Super Fans

OK peeps. I now have a bunch of buttermilk lurking in my fridge. That raspberry cake didn't use enough of the carton. It should really be sold in smaller sizes like heavy cream.

I also still have a packet of rapid rise yeast hanging around. Yes, I could throw it away and feel no guilt. It's not like it's a meal. But since I am trying to educate myself, I decided to find a recipe that uses both buttermilk AND yeast. It's like the next step in bread making. The pull-aparts were first grade and this new recipe is like 7th grade. I'm in junior high, yo! So that apparently means I'll be using a bunch of annoying phrases...Know what I mean?

It's still not a complicated recipe but it does take quite a bit more time, extra concentration, and a few more steps, so you'll need to have a bit of spare time on your hands. Fortunately for you, I have documented the exact steps in the event that you actually try to make the rolls and need a point of reference. Just do it!




Buttermilk Fantails
(From Gourmet)

1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (from a 1/4-oz package)
1/4 cup warm water (105–115°F)
1 tablespoon mild honey or sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for kneading and dusting
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk


1. Butter the muffin cups with 1 tablespoon of melted butter.

2. Stir together the yeast, warm water, and honey in a large bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, start over with new yeast.)

3. Mix the flour, salt, buttermilk, and 6 tablespoons melted butter into the yeast mixture with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a soft dough forms. Turn out the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead, dusting the surface and your hands with just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking, until the dough is elastic and smooth, 6 to 8 minutes. Form the dough into a ball.

4. Put the dough in an oiled large bowl and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a draft- free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours (see photo below).

5. Punch down the dough (do not knead - see photo below), then halve. Roll out half of the dough on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 12-inch square (about 1/8 inch thick; keep remaining half covered with plastic wrap). Brush the dough with 1/2 tablespoon butter and cut into 6 equal strips (see photo below). Stack the strips, buttered sides up, and cut crosswise into 6 equal pieces (see photo below). Turn each piece on a side and put into a muffin cup (see photo below). Make more rolls with the remaining dough in the same manner. Separate the outer layers of each roll to fan outward. Cover the rolls with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled and the dough fills the cups, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

6. Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the middle. Bake the rolls until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Brush the tops with remaining 2 tablespoons butter, then transfer the rolls to a rack and cool at least 20 minutes.



Note: The rolls are best the day they're made but can be frozen (cool completely, then wrap well) 1 month. Thaw, then reheat on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven until warmed through, 5 to 10 minutes.

Cake for Breakfast?

My short term memory continues to fail me. I bought a container of buttermilk and have no idea why. Pancakes? Biscuits? I dunno. But since I am on this baking kick, I did a little research to figure out what to do with it. I found a simple 2-bowl recipe for a cake that is delicate yet satisfying. I think it could be equally delicious with a cup of tea for breakfast or with some fresh whipped cream for dessert. I know that I made it for some reason...



Raspberry Buttermilk Cake
(adapted from Gourmet)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup fresh raspberries (about 5 ounces)


1. Preheat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes, then beat in the vanilla. Add the egg and beat well.

4. At low speed, mix in the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour, and mixing until just combined.

5. Spoon the batter into the cake pan, smoothing the top. Scatter the raspberries evenly over the top and sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar.

6. Bake until the cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate to serve. Serves 6 - 8.

Just Pull!

I am officially on vacation (!) so I was thinking about having this be the "week of breakfasts." You know, I could sleep in, make decadent breakfasts, and then post the photos and recipes. But since I do have (alot of) spare time, I've decided to work on my baking skills. I still have a couple of packets of yeast leftover from those "simple, everyday" waffles, so I figured I might as well use them up and practice making doughs.



I found a straightforward recipe for pull-apart rolls and figured it was a good place to start. There are no rolling pins involved, no tricky shaping, and no overnight rising. You do have to allow them to rise twice, so take that into account in your planning, but you could actually make them in time for dinner...on a Saturday. The key is having a stand mixer. I don't think I'd try it without one.

