“I keep my friends as misers do their treasure, because, of all the things granted us by wisdom, none is greater or better than friendship.”
— Pietro Aretino (1492 – 1556)
.
Month: December 2010
High-Altitude Baking
What a wonderful Christmas we had while visiting Colorado – fresh brisk air, snow, friends and family. And as is our tradition, we baked.
The challenge this year was the high altitude and how it would affect favorite breads, cookies, and quick breads. While there are many terrific high-altitude baking books available, any baker understands the comfort one has with tried and true familiar recipes. Aren’t there a few simple adjustments to compensate for the altitude?
We baked using recipes from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Bread Bible and The Pie and Pastry Bible, Nancy Silverton’s Breads from the La Brea Bakery, Carol Field’s The Italian Baker, and King Arthur Flour’s Bakers Companion and Cookie Companion.
Here’s what we learned about high-altitude baking this Christmas in the Rocky Mountains:
High altitude, among other things, can significantly affect baking outcomes. With higher altitude comes lower air pressure and typically drier atmospheric conditions. Altitude begins to affect baking results at around 3,000 feet – a level where the baker must begin to make recipe modifications.
Below are some helpful tips when you’re baking at a high altitude:
Arte
“Forms in Motion”
Armando Pizzinato (1910 – 2004)
.
Citazione del Giorno
“No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.”
— Aurelius Ambrosius [Saint Ambrose] (337 – 397)
.
Citazione del Giorno
“The Holy Night”
Antonio Allegri da Correggio (1489 – 1534)
“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
— Luke 2:10-11
.
Citazione del Giorno
“The Journey of the Magi”
Stefano di Giovanni [Il Sassetta] (1392 – 1450)
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
— Isaiah 9:6
.
Arte
“Annunciation; the Angel”
Jacopo Comin [Tintoretto] (1518 – 1594)
.
Citazione del Giorno
“Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day. Do it! I say. Whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only so many tomorrows.”
— Pope Paul VI (1897-1978)
.
Arte
“Queen Elizabeth II”
Pietro Annigoni (1910 – 1988)
.
Citazione del Giorno
“I adore art . . . when I am alone with my notes, my heart pounds and the tears stream from my eyes, and my emotion and my joys are too much to bear.”
— Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (1813 – 1901)
.