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Hot Cross Buns
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Hot Cross Buns

 

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From Bernard Clayton’s New Complete Book Of Breads, by Bernard Clayton, Jr.

I grew up in Connecticut and we ate these every good Friday. I don’t find them in the south much and few people I know who grew up in the south are even familiar with them. Despite its Christian overtone, the bun is supposed to have originated in pagan England. Even today, a hot cross bun baked and served on Good Friday is believed to have special curative powers.

NOTE: The dough is refrigerated overnight, so prepare it on Maundy Thursday if you wish to serve it on Good Friday. Bake enough for Easter breakfast, too.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted, plus extra for brushing
2 eggs, separated
1 cup hot milk (120°F to 130°F (50°C to 55°C))
3-1/2 to 4 cups bread or all-purpose flour, approximately
1 package dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup currants or raisins (I used golden raisins and currents, omitting the candied fruit)
1/4 cup chopped candied fruit
1 egg yolk, beaten, mixed with:
2 tablespoons water
1 cup confectioners’ sugar mixed with:
1 tablespoon milk and
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Baking Sheet:

1 baking sheet, greased or Teflon

Instructions:

By Hand or Mixer: (30 mins.)

In a large bowl mix the sugar, melted butter, egg yolks, and hot milk. Stir to blend and set aside for a moment.

Into a mixing or mixer bowl measure 2-1/2 cups flour, the yeast, salt, and spices; blend. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour with 50 strong strokes of a wooden spoon, or for 2 minutes with a mixer flat beater. Add the currants or raisins and candied fruit. Blend.

Beat the egg whites until frothy but not quite stiff, and work into the batter. Add additional flour, 1/2 cup at a time, with the spoon or dough hook, until it is a rough mass. Knead for 2 or 3 minutes. Don’t make it a stiff dough but leave it soft and elastic.

First Rising: (1-1/2 hours)

Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature while it rises to double in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours. (If prepared with a new fast-rising yeast and at the recommended higher temperatures, reduce the rising times by approximately half.)

Refrigeration: (Overnight)

Punch down the dough. Cover and store in the refrigerator overnight. On the following day, remove the bowl from the refrigerator and allow to stand for about 1 hour at room temperature.

Kneading: (10 mins./45 secs.)

Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Shaping: (15 mins.)

Divide the dough into equal parts in successive steps – 2, then 4, then 8, then 16, then 32 – and shape into balls. Place the balls about 1″ apart on the baking sheet.

Second Rising: (1 hour)

Brush the balls with melted butter, cover with wax or parchment paper, and put aside to rise until double in volume, 1 hour.

Preheat:

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) 20 minutes before baking.

Baking: (25 mins.)

Remove the paper covering the balls. With a razor or scissors, cut a cross on the top of each bun. Brush with the egg-water wash.

Place in the oven until nicely browned, about 25 minutes. If oven space is limited, several batches may be baked.

(If using a convection oven, reduce heat 50°F (30°C)).

Final Step:

Remove the buns from the oven. Place on wire racks. When cool, form a cross in the cuts on each bun with fairly firm confectioners’ icing.

Yield: About 3 dozen buns

Zucchini Bread
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Zucchini Bread

Maybe the world does not need another recipe for Zucchini Bread but this is truly wonderful. It makes 2 loaves so it is perfect for sharing. It is Saint Patrick’s Day so I thought a recipe that had a green vegetable was a good idea. This recipe is from the blog Once Upon a Chef.

Two 8×4-inch loaves

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Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1-3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 cups grated zucchini (about 2 medium Zucchini)
  • 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off 
  • 2-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted if desired
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and set rack in middle position. Generously grease two 8 x 4-inch loaf pans.
  2. In a large bowl, mix eggs with sugar until combined. Add grated zucchini, melted butter and vanilla extract and stir to combine.
  3. In another large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Use a whisk to mix well.
  4. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture and mix until just combined. Add nuts and currants (or chocolate chips if using), then divide batter into prepared pans. Bake for 55 minutes (I baked it in a Convection toaster oven), or until tester comes out clean. Set pans on wire rack and let cool about 10 minutes, then turn loaves out onto rack to cool completely.
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Braised Lamb With Red Wine & Dried Plums

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This is wonderful cold night comfort food. It might sound like a strange combination with the addition of the dried plums (prunes) but they add a subtle sweetness and this is really one of the best lamb stews I have ever had. This came from a New York Times recipe and and I tweaked to my own tastes.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 pounds lamb shoulder or stew meat
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • flour for dusting meat
  • 1 cup pitted prunes
  •  salt and pepper
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 2 teaspoons minced ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 ½ cup red wine
  • ½ cup beef stock
  • Polenta cooked according to directions

