A Very Old Mac And Cheese Recipe

Posted on June 11, 2012 by sparecake

A blog I found recently and think is super cool, Kitchen Historic, is all antique recipes, which she sort of interprets into current measurements and ingredients. It’s a fun concept, quite different from all the other blogs I follow, and has some delicious recipes. This mac and cheese recipe, for instance, is from 1870!

Ingredients:

  • 10 ounces macaroni (I used a 16 ounce package of shells and there was still enough cheese sauce)
  • 2 cups milk (I used skim, it’s what we have)
  • 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2/3 cup cream
  • 1 teaspoon mustard powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • cayenne, to taste
  • 8 ounces old cheddar, grated

In a large pot, cook the macaroni until tender according to the package directions. Strain, and return the macaroni to the pot.

While the macaroni cooks, mix the milk, flour, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the butter has melted.

Stir in the cream, mustard, salt, pepper, cayenne, and cheese. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until thickened.

Pour the sauce over the macaroni and stir to coat.

At this point you’re ready to eat, although my mom would argue it’d be even better if you transferred it to an oven safe dish and broiled for a minute or two until the cheese on the top got crusty. It’s creamy and cheesy, and you can make it as spicy as you’d like with the cayenne. It makes the boxed stuff taste just…orange.

Macaroni And Cheese (1870)

From Kitchen Historic. Do click through to see how the recipe was written originally!

  • 10 ounces macaroni
  • 2 cups milk
  • 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2/3 cup cream
  • 1 teaspoon mustard powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • cayenne, to taste
  • 8 ounces old cheddar, grated

In a large pot, cook the macaroni until tender according to the package directions. Strain, and return the macaroni to the pot.

While the macaroni cooks, mix the milk, flour, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the butter has melted. Stir in the cream, mustard, salt, pepper, cayenne, and cheese. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until thickened.

Pour the sauce over the macaroni and stir to coat. Enjoy!

Posted in Dinner | Tagged | 2 Comments

Red Velvet Pull-Apart Bread With Cream Cheese Glaze

Posted on June 8, 2012 by sparecake

I made this way back on Mothers’ Day, and, even though it was really friggin’ good, I just have been tooooo lazy to type it up since then. But it’s too good not to share, gotta get posting!

Ingredients:

Bread Starter:

  • 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water (100-110 degrees F)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Red Velvet Yeast Bread:

  • 2 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons (1 ounce – you can get 1 ounce bottles at the store) red food coloring plus 1 tablespoon water
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 cup minus 3 tablespoons lukewarm water (100-110 degrees F)
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons table salt
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • vegetable oil for lightly oiling bowl

Filling:

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
  • 2 tablespoons bittersweet chocolate chips
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Cream Cheese Glaze:

  • 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • about 3 tablespoons milk as
  • mini chocolate chips for sprinkling (I totally forgot these, it wasn’t a big deal)

To start off with, you make the bread starter by dissolving the yeast in the warm water and letting it sit about ten minutes. Stir in the flour, cover loosely, and let sit 6 hours.

When your starter’s ready, in a different small bowl combine the cocoa powder, red food coloring, and tablespoon of water.

In a medium bowl, combine the red paste, the flour, sugar, yeast, water, and 1/4 cup of the starter and let rest for 15 minutes. Save the rest of the starter for other recipes – I used it for my salted caramel apple sourdough challah.

Knead in the salt and butter, then knead a further 10  minutes, if by hand, or 4 minutes with a dough hook, until smooth and elastic.

This looks goopier than it was in person, I think.

Lightly oil a large bowl and turn the dough into it. Cover loosely and let rise until doubled, about one and a half hours. Leaving the dough in the bowl, fold it in thirds like a letter to deflate, then recover an let rise a further half hour.

The recipe then calls for greasing two 7X3″ loaf pans. I used one 9X5″ pan and thought it was a good size, so that’s an option as well.

Turn half the dough out onto a floured counter and roll out to a roughly 15X12″ rectangle.

“Roughly” indeed.

Brush half the melted butter over the dough, then sprinkle with half the sugar and chocolate chips. It may not seem like the dough has a ton of room to let the chips in, but if you pat them down they will actually stick into the dough a bit.

