So in between Christmas shopping and discussions on the potency of Maui Wowie (the catnip, not the pot, you delinquents), I’ve been busy in the kitchen. Unfortunately, as soon as I finish one project in the kitchen, I have an article to write plus another project. So my pile of things-to-do just increases. To avoid the long delay between articles, I’ve split up Christmas Preparations: Part I into two parts. This segment is purely about cookies. And baking. And goat blood. Okay, maybe not that last one, but you get the point.

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For the last several days, I’ve snubbed Christmas menu preparations for earthier delights: shopping, reading, listening, and posting in my less kosher blog Caput Lupinum (closed to the public). But alas, the time for dalliance is at an end. Christmas is just two weeks away, and if I’m going to execute a Devious, Masterful Plan, The Plan must be given form!

Christmas and New Years are perhaps my favorite "food holidays" because there are less stringent expectations concerning what ought to be served. Thanksgiving is a straight-jacket for the creative menu. Iconic dishes, like roast turkey, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, etc, limit how far one can deviate and experiment. Serve something aside from the usual staples and you’re likely to hear uproar. But is there a classic winter menu? Well, for one, nobody can agree on the main; is it ham, beef wellington, a rib roast, or deep fried Jewish latkes? This year in foodie publication, I’ve seen all of the above and more, including lamb, duck, cornish hens, and, yes, roast turkey. The confusion is a blessing, if you ask me. My husband has only one request of the Christmas menu: cookies, and lots of them. We’ll revisit that subject later.

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Thanksgiving Day procedures are at the bottom of this article, below the extra photos.

First Appetizer: Crab Bisque
Made from homemade fish-crustacean stock and fresh, live crabs.

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Week 2 is already finished, and my plans are on schedule. Among other culinary trips (see the new beef stroganoff and updates to cranberry orange bread), this week’s accomplishments include smoked ham-vegetable stock, peanut butter milk chocolate bark, candied orange zest, dark chocolate bark with said zest, potato rosemary rolls with roasted garlic, brown roux, and a test run on roasted chestnuts.

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Sweat was flowing down my back, and I was still catching my breath after running on the treadmill. My husband, returning to the gym room with the weekly grocery ads, turned to me and grumbled, "There’s no special on turkeys this year." "Huh?" was my articulate response. I looked and indeed, there was barely a nary a mention of the holiday bird. I shrugged and said, "So?" He eyed me somewhat blandly and said, "Thanksgiving is next week." I gaped at him. I stuttered. I vehemently denied. And then I realized I was speaking with the family’s resident encyclopedia of doom, and I thought, ‘He must be right.’

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In an ideal world, I’d test all of Reinhart’s recipes before the end of the year. This goal is looking less and less likely, but I’m not really disappointed. With patience and repetition, I’ve gained insight into the "feel" of various doughs—very important because each type of bread has different qualities prior to baking. The better you get at identifying and aiming for these characteristics, the better your final product. Within the next several months or so, I anticipate quantitatively adjusting Reinhart’s formulas to my own specifications; I’ll post the results when I’m comfortable with their accuracy. NB: Remember most of these adjustments are specific to the environmental conditions of my location: temperature, humidity, etc.

Meanwhile, I am making progress through the book. After pizza crusts, I decided to turn my attention to the sweeter bread varieties in preparation for the holidays. By Christmas, I will probably have added Hutzelbrot, Stollen, Brioche, and/or Boston Brown Bread. This past week, however, I took a crack at Reinhart’s Graham Cracker formula. I ran two trials and a third is scheduled next week. Here are the results thus far:

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Having obtained a fabulous baking stone from Fibrament in August, I’ve subjected the stone to a rigorous baking schedule—boules, batards, and sandwich loaves at least twice a week. I was quite pleased with the performance, but as of last weekend the final test had yet to be performed: pizza. Years prior, I’d experimented with several hand-made whole wheat pizza crusts on cheap sheet metal; the results were o.k., but nothing worth preserving in the annals of Jenn kitchen-history. However, this time ‘round I was armed not only with the proper equipment, but also a baker’s formula from Peter Reinhart. The stage set, Fall arrived just in time to crank my oven up to 525°F.

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Very few recipe books are "essential." When you understand kitchen fundamentals, when you begin to grasp the concept of ingredients by ratio, when you have no fear of exploring new flavors—you can free yourself from the dreaded recipe and have a lot of fun cooking. That’s not to say you can’t learn from someone else’s recipes. A good recipe book will refine your basic techniques, familiarize you with foreign cuisines, and help you develop unique "dish concepts." However, I rarely find myself attached to one book and hauling the bugger around like a trusty sidekick. It’s just part of my personality. For better or worse, I have an innate resistance to listening and following the directions of any one person.

But these days I’m often not very far from Peter Reinhart’s Whole Grain Breads. This book is gem.

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Wow. I’m in shock; I can’t believe I got these almost entirely right on the second try. (Mess around with 100% whole wheat baking and you will understand the magnitude of my disbelief.) My suggested modifications for the cinnamon rolls as per my last post were bang-on. This batch was very tender all over, from the outermost coil to the delicious innards. Even the cream cheese came out creamier and smoother. Best of all, I didn’t feel like I was eating air—a sensation common when consuming cinnamon rolls made from all purpose flour. I’ve seen the light, and I’m never turning back.

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The initial test was very promising.  The roll, especially in the inner coils, was sweet, soft, and tender.  As with all 100% whole grain recipes, however, this one will require further experimentation to bring out the full potential of the dough and the cream cheese glaze.  Here are my remarks and suggestions:

1. Peter Reinhart says to bake the rolls one inch apart on a baking sheet.  Personally, I think I prefer baking them in a casserole dish and letting them rise up against each other.  The outer edges of the rolls dried out a bit using PR's method.
2. Make the cream cheese frosting well in advance, then chill in the fridge.  Also, when initially mixing the ingredients, you may want to whip the cream cheese first to smooth out the texture, then stir in the honey.  When they are combined, add the vanilla extract and only as much milk as necessary to reach the desired consistency.

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