 

DIRECTIONS

  1. Cut lamb into 2-inch cubes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, dust with flour. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet and brown; remove.
  2. In the same frying pan add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and deglaze pan. Add onion and cook until golden.
  3. Add prunes, ginger, cinnamon, salt and pepper; cook until fragrant. Add wine, stock and browned lamb. When the liquid boils, lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook until tender, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours.
  4. Serve over polenta.
Chili with Beer Braised Short Ribs
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Chili with Beer Braised Short Ribs

A wonderful, hearty Super Bowl Sunday or cold weather meal. This could be made vegetarian by making without the short ribs. I used the ribs but used Smart Ground to replace the ground beef and used the shredded beef on top. I loved the short ribs in the recipe but the chili itself was really good also. Homemade cornbread on the side. Thanks to my friend Scott for the recipe from the blog sharedappetite.com.
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INGREDIENTS
For the Beer-Braised Short Ribs
  • 3 pounds short ribs
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 sweet onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 (12 ounce) bottles of light beer (I used blue moon because we had some)
  • 1 tablespoon oregano
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Sea Salt
  • Freshly Ground Black Pepper
For the Chili
  • 3 poblano peppers
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus a little more to drizzle over poblano peppers
  • 3 red bell peppers, diced
  • 3 medium onions, diced
  • 2 jalapeños, seeds removed, finely chopped (optional)
  • 8 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 pound lean ground beef (or Smart Ground)
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • ½ tablespoon ancho chile powder*
  • ½ tablespoon pasilla chile powder*
  • 1 teaspoon arbol chile powder*
  • 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 (12 ounce) bottle of beer
  • 2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
  • 3 (15 ounce) cans fire roasted tomatoes
  • 1 (28 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 2 (15.5 ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 (15.5 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • Kosher salt
  • *if you don’t have all those chile powders, just substitute 1 tablespoon of regular chile powder
  • Shredded cheese for topping the chili
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Beer-Braised Short Ribs
  1. Pat short ribs dry with a paper towel to ensure a good sear. Sprinkle short ribs generously on all sides with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  2. Heat canola oil in a dutch oven (or another pan with a lid that is deep enough to contain the short ribs and braising liquid), over just a little higher than medium heat. When oil is hot, add the short ribs and sear them on all sides until they create a deep golden-brown crust, about 5 minutes per side.
  3. Remove seared short ribs from pot and add onion. Season with Kosher salt and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Add beer and stir, loosening up any brown bits stuck on the bottom of the pan. Add oregano and bay leaves, and return short ribs to the pan. Make sure the short ribs are almost completely submerged by the beer.
  4. Bring pot to a boil, then turn down heat to maintain a simmer. Cover with lid and simmer for 2-3 hours (I used a crockpot set for 4 hours), until the meat is fork tender and slides easily off the bone. Remove short ribs from pan and let cool, and then shred the meat with your fingers, removing as much fat as possible.
For the Chili
  1. While the short ribs are braising, begin the chili. Turn on your oven broiler to low. Place poblano peppers on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle poblanos with a little canola oil and season with Kosher salt. Place baking sheet on top rack in your oven and let peppers broil, about 7 minutes per side, turning with tongs. You want them to be blistered and browned/blackened all over. Remove from oven and place in bowl covered with plastic wrap. Let sit for 10 minutes, which will loosen the skins from the peppers. Remove skin and seeds from peppers, and chop into ½” pieces.
  2. While poblanos are roasting, heat 3 tablespoons canola oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Once hot, add red bell peppers, onions, and jalapeños, and season generously with Kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, approximately 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add ground beef, stirring and breaking it down into bite-sized pieces as it cooks. Season with Kosher salt.
  3. Once the ground beef is browned, add in all the spices (garlic powder, onion powder, chile powders, cocoa powder, oregano, sugar, black pepper, and cumin), stir and cook for about 1 minute. Add beer, chicken stock, fire roasted tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and beans. Stir and season with Kosher salt. Bring chili to almost a boil, then turn down heat to maintain a simmer and let cook for as long as possible, at least 3 hours. (Add in the diced roasted poblano peppers and shredded braised short rib meat once they are done cooking.) I added the shredded short ribs to the bowl as a topping and sprinkled with shredded cheese.
  4. Chili always tastes better the second day. You can refrigerate for a few days or freeze for several months. Serve with cornbread.
Baked Quinoa Casserole
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Baked Quinoa Casserole

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I was inspired by a blog post from http://www.emergingadulteats.com and modified this with what I had on hand in the pantry. We ate this as a side dish for several nights.

