October Cooking Club Challenge: Italian Meat Loaf

The moistened crumbs add liquid to the meat loaf, keeping it juicy. Note: This recipe is designed for a 5- to 6-quart (5 to 6L) slow cooker. Recipe reprinted from the Canadian Living Slow Cooker Collection

Ingredients:

Italian Meat Loaf

• 1 3/4 cups fresh bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 x eggs
• 1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 lb. ground veal or beef
• 1 lb. ground pork

Topping

• 3/4 cup shredded provolone cheese
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

 

Directions:

Italian Meat Loaf

1. Line bottom and side of slow cooker with heavy-duty or double thickness foil; set aside. In bowl, stir bread crumbs with milk; let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in skillet, heat oil over medium heat; fry onions, garlic and oregano, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 6 minutes.
3. In large bowl, whisk eggs. Add sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, bread crumb mixture and onion mixture. Combine with wooden spoon. Mix in veal and pork, using hands if necessary. Place in centre of prepared slow cooker; shape into loaf.
4. Cover; cook on low until thermometer registers 170°F (75°C), 6 to 8 hours.

Topping

1. Sprinkle loaf with cheese; sprinkle parsley and sun-dried tomatoes down centre. Cover; cook on high until cheese is melted, 5 minutes. Using foil as handles, life out of slow cooker. Let stand on cutting board for 5 minutes, letting fat drain off onto foil. Transfer to cutting board and slice.

I can’t say this won me over.  My folks were never meat loaf kind of people so I never grew up with this dish as a source of comfort food at all even though variations of meat loaf have been around forever.  I was happy to get some use out of my crock pot, in any case.  The loaf seemed huge and not very pretty overall and, while in the crockpot, it sat there sitting in a pool of oil/fat.  Not exactly attractive.  The flavor itself was so-so and didn’t impress me.  It wasn’t awful but it wasn’t super either.  The kids wouldn’t eat it at all without drowning their slices in ketchup.  I’m afraid this recipe was just a miss with us all around.

I give this recipe 6 chips out of a bag of 10.

September Cooking Club: Ricardo’s Classic Roast Chicken

Brine:
12 cups cold water
3/4 cup salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 cloves garlic
2 x bay leaves
2 x branches fresh thyme
2 x branches fresh rosemary
Chicken:
1 x chicken (about 5 lbs)
1 x onion, quartered
3 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
6 x large carrots, halved lengthwise
Sauce:
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp water
1/4 cup white wine
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
salt and pepper
 
Directions:
Brine
In a Dutch oven or large pot, bring 1 litre (4 cups) water and the salt, sugar, garlic and herbs to a boil. Stir until the salt has dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the remaining water to cool the mixture. Place the chicken in the brine, breast side down. Refrigerate overnight if possible but at least 2 hours.

Chicken
With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with paper towels.
Place the herbs and garlic from the marinade and the onion in the chicken’s cavity. Brush the outside with butter and pour the remainder in the cavity. Sprinkle the outside with the thyme. Season with salt and pepper.
Place the carrots on the bottom of a roasting pan. Set the chicken on top. Insert a meat thermometer into the meat on the inside of the thigh without touching the bone. Roast until the thermometer reads 82°C (180°F), about 2 hours.

Sauce
In a bowl, combine the cornstarch and water. Set aside.
After removing the chicken, pour the white wine into the roasting pan. Scrape the bottom of the pan to free up any brown bits. Pour into a small saucepan, add the broth and thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce by half. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Simmer 1 minute. Strain into a sauceboat. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve the chicken with the sauce.

I have never brined a chicken before so I was a little nervous but, really, there’s nothing to it at all.  And the result!!  The skin was crispy and the meat was wonderfully moist.  Plus, with the carrots laying under the chicken in the roasting pan, you don’t get soggy chicken on the underside.  Truly a treat and you something you must try.

I give this recipe 8.5 chips out of a bag of 10.

August Cooking Club Challenge: Jerk Snapper

INGREDIENTS

• Juice of 2 oranges
• Juice of 2 lemons
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 x chiles, stemmed and seeded (if you like extra heat, leave the seeds in)
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 x small shallots, coarsely chopped
• 1 x piece of ginger (½ inch) peeled and coarsely chopped
• 4 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (60ml)
• 4 x large scallions, both white and green parts, trimmed and coarsely chopped
• 2 tsp of chopped fresh/dried thyme (10ml)
• 1 1/2 tsp of kosher salt, or more to taste (7.5ml)
• 2 tsp of brown sugar, or more to taste (10ml)
• 1/2 tsp of ground allspice (2.5ml)
• 1/2 tsp of freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste (2.5ml)
• 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon (2.5ml)
• 1 tsp of soy sauce (5ml)
• 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce (15ml)
• 2 tbsp of vegetable oil (30ml)
• 3 tbsp of dark rum (45ml)
• 4 x small fresh red snapper (1½ lbs each), cleaned and scaled with fins removed.   

