Day Five

Red flannel hash. Imaginate!

Day Four

Bikes Not Cheese.

Day Three

Julie lives in Madison, WI with cheeseheads.

Day Two

I just got a personal email from Barack Obama. It pissed me off. But it kept my mind off cheese.

It said: "Gina, I cannot do it alone. I need your help."

True enough. Your 59 out of 100 Democratic senators, and your huge majority in the House have to bucky up, don't they? So, here's my question. Why do you not ask me to be your citizen lobby to call Democratic Congressmen and Sentators to support you?

NO, instead I get this demi-insulting punchline:

Can you help fuel our fight for the middle class with a monthly donation of $15 or more?

No. NO. NO. I will call, I will write, I will call out. But I will not send a single cent to a corrupt political party of either persuasion. John McCain's " Gina, Did you watch the State of the Union?" email arrived immediately after Barack's. It had the same punchline. But at least it was honest begging for re-election money.

Obama's email tells me that Barack's minions and maybe the president himself don't get it. There's huge power in his personal appeal, and in his policy proposals, yet he doesn't ask for my voice to help him move Congress. He asks for my money for a corrupt system, for a party that can't tie its own shoelaces, and whose holdout members openly disrespect him. The request contradicts, confuses, and in the end insults.

Hey, it keeps my mind off cheese.

Weighin:139.6

Day One

I took whatever cheese was in the refrigerator and stuffed it in the freezer, way in the back. Way way. I turn my thoughts to other foods.

Chestnut Bavarian Cream

• 3T. unflavored gelatin
• 3/4 cup plus 6T. water
• 6 large eggs, separated
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 1/2 cups scalded milk
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups chestnut puree ( one 15 oz. can)
• 3 tsp vanilla
• dash of salt

1. Open the can of chestnut puree and break into tiny bits.
2. Prepare the gelatin by sprinkling 3T over 3/4 cup cold water in a bowl. Let soften for a few minutes then set the bowl in a pan of hot water to allow the gelatin to dissolve completely.
3. Prepare the milk by scalding 4 1/2 cups without allowing to boil.
4. Whisk the egg yolks and 1/2 the sugar in a large saucepan. Mix in the scalded milk whisking and stirring over low heat until the mixture is thick on a spoon, about five minutes. Take off the heat, transfer to a large bowl. Whisk in the dissolved gelatin, chestnut puree,vanilla and salt. Set aside.
   
5. Whip the heavy cream. Set aside.
6. Melt the remaining sugar and 6T water until it is a liquid syrup.
7. Whip the egg whites and add the sugar syrup in a stream while whipping, about five minutes.
8. Stir 1/2 whipped egg whites into the chestnut mixture in the large bowl. Fold in the remaining whipped egg whites and whipped cream.
9. Rinse A 3 qt. mold with water, Fill with the mixture, and chill covered with plastic wrap for at least three hours, preferably overnight.
10. To unmold, dip the mold in hot water for a few seconds. Cover with the serving dish, and invert the mold onto the dish. Decorate with chocolate shavings.

Cinnamon No Knead Bread

Dry

• 3 cups white unbleached flour
• 1/2 tsp. yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 to 1 cup raisins

Wet

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 Tbsp heavy cream

Pre-baking mix ins

• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• additional raisins

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Mix in water, then heavy cream or melted butter.
3. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise at 70 degrees for 12-18 hours, till bubbly.
4. Scrape dough onto a greased or floured board
5. Pat down gently to a rectangle long enough to roll, approximately an inch deep.
6. Sprinkle sugar, cinnamon, more raisins, all the way to the edges -- whatever amount you like really.
7. Roll into a log and then shape into a boule.
8. Cover with a cloth and let rise for an hour or two.
9. Preheat the oven and covered dutch oven to 450F.
10. Gently drop the dough into the dutch oven, and cook covered for 40-45 minutes.
11. The bread may stick to the pan a bit but it should behave mostly like regular no knead bread that has no sugar.
    
12. The cinnamon integrated in the basic dough gives the bread a darkish tint very unlike the brioche style raisin swirl bread that is a light yellow.

This is the basic Jim Lahey/NYTimes no-knead recipe with a lot of cinnamon added to the dry mix. I added minimal sugar to the dry mix to avoid any fermented, alcohol taste. I added some heavy cream to reach the amount of liquid needed beyond the 1:2 water:flour ratio. You might try melted butter instead of heavy cream. The addition of the late stage sugar, cinnamon, and raisins adds to the sweetness and may produce a spiral. It will distribute additional raisins better in the body of the bread.