pete bakes!

knead magazine

this week, we all mourned the loss of gourmet magazine. so while this probably isn’t the best time to pitch a new food mag, i wanted to share with all of you one of my favorite pieces from my graphic design portfolio. just so everyone is clear, this is NOT a real publication. that said, if anyone is so inspired to get involved in the failing print industry…

our class assignment was to create our dream magazine and prepare some sample layouts. i immediately knew where i was headed. knead magazine is a baking magazine that caters to both experienced and novice chefs. the particular issue i created is a “special issue” focused on baking with, what else, BACON. i was really excited to get to use some real recipes and photos i had taken for the projects, and i’m really happy with how it came out. by the way, you can download a full-sized pdf copy HERE.

to answer a few questions before they are asked: it’s not a full issue of a magazine, just a few pages to show different layouts. additionally, the text of the article is just filler text (there wasn’t quite enough time during the course to write a real one). hope you enjoy! if you had the chance, what kind of food magazine would you create?

i’m back! also, here are some rosemary lemon cookies

Post author By petebakes
Post date October 4, 2009
62 Comments on i’m back! also, here are some rosemary lemon cookies

oh hello there. it’s been a while, huh? well, let’s get this out of the way – sorry for leaving you all hanging. thank you for the comments and emails asking if everything was ok, and when i’d be returning with more recipes and stories. i really hate going to a blog and finding that the author has stopped updating with no explanation, and i swore i would never do that, but it just sort of happened. a week off turned to two, which turned to just shy of 2 months. wow.

so where have i been? well, i have been cooking and baking, but a few other things have sort of conspired against my free time lately, namely: leaving my old job (sad to leave everyone there), starting my new job (as a graphic designer! scary and challenging but endlessly rewarding), and going into the homestretch of my graphic design certificate at CDIABU (amazing program). combine that with finding time for freelance work to support going back to school, and there just aren’t enough hours in the day anymore.

things are finally settling down though, and i think i can give this blog the time it deserves. so again, i apologize for disappearing without warning or explanation and neglecting comments and emails for a bit, but i love this too much to give it up. thanks for hanging around if you have, and if any of your friends have taken me off their feed readers, let them know i’m back – and i brought you all these cookies.

about these cookies – they are SO GOOD. we’re lucky enough to have fresh rosemary growing in the backyard, and combing it with lemon in shortbread cookie form is just a natural fit. the cookies are still great if can’t get your rosemary right from the plant, but if you have a choice, fresh is definitely the way to go.

not too sweet, not too savory, and perfect with coffee or tea. this was actually the first time i had made icebox cookies from scratch, and it could not have been easier. basically, you make a simple dough (something else this recipe has going for it), roll it into a log and freeze it. when you’re ready to bake, just slice the log up into rounds and bake.

the logs were rolled in decorator’s sugar before slicing – totally optional, but also totally delicious. doesn’t this picture just make you want a tall glass of ice-cold milk right now?

it’s officially fall here in dc (just took the air conditioner out yesterday!) and i can’t wait to get back into all the seasonal recipes and ingredients. i believe apple and pumpkin picking are both in our immediate future, so get ready for that. see you all in a few days with another post (seriously!). it feels great to be back.

bread

roasted tomato and cheddar bread

Post author By petebakes
Post date August 11, 2009
37 Comments on roasted tomato and cheddar bread

when i was much, much younger, one of my sisters and i came across a bowl of what looked to be delicious cookie dough in a mixing bowl on the kitchen counter. with my mom out of the room at the moment, we took the opportunity to scoop up huge gobs and wolf them down, only to find out that what we thought was cookie dough was in fact cheese bread dough. i don’t care how much you like cheese, eating raw cheese bread dough is not a pleasant experience.

it didn’t ruin cheese as a whole for me, but i couldn’t bring myself to eat cheese bread for a long time. it wasn’t until years later that i accidentally ate an asiago cheese bagel and realized it can be one of the finer things in life. when i stumbled across this recipe last week for cheddar bread in Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day, i decided to give it a shot. it happened to be the same day the girl brought home a whole mess of farmer’s market tomatoes to roast, so we figured, why not?

making roasted tomatoes is staggeringly easy. here they are at stage one: the tomatoes are happy and healthy on a baking sheet, doused with olive oil, salt and pepper, and ready for a 300F oven.

stage two: 3 hours have passed, and the tomatoes are looking a little tired. you can see where this is headed. you could stop now, but we’ve only just started to see the potential locked inside these little beauties.

stage three: 6 hours have passed, and the tomatoes have become something else entirely, caramelized and flavor-concentrated beyond words. it’s amazing what a little time and heat can produce. eat them straight off the pan, toss with some fresh pasta or add to cheese bread dough and enjoy (once you’ve baked it, of course).

the bread is versatile, good enough toasted with a bit of butter, with hints of cheese and tomato throughout, but even better in sandwiches. the recipe below produces a bread with flavors that aren’t too overwhelming, but if you’re a cheese or tomato junky, adjust accordingly.