A trick to make your bread dough rise faster

There are a couple of ways to make sure your bread dough rises in a timely fashion. Warmth is the key; you can set the bowl on the counter above a running dishwasher, set the bowl on top of a recently-used stove burner, set it inside a recently-warmed (and turned off) oven. Of course, using a burner or the oven is tricky. You want just enough warmth to jump-start the rising process, not enough to start cooking the dough. I've accidentally cooked the dough before.

The best way to gently warm rising dough is to wrap a microwaveable muscle wrap around the bowl.

My mom calls these things "Maggies." I'm not sure why. You can make your own homemade version by filling a long (clean) tube sock with uncooked rice and tying off the end. Then you have a muscle wrap that can be either microwaved or frozen and wrapped around any sore part of your body, and reused over and over and over.

For this, microwave it about two minutes, wrap it around the base of the bowl, and cover the whole works with a towel. Your bread will rise much faster, and higher.

Ricotta pudding

Like spoonbread, only cheesy!

3 eggs
1 egg yolk
2 cups whole-milk ricotta
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons thyme
Salt and pepper

Whisk together eggs, egg yolk, and ricotta. Add rest, mix together. Pour into a buttered 9-inch square baking dish, cover with foil, and set inside a larger baking dish. Pour tepid in, about halfway up the sides of the 9-inch dish, to form a water bath. Bake at 350 for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the middle is set.

Mint julep

In honor of the Kentucky Derby today, I'll be drinking mint juleps!

While I used to live in Louisville, KY, approximately nine thousand years ago, I never made it to the Derby itself. Too expensive, too hard to get tickets, not enough parking. But the city would basically shut down for about a week beforehand, as everyone partied.

And naturally, there were a lot of mint juleps floating around. Mint juleps are the signature drink of the Derby, and often, are really just a cover for cheap-ass bourbon. Originally, they were made with muddled fresh mint, sugar, and bourbon, poured over crushed ice, and topped with powdered sugar and more mint.

Well, crushed ice ruins a bourbon drink, in my opinion (melts too fast, waters the whole thing down), and frankly, I'd rather drink good bourbon neat than bad bourbon with mint sugar-water. However, made properly, a mint julep can be a lively and refreshing thing.

So here's my julep recipe.

1/4 cup bourbon
A splash of mint syrup

Mix, serve over one large ice cube, and top with fresh mint.

Chimichurri

Chimichurri is an Argentinean meat sauce, made mostly from parsley and olive oil. It's great with grilled meats and vegetables. I served mine with the last of the roasted whole fish.

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 small onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley or cilantro (I used some of each)
1 tablespoon oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine and let sit for 2-3 hours before serving to let the flavors develop. If you can't chop everything super-fine, just run it through the food processor to get a better consistency.

Tasmanian sea trout

As the restaurant was emptying the kitchen on Sunday night after work, I managed to score three very nice pieces of Tasmanian sea trout. (I love free leftovers!)

Tasmanian sea trout is similar to salmon--it has that same orangey-pink color, and the same sort of texture and flake. However, the flavor is much creamier and more intense than salmon.

I did nothing more than gently sear one side in a little butter and olive oil; just enough to warm the entire thing up a bit. Slice, bit of salt, done. A wonderful mid-afternoon treat. If you find some, I highly recommend buying it; it's much tastier than salmon.

Gardening update: the tomatoes have sprouted!

I planted some lovely cherry tomatoes, which will go outside as soon as they're big enough. Also starting to show signs of life: peppers, dill, basil. All very exciting.

The outdoor spinach and mint are still going bonkers. Another couple of weeks or so and I hope to be able to move most of the indoor herbs outdoors.

Chocolate chip sour cream cake

You can substitute nuts, raisins or dried cranberries for the chocolate chips if you want.

5 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1 egg
3/4 teaspoon each baking powder and baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Add the melted butter to a mixing bowl and mix in the sugar, vanilla, salt, sour cream and egg. Add the baking powder and baking soda. Stir the flour in until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips, and pour into a greased and floured (or lined with parchment paper) loaf pan.

Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. Let cool in the pan 10 minutes.