[phatch]

I used his recipe for Caesar dressing based on yogurt at this year's family reunion at the Grand Canyon North Rim. Worked out fairly well. With hand tools, I couldn't get the emulsion to hold more than about 10 minutes in 90+ degree heat, but it was easily remixed for another 10.

I was only assigned one meal this year, for 27 people. With the heat and elevation, I felt something light was in order so the menu was grilled chicken caesar salad (all from scratch, croutons and all) with focaccia and watermelon.

I made a double batch of focaccia in a cast iron dutch oven for the first time. Here it is for its first rise in the 14 inch dutch oven.



I got too busy to shoot the rest of the cooking and the finished product. I cooked in the dutch oven inverted so it's easy to get the bread out. So peeking is very difficult as you have to practically take the oven setup apart. I broke the rule that you shouldn't cook something for guests that you haven't tried before.

Now cooking bread in a dutch oven is tricky. The general rule of thumb is that you want to take the oven off the bottom charcoal 20 minutes before the bread is done so you don't burn the bottom. With a normal cooking time of 25 minutes, this isn't going to work. The two loaves were staggered about 5 minutes in time so I left the first one on for about 30 minutes. Scorched the bottom lightly, but the top wasn't browned up and it was a bit wet, but cooked. But the coals were about done and dinner was starting NOW so I served it and it worked out.

The second one I took off the bottom coals as soon as I saw the scorched first one and let it cook another 5 minutes more or so. But this was a 14" deep oven. So the bottom is smaller than the standard 14" oven as it tapers more over the deeper sides. The center was properly done, but the outer 3 or 4 inches were pale pale pale as that part didnt' get as much heat. Better loaf overall though as I had learned from the first.

Went over very well and there were no leftovers except some croutons. And Brad's Dressing made the menu possible for a campout with limited tools.

Phil

[Mezzaluna]

Nice looking dough, Phil. I saw a dutch-oven cookoff on TV once and it took a fine sense of timing to get everything right. The old "cookies" said that bisquits and bread were the trickiest things to do right. Congratulations on your first effort!

[phatch]

Thanks. The dough probably could have used a bit more kneading. Too many things coming together though and had to move on. I needed a helper, but everyone was out sightseeing.

Phil