DIRECTIONS

1. Squeeze the orange juice, lemon juice and lime juice into a bowl. Place all ingredients, except oil and rum, into a blender. Start the blender and slowly add the fruit juices until the mixture starts to take on a paste like consistency. Add the oil in a thin stream. Add the rum and continue to blend until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, but easily poured.
2. Place the jerk seasoning in a bowl and let it rest in the fridge for at least an hour. The longer it rests, the more intense the flavours will be.
3. Rinse the red snapper under cold water and pat dry both inside and out. Make 3 or 4 deep diagonal slashes in the side of each fish and place in a nonreactive (ceramic glass) baking dish. Pour the rested marinade over the fish and place in the fridge to marinate for ½ hour.
4. Preheat the grill to high – 500°F (5 steamboats).
5. Oil the grill generously to avoid sticking. Place the fish directly on the grill and cook for 8 minutes per side. Serve with lime wedges.

As you know, Chippies, I live in the culinary version of Hell.  Even something as simple as red snapper, is not to be found here.  Most people  here probably don’t even know that it’s a fish and are more likely to think that has some sort of pornographic connection.  In any case, I had to a bit of quick thinking on this challenge as life got away from me and here I was, on the last day of August, without a completed challenge.

After visiting both local groceries and the local butcher, I ended up buying some frozen tilapia.  I made the above marinade as directed.  Since my fish didn’t have any skin, I didn’t want to deal with attempting to grill it, especially since I was not in the mood for fiddling with foil and an overly hot grill that I haven’t quite mastered the use of temperature control on yet (I inherited a new-to-me grill from my mother in law when she moved from her house into her condo).  So I opted to pan fry.

The fish was delicate with a hint of smokiness.  Very very subtle.  I think next time I would let the marinade sit in the fridge longer to develop the flavor more. 

I give this recipe 7.5 chips out of a bag of 10.

Cooking Club Challenge: Guerilla Ice Cream Sandwiches!

Recipe by Chuck Hughes

INGREDIENTS:

 For Banana Mascarpone Ice Cream:

•  4 frozen bananas, peeled and cut in 2 inch pieces
•  1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
•  1/2 cup confectioners sugar
•  1 vanilla bean, halved, seeds removed
•  1/2 Meyer Lemon, juiced

 For Double Chocolate Cookie “Sandwiches”:

•  2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup good quality cocoa powder
•  1 tsp baking powder
•  1/2 tsp baking soda
•  1/4 tsp salt 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
•  1 cup light brown sugar
•  1/2 cup white sugar
•  3 large eggs
•  2 tsp pure vanilla extract
•  1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
•  1 cup pecan nuts, roughly chopped

 DIRECTIONS:

 For Banana Mascarpone Ice Cream:

 Freeze banana pieces overnight in re-sealable plastic bags. Place all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse for a few seconds then whip till smooth (about 20 – 30 seconds). Fill 3 inch ring molds and lay onto a parchment- lined baking sheets. Freeze 1 hour or longer, if needed. Pop out of molds and place sandwiched between double chocolate cookies.

For Double Chocolate Cookie “Sandwiches”:

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift together dry ingredients into a large bowl. In the bowl of an electric mixer or food processor, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat till combined. Add this mixture to the bowl of dry ingredient and stir to combine. Add chips and nuts. Combine. Drop by ice cream scoopfuls onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 – 14 minutes until just cooked but still soft. Set onto a wire rack to cool. Using the same mold as the ice cream, cut cookies into ‘sandwiches’. Assemble with ice cream and serve.

These big boys are not for the faint of heart or for anyone lacking in appetite.  These “sandwiches” are guargatuan!  How could they not be with 3 inches of filling inbetween 2 cookies?  Oi!!  Due to the fact that we have folks with banana allergies in the house (only to raw bananas, not to cooked), I needed to substitute my fruit.  I decided in honor of summer to go with the luscious strawberry.  I used about 2 cups frozen from my freezer in lieu of and it worked out fine (though it did make my little food processor complain a bit). 

I ended up with 4 massive sandwiches and lots of cookie left over.  So I could either make more “ice cream” or just eat the cookies as they are.  They are rich and full of chocolately flavor.  Paired with the sweet strawberries, it was a simple summertime treat that the whole family will enjoy.