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Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups of quinoa
  • 1 pint of grape or cherry tomatoes, rinsed + cut in half
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 bag of spinach leaves, stems removed
  • 8 oz. of shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheesed
  • 4 tbsp. of olive oil, divided
  • sea salt and ground pepper to taste
  • Bread crumbs

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Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  • On a foil lined baking sheet, arrange cherry tomatoes in single layer
  • Drizzle with 2 tbsp. of olive oil, sprinkle with course sea salt
  • Roast for 15-20 minutes
  • Meanwhile, cook quinoa according to package directions
  • Heat 2 tbsp. of olive oil in a skillet over low-med heat
  • Add onion + cook for 15 minutes until golden
  • Add the spinach and cook until wilted, remove from heat
  • In a bowl, combine quinoa, tomatoes, onion/spinach, parmesan and salt/pepper
  • Arrange half of quinoa mixture and sprinkle with half of the mozzarella, add remaining cheese and top with bread crumbs
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes
Granola Bars
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Granola Bars

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I have been making granola bars for years with varying success. Some great, some too hard and crumbly. This recipe from Smitten Kitchen seems perfect. I did a few tweaks of my own. I made it twice and the recipe is from the second batch.

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1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats
1/4 Sugar
1/3 cup oat flour (or 1/3 cup oats, processed till finely ground in a food processor or blender)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup dried fruit (golden raisins, dates, Coconut, raisins, dried cranberries, cherries, etc)
1/2 cup nuts (toasted walnut are great, sesame seeds, etc)
1/3 cup peanut butter or another nut butter (I used Jiff natural creamy)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons maple syrup (optional)
1 tablespoon water

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Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter an 8″ x 8″ pan or coat with a non-stick spray.

Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter, peanut butter, honey, maple syrup and water. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry until the mixture is evenly moist. Spread in the prepared pan, pressing them in firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan. (A piece of plastic wrap can help with this, as you press down on the back of it.)

Bake the bars for 30 to 40 minutes, until they’re brown around the edges. They will set completely once completely cool.

Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack.

Once cool, a serrated knife to cut the bars into squares. In humid weather, it’s best to store bars in the refrigerator. They also freeze well.

Roasted Cauliflower and Onion Soup
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Roasted Cauliflower and Onion Soup

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I served this as a main dish with a mixed greens, pear and walnut salad, but it would make a great first course, too. I used an immersion blender but I think I might try a food processor or blender to make the soup a bit smoother. The taste was wonderful and it was very easy to put together on a weeknight.

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
smoked sea salt
1 small onion, sliced thin
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper

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Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 400.

Remove the leaves and thick core from the cauliflower and chop into chunks.

Line a baking sheet with tinfoil, spread cauliflower onto it in a single layer. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Roast for about 15 minutes until tender and just starting to brown.

While the cauliflower is roasting, heat the olive oil in a large saucepanover medium heat and add the onion. Cook until golden brown and caramelized, about 10-15 minutes.

Add the roasted cauliflower and stock to the onions and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the cauliflower is very soft and falling apart, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and, using a hand held immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth, or puree in small batches in a food processor or blender and return it to the pot.

Add the Parmesan and stir until smooth.

Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with pepper.

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Pasta Pie with Greens
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Pasta Pie with Greens

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This is an interesting way to serve pasta. I adapted this from a Smitten Kitchen Recipe. This is great as a main meal with a salad or as a side dish.

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Ingredients

2 packages of Spinach with stems removed (you could also use kale or swiss chard)
1 pound dried spaghetti or cappellini
1 1/2 cups milk
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons water
2 to 3 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 Cup aged pecorino cheese, shredded, divided
1 Cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 Cup grated parmesan
1/2 Cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon paprika
1 pat of butter

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Directions

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Butter a (or use a non-stick) 9-inch springform pan. Wrap the outside of the springform, focusing on the places where the ring meets the base, tightly in aluminum foil. Set aside. This is very important as there will be some leakage from the pan and it will make a mess if you don’t!

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add pasta to boiling water and cook until (this is also important) 2 minutes shy of done, so very al dente, as the spaghetti will continue cooking in the oven. Drain well and let cool slightly.

In a frying pan add the 2 tablespoons of water and cook spinach over low heat until wilted. Drain well. I use a mesh strainer and press all the water out.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk together with salt and pepper. Stir in all but 1/2 cup of each cheese and spinach, if using. Add pasta and toss to coat.

Pour into prepared springform and sprinkle remaining cheese and bread crumbs on top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling and a knife inserted into the center of the pie and turned slightly will not release any loose egg batter into the center. If the top of your pie browns too quickly before the center is set, cover it with foil for the remaining cooking time.

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