I have to be honest. I never bake with yeast because of a disaster I once had. I think the yeast packet must have been expired because my dough didn't rise properly and the baked end product was tough. It went straight into the trash and I never tried it again. Until now. I'm newly inspired and think I can actually do this! Again! These rolls are freakin' good, especially straight from the oven. (Right, Chad?) They would be great for Thanksgiving (I'm thinking about reprising them - maybe with a little chopped fresh rosemary topped with flaked salt) or for your next dinner party. Everyone will be so impressed!



Parmesan Pull-Apart Rolls
(Adapted from Gourmet)

2 teaspoons active dry yeast (from a 1/4-ounce package)
1 teaspoon mild honey or sugar
2/3 cup warm milk (105–115°F), divided
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoon for sprinkling
1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan (1 1/3 ounces)
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
1 tablespoon water

1. Stir together the yeast, honey, and 1/3 cup warm milk in mixer bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, start over with new yeast.) Whisk together flour (2 1/2 cups), cheese, and salt, then mix into yeast mixture along with remaining 1/3 cup warm milk at low speed. Increase speed to medium and beat in 2 eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat, scraping down side of bowl occasionally, until a very soft dough forms, about 3 minutes. Beat in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough is elastic, about 2 minutes. (Dough will be very sticky.)

2. Scrape dough into the center of the bowl and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

3. Punch down the dough (do not knead) and turn out onto a floured surface. Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each into a ball. Arrange the rolls about 1-inch apart in a buttered 9- by 2-inch round cake pan and cover with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth). Let the dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled and dough fills pan, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

4. Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the middle. Whisk together the remaining egg with water and brush on tops of rolls. (You will have leftover egg wash.) Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Loosen the edges of the rolls from the pan with a sharp knife and invert the rolls onto a rack (or not - I just let them cool in the pan), then reinvert and cool at least 20 minutes. Makes 12 rolls.

Note: Rolls are best the day they're made but can be frozen (cool completely, then wrap well) 1 month. Thaw, then reheat on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven until warmed through, 5 to 10 minutes. Refresh day-old rolls the same way..

Coffee Crumble

We didn't always have dessert after dinner when I was growing up, but occasionally my mom would whip up some apple crisp or a quick cinnamon coffee cake. The cake was a kind of inverted coffee cake in that the sugary-cinnamony yumminess was on the bottom of the cake rather than on the top. Most of the time I would eat that part and throw the rest of my piece away (like the people who throw out their pizza crust).



I still prefer the crumble topping to the cake part of any coffee cake, so I tried to make up a recipe with an ample amount of crumble topping. I'm beginning to think that I should have doubled my crumble topping. Seriously! I think I was way too conservative when this recipe was originally published in The Ski House Cookbook. I thought I was really making SO MUCH topping. I mean, I think the ratio is still good in general, but it could be great. I find myself cutting a piece in half horizontally and then throwing away the bottom half of the piece, just so that I have MORE crumble topping than actual cake. Is that so wrong? Well, see for yourself.



Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

Topping:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Cake:
Unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter an 8 x 8 inch pan and set aside.

2. To prepare the topping: In a small bowl stir together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the butter and, using a pastry blender or fork, mix the ingredients until crumbly.

3. To make the cake: In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl whisk together the egg, milk, oil, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just to combine. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the batter.

4. Bake for 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 9 servings.

Lentil Love

I just realized something. I haven't paid a visit to my favorite Recipes for Health column in a while. Maybe because I haven't really been cooking in a while. Must be the recent discovery of the Yakitori place down the block from me or the box of chocolates from Norman Love that I recently received. Or both. Oh, I'm eating. Just not cooking.

One RFH recipe that I have made a few times is a simple lentil concoction that is as great as a side dish served warm as it is as a leftover cold salad, served alone or on greens sprinkled with toasted pine nuts. I love all beans but since dried lentils cook up so much faster than other beans and don't require soaking, that means more food in my belly fast! And they're good for you. Or so I've been told.



