Meyer Lemon Focaccia

Fruity, floral, and intoxicating, the smell of meyer lemons brings back so many memories of my first winter in California. I had never tasted one before, and they were everywhere - so exotic to me, but so common here.

One of my favorite fruits, meyer lemons are a combination of lemons and mandarin oranges. They're exceptionally fragrant, slightly sweeter than a regular lemons but still tart, thin skinned, and very juicy.

Simple Avocado Toast and Fun Food Links

Sometimes the simplest things in life are the best, as is the case with this avocado toast, which I've been having for breakfast in various forms for the past few days.

Homemade Pita Pockets, Dumpling Wrappers, and Pesto Pizza

Things have been super busy around here so I haven't had much time to meticulously photograph my meals, even though we've been trying out lots of cool new foods. I've been especially interested in trying to recreate all of the bread products I normally would buy from the store - things like pita pockets, dumpling wrappers, pizza dough, and flour tortillas.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Browned Butter Caramel Icing

OH. MY. GOD.

These are amazing. 

Spicy White Bean Dip with Crusty French Bread

I had no idea what I was going to make this weekend. My mother can attest to this fact; on the phone I was complaining about how I had nothing to cook and she said I should just post whatever I make anyway. But I couldn't in good conscience just post spaghetti with diced tomatoes from a can...so I dug deeper in my cupboards to see what I could find.

I had an old can of butter beans, and plenty of flour and yeast...I could make french bread, with a white bean dip! After some internet research I found a recipe that didn't call for lemon juice (I am out of lemons probably for the first time since I moved to California!), and that also incorporated one of my favorite condiments, Sriracha sauce.

You can see the tasty results below!

Spicy White Bean Dip with Crusty French Bread

For the dip:

1 15 oz can White Beans

1 Clove Garlic, chopped

1 T Olive Oil

1 T Sriracha or other Asian chile sauce

1 tsp Soy Sauce

2 tsp Sesame Oil

1/4 C Water

Juice of 1 lime

Drain the beans and rinse. If using a large bean (like butter beans), remove the thin skins from the beans. 

Add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor, adding the beans last. Blend until smooth. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, Sriracha, and sliced green onions.

For the bread:

2 3/4 C flour

1 packet active dry yeast 

1 C warm water (110­° F)

1 T olive oil or melted butter

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 egg white, lightly beaten

Add water to a large bowl. Add yeast and sugar. Cover bowl and set on counter in a draft-free area, to let yeast proof. 

After about 10 minutes, when yeast is foamy, add the other ingredients except for the egg white. Mix until dough comes together (it will be very sticky!) Flour a flat dry surface, and turn dough out. Knead 8-10 minutes or until elastic and smooth, using additional flour as necessary to prevent sticking. 

Spray a clean bowl with cooking spray; add dough ball and roll so dough is coated. Cover bowl and place in a draft-free area to rise until doubled, about 1 hr.

(These initial steps can be done in a bread machine as well. Proof the yeast in the bread pan in the machine, add the other ingredients, then select the dough cycle. When dough cycle finishes, remove dough from pan and continue with the steps below).

Punch dough down. Roll out into a rectangle, then roll up the dough into a log. Sprinkle corn meal on a baking sheet; place dough log on sheet, seam side down. Cover and let rise 30-40 minutes.

Bake in a 375° F over for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with lightly beaten egg. Return to oven and cook 15-20 minutes. The bread will be golden brown, and when you rap on the crust it should sound hollow. Let sit 15 minutes before cooking.

Slice 1-inch thick, brush with olive oil, and broil until golden brown. Serve with Spicy White Bean Dip.