Cut the dough into 6 strips in one direction, and then cut each strip into 6 squares. Pile the squares on top of each other, cramming any chips that fall out back in. Lay the squares on their edges in your prepared bread pan, then repeat with the other half of the dough.

Cover your bread pan(s), and let the dough rise 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. When the dough has risen, uncover and bake 30-35 minutes, until the top is dark brown. If you only used one bread pan, it could take a bit longer, just keep an eye on it. Cool in the pan until it’s a temperature you can eat without getting internal burns. Distract yourself by making the glaze.

To make the glaze, beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add the sugar and vanilla, then use the milk to thin it to a drizzling consistency. Drizzle some on top of the loaf, and save some for the separate slices. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.
There’s a whole lot of waiting in this recipe, but it’s totally worth it. The bread was a bit tangy, from the starter, and deliciously chocolatey. I’m really into it.

Red Velvet Pull-Apart Bread With Cream Cheese Glaze

From Willow Bird Baking.

Bread Starter:

  • 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water (100-110 degrees F)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Red Velvet Yeast Bread:

  • 2 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) red food coloring plus 1 tablespoon water
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 cup minus 3 tablespoons lukewarm water (100-110 degrees F)
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons table salt
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • vegetable oil for lightly oiling bowl

Filling:

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
  • 2 tablespoons bittersweet chocolate chips
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Cream Cheese Glaze:

  • 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • about 3 tablespoons milk as
  • mini chocolate chips for sprinkling

Make the bread starter by dissolving the yeast in the warm water, letting it sit about ten minutes. Stir in the flour, cover loosely, and let sit 6 hours.

When your starter’s ready, in a different small bowl combine the cocoa powder, red food coloring, and tablespoon of water. Combine this red paste, the flour, sugar, yeast, water, and 1/4 cup of the starter in a medium bowl and let rest for 15 minutes. Knead in the salt and butter, then knead a further 10  minutes, if by hand, or 4 minutes with a dough hook, until smooth and elastic.

Lightly oil a large bowl and turn the dough into it. Cover loosely and let rise until doubled, about one and a half hours. Leaving the dough in the bowl, fold it in thirds like a letter to deflate, then recover an let rise a further half hour.

Grease two 7X3″ loaf pans.

Turn half the dough out onto a floured counter and roll out to a roughly 15X12″ rectangle. Brush half the melted butter over the dough, then sprinkle with half the sugar and chocolate chips. Pat the chocolate chips into the dough lightly.

Cut the dough into 6 strips in one direction, and then cut each strip into 6 squares. Pile the squares on top of each other, cramming any chips that fall out back in. Lay the squares on their edges in your prepared bread pan, then repeat with the other half of the dough. Cover your bread pans, and let the dough rise 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. When the dough has risen, uncover and bake 30-35 minutes, until the top is dark brown. Cool in the pan until just warm.

To make the glaze, beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add the sugar and vanilla, then use the milk to thin it to a drizzling consistency. Drizzle some on top of the loaf, and save some for the separate slices. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.

Posted in Bread, Dessert | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Spaghetti Carbonara

Posted on June 6, 2012 by sparecake

A while ago I had to go up to Concord for a day-long course. My dad’s best friend lives up there and is a cool guy, so I gave him a call before hand and stopped by after the course to make dinner.

That’s him, prepping some pancetta.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 1/2 cups pancetta, diced
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
  • 4 eggs, beaten together lightly
  • 2/3 cup peas (optional)
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
  • 1 pinch salt and black pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

When I showed up, Ray’d already done half the work!

In a large pot, cook the spaghetti according to package directions until al dente. Drain well, then toss with one tablespoon olive oil and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook the pancetta until lightly browned.

Remove the pancetta to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Drain the fat from the skillet, if there’s more than a tablespoon or two left (we didn’t have much), then add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chopped onion, cooking over medium heat until onion becomes translucent. Add the wine, if desired, then the garlic, and cook one minute. Return the pancetta to the pan.

The bits leftover from the pancetta really turned the onion brown, especially after the wine helped pulled everything up off the bottom of the pan.

Add the spaghetti and toss to combine with the pancetta mixture. Add the eggs and cook, tossing constantly, until the eggs are barely set. Add the half cup of Parmesan and the pepper and salt and toss again. Remove from the heat.

