Caramelized Onion & Shallot Dip with Bacon

I made this dip when I was at my parents' for Thanksgiving. We all fell in love with it, practically licking the bowl clean. I made it again for Lucy's birthday party and then one more time for New Year's Eve.

This dip really thickens up on sitting, enough to break even a hearty potato chip, but the flavors meld and intensify so nicely that I think that it's worth it. If you really wanted to thin the consistency, you might want to add a teeny bit of water.

After a few days in the fridge, this spread is delicious on toasted bread.

Caramelized Onion & Shallot Dip with Bacon

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon brown sugar (optional)
• 6 medium onions, sliced crosswise, ¼ inch thick (about ½ pound) - I like a mixture of red and white onions
  
• 2 shallots, sliced thin
• ground black pepper
• 3 slices thick-cut bacon
• 3 scallions , minced
• ½ teaspoon cider vinegar
• ¾ cup sour cream
• ½ cup creme fraiche (optional) - you can use more sour cream if you don't have any creme fraiche
  

Directions:

1. Heat the butter in a large nonstick skillet over high heat; when foam subsides, stir in salt.
   


2. Add onions and shallots and stir to coat; cook, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to soften and release some moisture, about 5 minutes.
   


3. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are deeply browned and slightly sticky, about 40 minutes longer.
   
   If the onions are scorching, reduce heat; we don't want blackened, crispy bits of onion. If onions are not browning after 15 to 20 minutes, raise heat or add a bit of brown sugar.


4. Turn off the heat; season to taste with pepper.
   


5. Fry 3 slices of bacon, in small skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes; remove with slotted spoon to paper towel–lined plate and set aside. Crumble when cooled.
   


6. Combine caramelized onions, cider vinegar, scallions, sour cream, creme fraiche and bacon in medium bowl.
   


7. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
   

The bread is the photo is the second batch of my french bread from The Bread Baker's Apprentice.

As you can see from the picture, it split in a funky sort of way when it was rising, but it's very tasty.



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Not pain à l'ancienne, but pain ordinaire

So yesterday, after lusting over the thought of a fresh loaf of pain à l'ancienne, from The Bread Baker's Apprentice, I dived straight into the book a bit hastily and made the starter for regular old pain ordinaire.

Oh, gee, what a shame, right? Ha! Even the most ordinaire of pains ordinaires is probably light-years away from any other white bread out there.

I can hardly wait for this to be done. :)

However, I have managed to restrain myself and follow the author's suggestion to let the pre-ferment, or pâte fermentée, sit in the fridge overnight instead of using it right away. Letting it sit longer allows it to develop a more complex flavor, so if you're as crazy about bread as I am, the result is worth the extra effort and wait.

When I took it out of the fridge, the starter was nicely puffy, a good 1½ times larger than it was when it had gone in the fridge.






I was worried yesterday when I was putting the pâte fermentée together, because the recipe directions indicated that the water should be at room temperature. Ok, but what does "room temperature," really mean?

I live in a drafty old house with deplorable insulation. This morning, the air temperature outside was in the single-digits; in my kitchen, it was 56°F. So, whatever temperature constitutes "room temperature," I can bet it's not a mere 10 degrees warmer than the inside of my fridge! I saw in the book that Peter Reinhart made casual mention of a scenario where room temperature was 73°F.

That's a long way from 56°F! I ended up turning on the oven to warm up the kitchen a bit, bringing it up to the mid-to-lower 60°s.

The dough for pain ordinaire is now resting nicely in an oiled bowl next to the stove, covered in plastic wrap, where it can rise in warmth for the next two hours before shaping.






With luck, in 2 hours it will have grown to twice this size.


Edit (2:30): The baguettes have been shaped and are in the final proofing stage before being baked. They need to rise to 1½ times this size before I put them into a scorching-hot, moist oven.

I use a roasting pan of hot water in the bottom quadrant of the oven to create the necessary moist interior to attempt to mimic the conditions in a bread oven of a professional bakery.

Here are the two baguettes on their final rise:

Closer view:

Edit (5:00): When I took the baguettes out of the oven, they looked great. Nicely golden and crisp on the outside:






And with a lovely crumb on the inside:





Great. But how does it taste?


I sliced off a thick piece, slathered it with good salted butter and... *sigh* ... heaven.

Then I had to taste it, just the bread, to get a sense of it. The crust was sharp and crispy, but inside it was soft, not over-done. It wasn't tangy like a sourdough; it was creamy and smooth. Once I chewed it, there was a subtle "something else" just lingering on the palate, something slightly nutty, and wholly satisfying in that umami way.

The only disappointment was that the spots on the crust where I scored the dough hadn't bloomed properly. I think I need a razor to make the slashes next time. Also, I think I may have to shape them in a canvas couche to support the sides to that the baguette seems rounder in cross-section instead of the sides sloping down.

Still, it tastes phenomenal, so I'd say that it's a very successful first attempt.

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