Warm Lentils With Goat Cheese

1 pound green or beluga lentils (about 2 1/4 cups), washed and picked over
1 medium onion, cut in half and peeled
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 bay leaf
Salt, to taste
1/4 cup minced flat-leaf parsley
4 ounces fresh goat cheese, cut in rounds
1/4 cup sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup cooking liquid from the lentils
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Place the lentils in a large saucepan or soup pot with the halved onion, the garlic cloves, and the bay leaf. Add enough water to cover by 1 1/2 inches. Bring to a simmer, add 1 teaspoon salt, cover and simmer 25 - 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender all the way through but intact. Set a strainer over a bowl and drain the lentils. Remove the onion halves, bay leaf, and garlic and discard. Return the liquid to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to 1/2 cup.

2. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Whisk together the vinegar, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, olive oil, and cooking liquid from the lentils. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss with the lentils. Stir in the parsley, place in a baking dish and top with the rounds of goat cheese. Heat through for 15 minutes, until the goat cheese has softened, and serve. Serves 4 to 6 as a main dish salad or 8 as a side dish.

Advance preparation: The lentils can be made and tossed with the dressing up to 3 days ahead. Do not add the parsley until just before warming the salad.

Mornin'!

Is it Iced Coffee Weather?



Try a latte instead!

A Side of Football

I am LOVING the weather in NYC the past few days. Crisp 56˚mornings, followed by 72˚ afternoons, all under bright blue skies...you can't beat it with a stick! The perfect temperatures coupled with the amazing late summer light, instantly transport me back to the football Saturdays of my college days.

What can I say? I'm an enigma. I watch Big Ten football, The Rachel Zoe Project, True Blood, and The Real Housewives of Atlanta. I listen to Soundgarden, Pet Shop Boys, Tool, and Radiohead. I drink frozen hot chocolate. (Not really...but it works, right?) With all that to say...the crisp fall afternoons make me think of football, which makes me think of snacks. I get that most people are more likely to order in pizza and hot wings, but in the off chance you are trying to impress your friends (or need an idea for your next Cinco de Mayo party), try these empanadas. Granted, they may take a little bit of time to prepare, but you can always make them ahead of time and freeze them. And they are delicious. Especially with a Wrinkly Slut, with or without a side of football.

Potato, Pepper, and Chorizo Empanadas

(Adapted from Gourmet)

3/4 cup finely chopped Spanish chorizo (about 3 ounces)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 onions, finely chopped (2 cups)

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled

1/2 pound yellow-fleshed potato such as Yukon Gold (1 large)

1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Empanada dough*

1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Make the filling:
1. Cook the chorizo in the oil in a 2 1/2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, 2 minutes, then transfer to a medium bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside.

2. Add the onions to the saucepan and cook, stirring frequently, until golden and very soft, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic, pepper, bay leaf, salt, and oregano and cook, stirring frequently, until the pepper is very soft, about 15 minutes.

3. Peel the potato and cut into 1/2-inch pieces, then stir into the onion mixture and cook over moderately low heat, covered, stirring frequently, until the potatoes are just barely tender, 10 to 12 minutes.

4. Add the potato mixture to the chorizo and stir to combine. Cool the filling to room temperature, discard the bay leaf, and then stir in the cheese.

Form and bake the empanadas:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Divide the dough (see recipe below) into 12 equal pieces and form each into a disk. Keeping the remaining pieces covered, roll out 1 piece on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 5-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick).

2. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling onto the center and fold the dough in half, enclosing filling. Press the edges together to seal, then crimp decoratively with your fingers or the tines of a fork. Transfer the empanada to a baking sheet. Make 11 more empanadas in same manner, arranging on 2 baking sheets.

3. Lightly brush the empanadas with some of egg wash and bake, switching the position of the sheets halfway through baking, until golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer the empanadas to a rack to cool at least 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Empanada Dough*

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 large egg

1/3 cup ice water

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

1. Sift the flour with salt into a large bowl and blend in the butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some (roughly pea-size) butter lumps.

2. Beat together the egg, water, and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork. Add to the flour mixture, stirring with fork until just incorporated. (Mixture will look shaggy.)

3. Turn out the mixture onto a lightly floured surface and gather together, then knead gently with heel of your hand once or twice, just enough to bring the dough together. Form the dough into a flat rectangle and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour.