First Post for Harris Bistro

 This is the first post for the official Blog of Harris Bistro. No, we don't have an official eatery, we DO cook, a lot! Even before the pandemic hit. 

I make almost everything from scratch and enjoy investigating new things to do. This will be a site where I post recipes and answer questions.

(Hang in there while I learn how to do this blog thingy. :-))

Just what IS a BISTRO? 

A bistro or bistrot /ˈbiːstroʊ/, is, in its original Parisian incarnation, a small restaurant, serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting with alcohol. Bistros are defined mostly by the foods they serve. French home-style cooking, and slow-cooked foods like cassoulet, a bean stew, are typical.

Bistros differ from restaurants as they are more casual and outside the box of restaurant because they often have a café style atmosphere, more relaxed, and sometimes even counter or serve yourself style.

Neither of us are French, but we love the simple, tasty food, cooked home-style. This is perfect for families and friends. We are serious do-it-yourselfers. I built a HUGE wood oven about 8 years ago. It was wonderful fun but...alas, melted in the rain this year. I plan to build a new one next summer.

Rye Bread:

Today, I will bake the rye bread I started yesterday. And finish the Gravlax (cured salmon) I started last Wednesday.

Day one: make a lavash. This is just a mix of yeast, sugar, flour and warm water. This "wakes up" the yeast and gives a boost for the starter. No measurements, just time. Once it's nice and bubbly, add more warm water and flour. It's now safe to add salt. I used a mix of bread and rye flours. Mix and knead well. Let this rise, fold it over, cover and put it in the fridge till day 2.

Day 2: take out the chilled dough, cut it in half- shape into 2 small-ish loaves. Put these into well oiled soup bowls. Put these into a large food grade bag. NOW, boil some water, pour the water into another bowl, put that in the bag. Poof it up and clamp. This is your proofing bag. (See pic). Let the loaves proof and warm up. 

I have a covered clay bread baking vessel. A cast iron casserole will work. Heat the oven to 450 deg F. WITH THE EMPTY BAKING VESSEL. Once the oven is at temp, put the dough in and put the lid on. Set a timer fir 30 min. When the timer goes off, take the lid off, reduce temp to 400. Bake 15-30 more min. Take it out, let it cool (do not cut while hot!) it continues to bake. 

Enjoy!

Pictures above