Size issues aside (I REALLY would recommend making these smaller), I give this recipe 8 chips out of a bag of 10 because honestly, you are getting 2 recipes for the price of 1 and both are great, whether you eat them individually or pair them up like Chuck.  Enjoy!

June Cooking Club Challenge: Hunan Smoked Beef Ribs

INGREDIENTS:•

•  2 Racks of Beef ribs, 8 Bones each rack
  • 9 cups apple wood chips 6 cups soaked in cool water for 1 hour and drained.
  • 4 tsp Chinese five spice powder
  • 2 tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp lightly packed brown sugar
  • 2 tsp chili flakes
• • 2 cups Hoisin sauce
  • Juice of 3 oranges
  • 2 tbsp grated ginger
  • 1 1/2 tbsp chopped garlic
  • 1/4 cup dry sherry
  • 2 tbsp sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:
1. To make the rub, combine all rub ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine evenly. Rub this mixture evenly all over the ribs using slight pressure of the hand as to tear the micro fibers of the meat. Place the rubbed ribs in a large re-sealable bag and place in the refrigerator to marinate overnight
2. The next day prepare the sauce by combining the Hoisin sauce in a medium bowl; add the grated ginger, garlic, orange juice, sherry and sesame seeds.
3. Strain the wood chips. Place 1 cup (250ml) of dry wood chips on a large sheet of aluminum foil mix in 2 cups (500ml) of the wet until evenly distributed. Close the foil up loosely and make a sealed pouch. Pierce the pouch in several spots top and bottom. Repeat to make 3 pouches in total.
4. Remove the ribs from the refrigerator and allow them to come to room temperature. Prepare barbeque by removing the grates, placing a drip pan on one side of grill and placing a smoke pouch on the other side. Replace the grates over the drip pan only.
5. Preheat the grill for indirect cooking by leaving the 2 burners off under the drip pan and putting the heat on under the smoke pouch. Allow to heat to a temperature of 220F (104C) heat. Once smoke beings to form, lift the lid and place the ribs on the grill over the drip pan where there is no heat. Close lid and smoke for 2.5 hours, changing the smoke pouch when smoke dissipates.
6. After 2.5 hours baste the ribs with the sauce. Close lid and continue to cook for 1 hour basting every 30 minutes. Ribs will be done when you can pull them from the bone with ease.
7. Remove ribs from grill loosely tent with foil and let rest for 20 minutes before cutting and serving. Serve with left over Hunan sauce.

I was a little nervous going into this one.  To me, smoking meat in the BBQ seemed like a mysterious art and my sad little BBQ was, well, rather uninspiring.  My hubby was convinced it wouldn’t even hold the proper temperature needed but while it did run a little on the hot side, it did do a pretty good job even with an amateur like me at the helm.  Look out Rob Rainford!  Ha ha ha!

I never was able to get 2 racks of ribs so I made do with beef ribs that had already been cut apart.  Prep only took a few minutes and really all the effort was in keeping the temperature steady and changing the smoke packs.  Easy peasy!  The ribs were quite tasty with a great smokey flavor combined with some fabulous heat from the chili’s in the rub where you were aware of the heat in your mouth but not to the point where your tongue was on fire.  I really loved the texture of the ribs, tender and sticky.  To me, that is what BBQ’ed ribs should be like.  :0)

I had a ton of basting sauce left over so I did up some chicken breasts as well.  They worked really well with this and the kids enjoyed them too.

I give this recipe a solid 7.5 chips out of a bag of 10.

May Cooking Club Challenge: White Chocolate Banana Loaf by Anna Olsen

INGREDIENTS :

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups pastry flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
•  1/2 tsp cinnamon
•  1/4 tsp salt
•  3/4 cup mashed banana
•  1/2 cup white chocolate, chopped, plus some for drizzling

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 6 x 3-inch loaf pan. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with banana. Fold in chopped white chocolate. Scrape batter into pan and spread evenly. Bake for 30 minutes until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a plate.

ASSEMBLY:

Melt white chocolate and drizzle on to cake.

I LOVED this!  So divine! I opted to make muffins instead of a loaf as I didn’t have the proper sized loaf pan and the kids love muffins for a school snack (BIG BONUS: no nuts in this recipe so it is school friendly for those have to worry about nuts allergies).   The white chocolate added a hint of sweetness which was just right.  I ran out of white chocolate so I melted some milk chocolate wafers and drizzled that on top of my muffins instead. 

A couple notes: this recipe will yield 12 muffins and they will need to cook for about 22 mins.

I give this recipe 8.5 chips out of a bag of 10.

