrumbs on top. Cover with the apple, golden raisins and almonds.Sprinkle the sugar-cinnamon mix on top.

Pick up one end of the covered dough (with the aid of the tea towel) and roll it up, tucking the sides of the dough towards the middle. Carefully place the strudel on the baking tray with the edge of your roll facing downwards. Brush melted butter on top and place in the middle of the preheated oven (400 F). Bake for 45 mins.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar once the strudel has cooled a little.

Cheesecake

Cheesecake is my guilty pleasure. I'm still searching for that perfect recipe. Here's a nice, easy, non-taxing one I developed with a friend in DC some years back. But you may also like to try this one by the goddess of cheesecake makers, Ina Garten.

Base

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 stick melted butter

Mix ingredients together well and press onto bottom of an 8-inch pan with removable base. Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes.

Filling

2 x 8 oz packs of cream cheese

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs plus one egg yolk

3/4 tsp vanilla essence

Beat all ingredients until smooth. Pour onto slightly cooled shell. Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes. Cool 15 minutes.

Topping

1 pint soured cream

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

Mix well and pour over cheesecake. Bake 10 minutes at 375 F.

Chocolate Brownies

As American as apple pie, but ironically when making brownies from scratch it's the British chef, Nigel Slater, whom I turn to for inspiration. The recipe below is adapted from the one in his excellent book, Real Food.

Ingredients

8 oz dark muscovado sugar
6 oz unsalted butter, preferably European or Plugrá
350 g 70% best quality dark chocolate, chopped into pieces
3 medium eggs
2 oz all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder

Method

Preheat oven to gas 5. Line a 20cm square tin with baking parchment. My Williams-Sonoma square cake pan is perfect for the job.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk the eggs until pale and fluffy. Add the sugar and whisk until thick. Gently fold in the chocolate. Sift in the flour and fold in until the mixture is smooth.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a paper-like crust forms on top. There should still be some movement in the center of the tin. Remove from the oven, leave to cool, then cut into squares.

Falafel

Bob's Red Mill products are wholesome and reliable, perfect for my new health regime. I urge you to track these grains down or order them online. I use Bob's Red Mill garbanzo flour in this recipe.

Ingredients

1 cup garbanzo bean flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup hot water
3 tbsp olive oil

Method

In a large bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda. Roast cumin and coriander seeds lightly, then pound in a mortar and pestle and add to dry mixture. Stir in parsley, garlic and onion. Add lemon juice and hot water and mix well. Allow to stand for 10 minutes.

In a frying pan heat the oil on medium high heat until hot. Add the falafel batter by the tablespoon and flatten slightly. Shallow fry on both sides until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel. The mixture will make 12 falafel.

Serve in pita bread with lettuce, tomatoes, tahini sauce and tzatzkiki*.


*Make your own tzatziki by combining 1 cup of FAGE Total Greek yogurt with 1 small cucumber - peeled, seeded, and finely chopped. Add a little onion, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Easy and delicious!

Buffalo Cauliflower with Blue Cheese Sauce

Here's a great sharing platter courtesy of the Food Network. It went down very well at my open house Super Bowl party on Sunday, even if there were tears by the end of the evening. Come on Seahawks!

Ingredients

Cheese Sauce:
1/3 cup nonfat sour cream
2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
1 tablespoon skim milk
2 teaspoons mayonnaise
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Buffalo Cauliflower:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup hot sauce, such as Frank's
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
8 cups cauliflower florets (from about 1 medium head)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

For the cheese sauce:
Whisk together the sour cream, blue cheese, milk, mayonnaise, 1/8 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.

For the Buffalo cauliflower:
Microwave the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl on high until melted. Whisk in the hot sauce and lemon juice and set aside.

Mix 1/2 cup water, the olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add the cauliflower and toss until well coated. Spread the cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until beginning to brown and just tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Whisk the hot sauce mixture again, drizzle over the cauliflower and toss with tongs to coat. Roast the cauliflower until the sauce is bubbling and browned around the edges, 5 to 7 minutes more. Serve hot with the cheese sauce.

Shrimp Fusion Pasta

Here's a recipe that takes just minutes to make. I always have a big bag of raw shrimp in the freezer to give my cat a treat. (Don't tell her I've been stealing them, will you.)

Ingredients

1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons light olive oil
1 leek, white part, finely sliced
A knob of fresh ginger, grated*
Half a lemon, squeezed
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp raw sugar
Small bunch of fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
Chilij pepper, salt and black pepper to taste

Method

In a wok or large sauté pan heat the oil to very hot and quickly stir fry the vegetables and ginger. Push them to the side then add the shrimp and cook for one minute on each side. Add lemon juice, garlic, sugar, cilantro and seasoning. Cook a further 30 seconds.

Toss with freshly cooked egg noodles or egg fried rice and serve immediately.

Serves 2-3 people

*If you've been preserving your ginger as I recommended in the footnote to my Wild Arctic Char recipe then this is the perfect opportunity to use it, plus some of the acidic preserving liquor, though reduce the amount of lemon juice and check the seasoning carefully in that case.