Life was good, who needed crust. Fast forward to the present day where I am a grown 30 something that loves to cook. What to make when you feel like you want a taste of the old days, but you want to add some adult sophistication, and you want to nail that 5 strand braid you saw on Instagram 3 days ago. Goals.
I knew I had a good chicken stock base. I have been making my own bone broth for years. All it required was a bit of seasoning to evoke that feeling of Shabbat, a bit of clove, a lot of black peppercorns, and a good handful of dill. Why not take it a step further and put those flavors right into the Matzo balls? I had never heard of anyone doing that so I went for it! I ground up a bunch of pepper and chopped a good amount of dill and dove in.
Next was tackling the Challah. Good challah, I mean really Good Challah is hard to find; let alone make. I was spoiled as a kid. Publix got it right. Eggy and sweet while savory. All of it in one. I wasn’t going to settle for anything less. It just so happened that I found the perfect recipe.
The end result would bring a dead man back to life. Jewish penicillin through and through. When you feel low, down and out, sickly or sad, this meal will pull you out of it, and if you're a sriracha addict like me it’ll slap you in the face too!
Special equipment needed: Pepper grinder, kitchen scale, Stand mixer if you have it.
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Black Pepper Dill Matzo Ball Soup
Directions
1. Season Broth with a bunch of dill, black peppercorns and cloves. Simmer for 30 mins and season with salt to taste.
2. For Matzo Balls, Combine Schmaltz, beaten eggs, matzo meal, salt, dill, and black pepper. Add broth and gently mix with a fork till incorporated. Chill mix in the fridge for at least an hour.
3. Using a spoon roll matzo ball mix into 8 uniform balls. Place into simmering seasoned broth and allow to simmer for 40 minutes with a lid on to make sure the tops steam.
4. Meanwhile sauté the carrots and celery in some olive oil with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Strain the simmering broth over the carrots and celery. Add the matzo balls and finish with the celery leaves and a sprinkle of chopped dill.
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Eggy Challah
Sponge
The day before making the dough: mix together the water and the fresh yeast (yeast must be very fresh!), then add the flour. Stir well and cover with plastic wrap. Let the mixture sit at room temperature overnight. Sponge must be bubbly and at least doubled in size.
Main Dough
Mix all ingredients on low speed for 12–15 minutes until the dough becomes soft and smooth. Don't be tempted to add additional flour - dough is meant to be rather sticky and a bit gummy in the beginning. Desired dough temperature after kneading: 70-75 degrees. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let it rest at 70-75 degrees for 1 hour. Dough must be airy but not double in size!
Shaping/Braiding
Dividing the dough, preshaping and shaping the strands are crucial steps in making a fluffy Challah. There are many videos for braiding. I recommend this one.
Eggwash/Final Proofer
Apply the egg wash and let the Challah rise uncovered 45 minutes at 70-75 degrees.
Eggwash/Bake
Apply another eggwash and bake the Challah in the well-preheated oven (if possible on a baking stone) at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes (core temperature: 200 degrees). Let the challah cool on a cooling rack until just barely warm. Enjoy!
]]>11-2 pm At the Studio, 1023 Springdale Road, Building 6 Suite F, ATX
]]>Settle has been my full time job now for over four years. It makes my stomach flip a little when I think about that. This is the first time in that four years that I feel like my website will actually reflect where I am at in my business and career.
I look at it as a pivotal point, showing my progress and growth. You may be sitting there wondering why it took me so long or maybe why didn't I do this four years ago when I began my business. Here's my reasoning. I wanted to take my time.
We go through life rushing from point A to point B. When it comes to Settle, I didn't want to rush. It's like going to see a new movie or reading a book for the first time. You will never have those feelings of joy and discovery quite the same way again. I wanted to take my time in first having a line I was truly proud of, pots that I know are tried and true. Glazes that are beautiful as well as reliable. Objects that I really enjoy making.
Then there was finding the right photographer.
That took a minute. I wanted to find someone who could tell my story, in a language I could relate to. I found that person in the lovely and extremely talented Mackenzie Smith Kelly. She was just as excited about shooting my entire line as I was.
Then of course there was actually making the work. That sounds so simple right? WRONG. Through this process I was forced to look at the fact that I make a lot of things, like A LOT. 33 styles in up to 8 colors, resulting in close to 220 different items. It was quite a bit of work, even considering that I typically make 300 pots a week. I made 12 serving bowls, (that's a lot of those).
To shoot the line I had to weave the making the items into time that was also dedicated to orders, since my workflow hadn’t slowed down since New Year’s. Once the items were made and ready for their close up, we had the shoot over two days. First day was dedicated to products, 8 hours of lighting and backgrounds and moving pots around. The second day was dedicated to fun and interesting vignettes, to capture mood and character surrounding my two collections of pots. We were lucky enough to also pull in the culinary talents of Beth and Raph of Le Pera Catering. They came into my crazy cramped workspace-turned-photo-studio and made a makeshift kitchen in our tiny kitchenette, boiling water on my kiln and making tortillas on a hot plate. They are wizards.
All in all it was incredible and thrilling. And four years ago it would have never happened.
So you see this was a massive step for me. And I am so glad to share it with you!
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