April Cooking Club Challenge: Mushroom Ravioli

Laura Calder’s Mushroom Ravioli

Mushroom Ravioli
Yield:  4

 

INGREDIENTS

Mushroom Raviolis

• 1-1/2 pounds of mushrooms, cleaned and trimmed
• 1/4 cup butter
• A splash of olive oil
• 2 x cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to season
• A generous 1/2 cup of stock
• A generous handful of finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano, more for garnish
• Fresh lemon juice, to taste (optional)
• 3 to 4 tablespoons of chopped fresh dill, or sage
• 8 sheets of pasta (approx. 3 x 4 inch)

 
DIRECTIONS

1. Cut the mushrooms into quarters or eighths, depending on their size. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Pour 1 tablespoon of the butter into a sauté pan. Continue heating the remaining butter in the saucepan until it turns light brown. Remove from the heat, and reserve. Boil a large pot of water for the pasta.
2. Add a splash of olive oil to the butter in sauté pan. Set the pan on high heat, and add the mushrooms, sautéing until slightly coloured. Add the garlic, season with salt and pepper, and continue cooking until the mushrooms are soft, approx. 4 minutes more. Pour over the stock and boil to reduce to 2 tablespoons. Stir in the cheese. Taste, check the seasonings, adding a squirt of lemon juice if you like. Stir in the dill and keep the mixture warm while you cook the pasta.
3. Generously salt the pasta water once it’s boiling. Add the pasta and cook al dente. Drain, then return the pasta to the pan, tossing with the reserved brown butter. Lay a sheet of pasta on each of four serving plates. Spoon the mushrooms onto the pasta. Top with a second pasta sheet. Drizzle over the brown butter. Garnish with a dill sprig, and serve immediately.

You all know I adore Laura Calder.  She’s the bee’s knees, in my books, so I was thrilled to have one of her recipes chosen for our challenge this month.  After reading several comments on the Food Network Canada site, I decided to go with a mix of white button mushrooms and portobellos (our store had no cremini’s sadly).  Sage was my herb of choice, fontina was my cheese and since I was very strapped for time this month, I used wonton wrappers for my “pasta” as opposed to making my own as I was originally going to.

When it came to taste time, I found the sage to be too strong for the delicate mushroom flavor.  Next time, I will try with dill as I think it will pair better.  The fontina worked well though.  I really disliked the texture of the wonton wrappers.  Much too flimsy and almost “slimy” in this context.  Having made several of Laura’s recipes before, I don’t what possessed me to try and change things.  Her versions are always simple and tasty. 

Somtimes it’s better not to mess with the original.  Be warned.

I give this recipe 7 chips out of a bag of 10.

March Cooking Club Challenge: Ricardo’s Onion Rings

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 

INGREDIENTS:
Onion Rings

• 1 large Spanish onion, sliced into 1-cm (1/2-inch) rounds and separated into rings (if desired, set aside the small centre rings for another use)
• 1/4 cup cornstarch

 Batter

• 1 cup pastry flour
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup pale ale
• Oil for frying

DIRECTIONS:
Onion Rings

1. Preheat the deep fryer to 190°C (375°F). Place a cooling rack on a baking sheet or line a baking sheet with paper towels.
2. In a paper bag or large bowl, toss the onion rings in the cornstarch to coat well. Set aside.

Batter

1. In a bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Whisk in the beer.
2. Using your fingertips or a wooden chopstick, dip the rings in the batter, 4 or 5 at a time. Shake off excess batter and deep-fry for about 3 minutes, turning half way through cooking. Drain on the baking sheet. Season lightly with salt. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

I know there were a few people who were disappointed with this month’s challenge but I wasn’t one of them.  Sometimes it is really nice to make something easy like this and have it taste great without having to take hours of prep to make it happen.  These onion rings rocked!  I did them as directed and salted them with seasoning salt.  One onion made quite a lot and we weren’t sure how they would keep.   We figured they would be a bit soggy the next day, and they were.  BUT we reheated them a few minutes in a 350 degree oven and they crisped right up!  Fantastic!

I give this recipe 8 chips out of a bag of 10.

February Cooking Club Challenge: Gnocchi and Tomato Sauce

Gnocchi

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 large baking potatoes
• 3 eggs, lightly whisked
• 3 cups flour
• Sprinkled sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• Olive oil
   
  DIRECTIONS:

1. Bake the potatoes until they’re tender when pierced with a fork, about an hour. Scoop the flesh out of potatoes and put into a large bowl.
2. While the potatoes are still a bit warm add the eggs, 2 cups of the flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir and knead until a dough forms, adding more flour if it seems too sticky. You may not need all the flour called for as potato sizes and moisture content vary. It is important not to add too much flour, or the gnocchi will be too dry.
3. Divide the dough into 4 even pieces and roll each piece into a 1” wide ‘snake’. Cut the long ‘snakes’ into 1” pieces.
4. Heat a large pot of water to boiling and salt it liberally. Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water and let them cook for 2-3 minutes, until they float to the surface. Drain well and toss with a bit of olive oil.  

Roasted Cherry Tomato and Olive Pasta Sauce
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 4 pints cherry tomatoes, de-stemmed
• 4 onions, peeled and chopped
• 1 head garlic, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup Kalamata black olives, pitted and halved
• 1 cup green olives, pitted and sliced
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• Sprinkled sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup olive oil
   
  DIRECTIONS: 

1. Preheat your oven to 325°.
2. Put tomatoes into a 9” by 13” baking dish. Add onions, garlic, olives, thyme, salt and pepper and cover with oil. Toss well and place in the oven to roast slowly for 1 hour or so. The sauce is done when it begins to brown here and there, the tomatoes shrink and it smells amazing.
3. Toss with your favourite pasta.

I was really pumped to make this gnocchi recipe by Michael Smith.  I’ve enjoyed him on tv and he seems like a decent guy and his son is named Gabe (just like mine).  My biggest gripe though with these recipes is I would have liked a little more guidance.  For example, for the dough, it said don’t add too much flour but how do you know when enough is enough?  What should the dough look and feel like?  Overall the gnocchi turned out alright (but not super duper) and I rolled every single one over a fork to get some nice ridges for the sauce.  It took me forever, Chippies, but I did it. 

 Speaking of the sauce, it really wasn’t for me at all.  It was ok but I wouldn’t do it again.  I didn’t find it actually very “saucy”.  When I try a new recipe, I do it to the letter especially the first time out.  My guess was that the cherry tomatoes should have been cut in half to create more juice but again, it was kind of left up in the air.  Anyway, since I suspected it wouldn’t be my taste, I also dressed some gnocchi in plain spaghetti sauce (which the kids really loved) and some in freshly grated parmesian after a quick toss in some melted butter.  Yum!

The above photo shows the gnocchi in the required tomato sauce and the lower is with just parmesian.

I give the gnocchi 6.5 chips out a bag of 10 but the poor sauce only gets 5.

Cooking Club Challenge: Brioche by Laura Calder

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 envelopes dry active yeast (about 16 g)
• 6 tbsp warm water or milk
• 1-1/2 tsps salt
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 4 cups flour
• 6 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 x egg yolk
• Milk for wash

Yield: 2 Loaves 

DIRECTIONS:

• Stir the yeast into the warm water (or milk), with the salt and sugar. Set aside for five minutes to dissolve. Put the flour in a bowl and make a well in it. Put the eggs and the yeast mixture in the well. Mix it, drawing in the flour, to make a soft, sticky dough.
• Work the dough, lifting and slapping, until it becomes soft and very smooth and elastic (this process is a long and difficult job by hand. A mixer with hook attachment is great if you have one). Knead the butter to soften it to the same texture as the dough. Now, work in the butter a piece at a time, again to create smooth, sticky dough (again, the mixer will make that easy). Let the dough rise at room temperature in a covered bowl for two hours.
• Punch down the risen dough. Put it back in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight to double. Shape the bread; let it rise 1 1/2 hours in the pan. Glaze with yolk and milk wash. Bake the loaves at 425ºF/220°C for 40 to 45 minutes.

As much as I love, love bread, I do not do well when it comes to making it.  This was no exception but it wasn’t totally my fault this time–really!!  I misread part of the instructions and added all the eggs at once instead of saving the one yolk for the glaze.  My bad.  And, I have to say, this was the wierdest bread dough ever.  While adding the butter, it looked like this nasty greasy lumpy mass.  It truly looked like there was no hope and my poor Kitchenaid was positively screaming from the effort it was taking to work the dough (I think the motor was burning or something–YIKES!).  After several minutes of starting and stopping, it did eventually come together in a nice uniform dough.

This next part was not my fault though.

The recipe was originally posted without the info saying it was for TWO loaves but in my enthusiasm I already had my brioche in the oven before this was error was rectified on the Food TV site.   Alas all my dough went into one loaf. 

You can smell disaster in the air, can’t you.

The result was a large loaf that was overcooked on the top and a small part in the middle that wasn’t done enough.  Drat, I say!  It did smell fantastic all the same though.  When I cut the slices,  I cut out the undercooked area and ate the good stuff.  It was yeasty and buttery and quite pleasant.  Imagine how good it would have been if it hadn’t gotten messed it up!  LOL

I give this recipe 7 chips out of a bag of 10.