Barkman Pizza Oven

Our new outdoor living/cooking area is coming along nicely.

Thanks to Bowline Construction for their dedication to this project.

Here is a timelapse video of the assembly of our Barkman Concrete Pizza oven supplied by Landscape Centre in Coquitlam and built by Bowline.

More details on the complete project to follow.

No knead Sourdough Bread

2 large or 4 regular loafs 

This fantastic bread is so simple to make and does not require kneading 

My grandson Colton says that it's the best bread he has ever had. 

Mix 1 cup of your sourdough starter with 3 cups 100 degree bottled water

Sift together 2 cups whole wheat flour with 5 cups all purpose or bread flour and a tablespoon of salt

Pour the sourdough mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. 

Cover with a damp towel and put in a warm place for 10 hours. If you have a proof setting on your oven this can be accomplished in less than half the time. 

However if started in the evening this can be left on the counter overnight to be ready for the morning. 

After and hour perform a stretch and fold as demonstrated below. Then do the same at 2 hours and 3 hours.

Once it has at least doubled in size dump it onto an floured counter top and cut into 2 pieces for large loafs or 4 for smaller ones.  

Roll into loaf shaped logs and put them into the loaf pans as shown below.

 I used large disposable tin pans and let them rise for a couple hours. As below. 

Bake until internal temperature reaches 205 F

A sample of a breakfast with this wonderful bread. 

Avocado and eggs over easy on toasted sourdough

Inspired by the new restaurant in Harrison Hot Springs called 'Harrison Corner Cafe' 

Can't wait to try some of their other menu items. 

https://www.facebook.com/harrisoncornercafe/

Mom's Croquetts

Growing up in a Dutch family I was raised on croquettes. So I called my Mom, Nellie Romeyn to ask for her recipe.  She kind of laughed and said she really didn't have a recipe.

Great I thought now what. She said, "I use a little of this and  little of that, mix it together, roll them up and deep fry them". I listened to what she said and headed we off to the store.

I did the little of this and that but tried to measure so that I could write it out, so here it is Mom......

Made 70 Croquettes

.

4 Whole roasted chickens (I bought the Costco pre-roasted)
2 cups finely minced shallots or onions
1 Cup Butter
1 1/2 cups flour
3 cups half and half cream
3 cups chicken broth
2 Tablespoons curry
1 Tablespoon salt
2 Teaspoons pepper
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (next time I will use Ketjap Manis)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

For the coating
3 cups flour
4 beaten eggs
6 cups fine bread crumbs


Finely chop the chicken - I used a food processor

Put butter in a large frying pan or sauce pan
Once melted add the onions and saute for 2 minutes
Add Curry, salt, pepper, parsley and Worcestershire sauce
Mix flour in slowly
Cook for about 2 minutes
Add cream slowly until all absorbed
Add chicken broth slowly until absorbed
Mix until it is a thick roux

Add in the chicken and combine until well mixed

Spread the mixture out on a large cookie sheet and put in fridge until cool

Put flour in low flat dish

Beat the eggs and put in a low flat dish

Put bread crumbs in low flat dish

OK now it is time to recruit family or friends to help. It is way easier if you have one person rolling, one 

dipping in egg and one doing the bread crumbs and final shaping.

That is my grandson Landon supervising.

er 

Put them on a cookie sheet with some parchment or wax paper and put them in the freezer. When frozen layer them in a dish with a lid and take a few of them out when company shows up.

Preheat oil to 350 degrees

 

Slowly put them in the hot oil but avoid overcrowding

Deep fry frozen for 3 - 4 minutes until golden brown

Serve with grainy mustard and of coarse a Dutch Heineken beer.

Mmmmmmm. Thanks Mom...

Progressive Dinner with Friends at SpringsRV Resort

 We got together with a group of friends last weekend at SpringsRV and went trailer to trailer for a progressive dinner.

Great bunch of people

John and Eva

First stop was at John and Eva's for wine and cheese. They went all out to put on a beautiful spread.

This smoked Gouda was great.

 Look at that spread

This brie with cranberries and walnuts was yummy, right Ken?

Bill and Dorota`s

Next we were off to Bill and Dorota's for salad.

 Does this look fresh or what.

We will have to ask Dorota what was all in them but all I can say is that they were all delicious. Dorota tell me what they were and I will edit this.

Dan and Sherry`s

Next stop; Dan and Sherry, minus Sherry. First guess where she was? Yup, kids sports.

 Look what Dan managed to put together without her

Notice the bottle of wine? It seemed to follow from trailer to trailer.

Ken and Marie's

Wow do these veggies look good. I can tell you that they sure were, AND they were good for you.

Marie `Stir Fried`them on the barbecue.

Al and Laura`s

 We were now off our place for ribs and potatoes.

Ribs were rubbed with `Memphis Dust`and smoked using mesquite in my Bradley smoker for 4 hours. Then they were coated with sauce and baked in the barbecue for another 3 hours.

Enjoying our meal in our new double lot. Lots of room for friends

Bill and Kathy`s

Last stop was at Bill and Kathy`s for desert, and what a selection


First of course we needed a after dinner drink. Hard to choose!


Check these out......

Wowzers

This one had apples so it must be good for you



Goodnight everyone. Thanks for a most enjoyable 8 hours.




That`s it for this post. Come back again.... Al

Pizza at Springs RV

Our friends Brian and Bonnie came to Harrison to visit us. We decided to make Pizza on the barbecue. We each brought some fixin's to Put on them.

Add caption

We used 2 different crusts. One of them from Buns Master and the other I made using Wolfgang Puck's recipe as described by Chef John from FoodWishes.com. Click here.

The Wolfgang Puck recipe, above, was lighter and quite tasty. We pre-grilled the crust on the barbecue for a few minutes before putting on the ingredients.  

We baked the pizza's on a Korean grill that my good friends Gerard and Jenny gave us.

We made both pizzas about the same. The ingredients included some sauce, salami, shrimp, mushrooms, peppers, artichokes, olives and mozzarella cheese.  

Enjoyed them on our deck with the fire going. Yes it was still a bit cool that day. 

Nothing to do with the meal, but next day out on our boat we saw this crazy looking rainbow-like colored streaks in the sky.

That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by......Al

Pork ribs at Springs RV

Today at our place in Harrison Hot Springs (Springs RV Resort) I made pork ribs and pizza both on the barbecue.  As it is our first time here this season we are not well stocked yet with spices and seasoning. I liberally rubbed 2 racks of ribs with 'Ted's Bone Dust' the night before. For an off the shelf rub it is very good. Canadian Tire is always well stocked if you want to try it.

I don't have a smoker here so I slow roasted them at 250 degrees on the barbecue using cherry wood pucks from my Bradley Smoker.  Just wrapped a couple of them in tin foil and poked some holes in it. 

While the ribs were smoking low and slow we went for a walk. Just down the road from us is the water tower. We walked up to it and took in the view. 

By the time we got back it was time to sauce the ribs. They had been in the barbecue for 4 1/2 hours. I cut them into one rib pieces and glugged plenty of Cattle Boyz sauce on them. Back into the barbecue for another 2 hours.

Nicely coated with sticky sauce.

Add the barbecued pizza and some spinach salad and we had the perfect May long weekend dinner with some of our family.

Thanks for stopping by......Al