- Maple Nut Pear Scones

Maple Nut Pear Scones

Scones:

3 c flour
⅓ c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
¾ c cold butter
¾ buttermilk, light or heavy cream
1 tsp pure maple extract
1 c peeled and diced pears (about 1 ½ pears)
½ c chopped pecans or walnuts
½ T sugar for topping

Maple Pear Butter:

1 large very ripe pear, peeled, cored and mashed
¼ c soft butter
1½ T maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400°

To prepare butter: in a small saucepan, simmer mashed pear over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until liquid has evaporated (pear will begin to stick to pan at this point). Let cool slightly and stir in butter and maple syrup. Let stand at room temperature to thicken (butter can be prepared ahead and stored in fridge).

To prepare scones: combine first six dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Grate butter into the dry mixture. Stir in the buttermilk, maple extract, pears and pecans. Turn mixture onto a lightly floured board and knead several times until dough is smooth. Press into a 10-inch circle and using a sharp knife cut into 10 wedges. Place wedges 1-inches apart on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle lightly with ½ T sugar. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with butter.

Notes:

1. Some time ago I came across a recipe that required you to grate butter. This was a fabulous tip and I always grate butter for pie crusts, biscuits and scones.

- Cinnamon Buns

CINNAMON BUNS


3 c milk
6 T butter
6 T sugar
1 T salt
1 tsp sugar
½ c warm water
2 envelopes active dry yeast (4½ tsp)
2 large eggs
9 c flour

¾ c melted butter
1¼ c brown sugar
2 T cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°.

Scald milk. Stir in butter, 6 T sugar and salt. Cool to lukewarm. Dissolve the 1 tsp sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over water mixture. Let stand in warm place for 10 minutes. Stir. In large mixing bowl, combine lukewarm milk mixture and eggs. Stir in dissolved yeast.

Add 4 – 5 c of the flour and beat well for 10 minutes (I use a stand mixer for this and then transfer the dough to a larger bowl). With a wooden spoon, gradually add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding additional flour as needed (this is a soft dough). Place dough in a well greased bowl and roll dough over to grease the top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Punch down the dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. To fill, roll each piece of dough into a 9 x 18 inch rectangle. Spread ¼ c of margarine evenly onto each rectangle (see note). Combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle onto the rectangles (see note). Roll dough up like a jelly roll, starting from the long side. Cut into 2 inch slices.

Place remaining ¼ c of melted butter in the bottom of a 16½ x 11½ x 2½ inch pan. Arrange slices in pan and cover loosely with greased wax paper.

Let rise in pan until doubled in size, about 45 – 60 minutes.

Bake for 35 – 40 minutes.

Remove from oven and immediately invert onto a serving tray.

Makes 18 large cinnamon buns.

Notes.

1. Although I use this recipe I don’t mix the brown sugar and cinnamon. I spread softened (not melted) butter on the rectangle (and I use way more butter to cover the surface. I then sprinkle the brown sugar over top (again using more) and then the cinnamon (you guessed it, more). I do not put the melted butter on the bottom of the pan. There is enough goo in my buns to reach the bottom of the buns!

2. I also make 24 smaller (but still a good size) cinnamon buns.

3. I also line the bottom of my pan with parchment paper.

4. Use dental floss to slice the roll – it works great and doesn’t crush the buns.

- Foccacia Bread

FOCCACIA BREAD


1 c warm water
2 tsp yeast
3 c flour
1 T sugar
1 tsp salt
4 T olive oil
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 T chopped thyme
24 pitted black olives or 1 cup chopped onions (see note)


Pour the water into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and sprinkle in the yeast. Add 1 cup of flour and the sugar and then stir to combine. Let rest for 10 minutes or so, until the yeast activates and bubbles appear on the surface.

Add the rest of the flour, salt, olive oil, pepper, thyme, olives (or onion) and mix well until sough begins to form a ball. Continue kneading for a few minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a large, oiled bowl, cover with a towel, and rest in a warm place until the dough doubles, about 1 hour.

Lightly oil your hands then knock down the dough, pressing the air out of it. Knead a few times and then place the dough onto an oiled baking sheet. Pull and press dough across pan until it forms a large, flattened circle and vigorously poke dimples into it with your fingertips. Drizzle with olive oil, coarse salt and pepper and let rise a second time until it doubles again, about 30 minutes.

While you wait, preheat your oven to 450º. Place in oven and bake until it has formed a golden crust but is still soft in the centre, about 25 minutes.

Notes:

1. I am not an olive fan so I put the chopped onion in a sauté pan with the thyme and about 1 T of butter. Once the onion was just starting to turn brown I removed the pan from the heat and allowed the onion to cool. I added the cooled onion instead of the olives.
2. This is super easy and delicious – if you haven’t made foccacia before – try this recipe. Do not be afraid of yeast.

- Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

SOUTHERN BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Yield 8-10 biscuits.

2 c all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board
¼ tsp baking soda
1 T baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
6 T unsalted (very cold) butter
¾ c buttermilk (see note)

Preheat oven to 450°.

Combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Cut the butter into chunks and cut into the flour until it resembles course meal (@ 6 pulses). Add the buttermilk and mix JUST until combined (do not overmix). Turn the dough onto a floured board. Gently pat (do not use a rolling bin) the dough out until it is about ½” thick. Use a round cutter to cut out biscuits. Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet with the biscuits touching each other (see note).

Bake for 10 – 12 minutes.

Note:

1. This is the original recipe which said to add more buttermilk if required
and I used at least ½ c more.
2. The recipe notes say that it is really important not to overwork the dough.
3. Apparently the biscuits rise more if they are touching (?).
4. These are the best (plain) biscuits that I have ever tasted.

- Tomato Bocconcini Pesto Panini

TOMATO, BOCCONCINI & PESTO PANINI


Yield: 6 sandwiches

2 large ripe beefsteak tomatoes
¾ lb fresh bocconcini
12 slices of your favorite bakery bread, sliced about ½ or ¾ inch thick
1 c pesto (see previous post)
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Butter, at room temperature

Preheat your Panini grill.

Core the tomatoes and slice both the tomatoes and the cheese about ¼ inch thick.

Place the bread slices on a work surface. Spread each slice evenly with pesto. Place a layer of cheese (about 2 slices) on half of the bread and cover with a layer of tomato. Sprinkle the tomato with salt and pepper. Place the remaining slices of bread, pesto side down, on top. Spread the top and bottom of each sandwich with softened butter. Grill the sandwiches in batches on the Panini grill for 2 to 3 minutes, until the cheese starts to ooze. Cut each sandwich in half and serve warm.

- Whole Wheat Goldfish Crackers

WHOLE WHEAT GOLDFISH CRACKERS

Yield: About 100 tiny crackers
1½ c coarsely grated sharp cheddar
4 T butter
½ c whole wheat flour
¼ c all-purpose flour
⅛ tsp onion powder
⅛ to ¼ tsp table salt

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine all ingredients in a food processor, running the machine until the dough forms a ball, about two minutes.

If the dough feels warm or soft, wrap it in waxed paper or plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for 30 to 45 minutes. This also makes it easier to transfer shapes once they are rolled out.

On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out 1/8-inch thick. Form shapes with a cookie cutter, dipping it in flour from time to time to ensure a clean cut. Gently transfer crackers to an ungreased cookie sheet with a 1/2 inch between them. Bake the crackers on the middle rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are barely browned at the edges. Remove from the oven and set the cookie sheet on a rack to cool.

- Yorkshire Pudding

YORKSHIRE PUDDING

6 eggs
1 c milk
1 c water
2 c flour
Vegetable oil (about 1 tsp for each muffin cup)

Preheat oven to 425°.

Whisk the eggs, milk and water together, add the flour.

Spray a 12 muffin pan with Pam. Put 1 tsp oil into each muffin cup and heat the pan in the oven until the oil is very hot. Immediately pour the batter into the pan and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

After the baking time turn on the broiler (don’t move the oven rack) and broil for a minute or two to set up the yorkies. Keep you eye on them or they will burn!!!

Notes:

1. The broiling time is a tip that I got about a year ago and it really helps maintain the size (because yorkies are notorious for shrinking after you take them from the oven).

- Cheddar Beer Bread

CHEDDAR BEER BREAD

3 c flour
1 T baking powder
¾ tsp salt
2 T sugar
2 c grated cheddar cheese (the more aged the tastier)
½ c finely chopped onion
3 garlic cloves
12 oz can of beer (non-alcohol works too)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Using a fork and a bowl, combine all of the ingredients (except the beer), until well mixed. Add the beer a quarter at a time until all the ingredients are blended. Spoon into a loaf pan that has been sprayed with Pam and smooth down with fork. Bake for one hour. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack. Serve warm with soup or stew.

Notes:

1. Freezes really well.

- Caesar Salad Sandwiches

CAESAR SALAD SANDWICHES


Sandwich:

1 loaf of calabrese bread (or french bread/foccacia)
Store roasted chicken (or you can roast chicken breasts)
6 cooked slices of bacon (or pancetta)
Leaf lettuce (or arugula)
Shaved parmesan cheese

Caesar dressing:

1 garlic clove (or more to taste), chopped
2 T. chopped parsley
1 ½ tsp. anchovy paste
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 ½ T lemon juice
½ c. real mayo


Slice bread along the length of the loaf and place on a cookie sheet, crust down. Bake or broil in oven until just golden. Spread both halves with the dressing, then layer bottom half with lettuce, chicken, bacon, parmesan, lettuce. Top with top half of loaf and slice into large pieces.