Transfer to your serving dish.

And sprinkle with parsley and extra Parmesan.

Spaghetti carbonara is SUCH a good comfort food! I really love it. Two thumbs up! Also two thumbs up to Ray, for being so happy to cook!

Spaghetti Carbonara

Adapted from AllRecipes.

    • 1 pound spaghetti
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
    • 1 1/2 cups pancetta, diced
    • 1 onion, chopped
    • 1 clove garlic, minced
    • 1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
    • 4 eggs, beaten together lightly
    • 2/3 cup peas (optional)
    • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
    • 1 pinch salt and black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

In a large pot, cook the spaghetti according to package directions until al dente. Drain well, then toss with one tablespoon olive oil and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook the pancetta until lightly browned. Remove the pancetta to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

Drain the fat from the skillet, if there’s more than a tablespoon or two left , then add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chopped onion, cooking over medium heat until onion becomes translucent. Add the wine, if desired, then the garlic, and cook one minute. Return the pancetta to the pan.

Add the spaghetti and toss to combine with the pancetta mixture. Add the eggs and cook, tossing constantly, until the eggs are barely set. Add the half cup of Parmesan and the pepper and salt and toss again. Remove promptly from the heat.

Serve sprinkled with parsley and extra Parmesan.

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Banana Blender Pie

Posted on June 4, 2012 by sparecake

I keep buying too many bananas, and I’ve had this pie bookmarked for ages, so…it was time! I had to do some alterations, because I just wasn’t going to go to the supermarket, but it came out well. If you like the taste of bananas, it’s pretty hard not to like this pie!

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 box cinnamon graham crackers
  • 7 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 4 bananas
  • 2 eggs
  • 10 ounces heavy cream
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 large handful mini chocolate chips
  • whipped cream, or 10 (additional) ounces heavy cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla

Crush the graham crackers into crumbs, using a food processor or by putting them in a bag and smashing them.

Less dishes/More fun

In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, the cocoa powder, and the butter. Stir until well combined.

Looks so niiiice!

Press evenly onto the bottom of a 9″ springform and a bit up the sides.

Refrigerate for at least half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 355 degrees.

Combine the cream, eggs, vanilla, bananas, and sugar in your blender.

hahaha

Blend until smooth and creamy.

Pour into the prepared crust, then sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Bake for 40 minutes, then remove from oven and cool on a rack. When it’s a reasonable temperature to put in your fridge, refrigerate until ready to eat.

Beat the extra cream and vanilla until light and fluffy (you can do this in your blender too!), if using, or top with canned whipped cream and serve.

If I had had more cream, I think a huge dollop of fresh whipped cream would have been great, but it was not to be. This still most definitely works! I’m glad I finally gave it a try, and glad I don’t have a heap of bananas mouldering on the counter.

Banana Blender Pie

Adapted from Not So Humble Pie.

  • 1/2 box cinnamon graham crackers
  • 7 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 4 bananas
  • 2 eggs
  • 10 ounces heavy cream
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 large handful mini chocolate chips
  • whipped cream, or 10 (additional) ounces heavy cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla

Crush the graham crackers into crumbs, using a food processor or by putting them in a bag and smashing them. In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, the cocoa powder, and the butter. Stir until well combined. Press evenly onto the bottom of a 9″ springform and a bit up the sides. Refrigerate for at least half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 355 degrees.

Combine the cream, eggs, vanilla, bananas, and sugar in your blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Pour into the prepared crust, then sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Bake for 40 minutes, then remove from oven and cool on a rack to room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Beat the extra cream and vanilla until light and fluffy and spread over pie, if using, or top with canned whipped cream and serve.

Posted in Dessert | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Peanut Butter Pretzel M&M Cookies

Posted on June 1, 2012 by sparecake

Sometimes I still really miss the crispy M&MS, which haven’t existed (in the States) since 2005. A pretty exciting alternative, though, are the newish pretzel ones. As in many snack-things, the salt is what sells it. Yum! The perfect complement to a peanut butter cookie.

Wikipedia tells me that “[i]n July 2009, a study showed that a dye similar to that in blue M&M’s showed benefits in helping paralyzed rats to walk again.” I don’t know what to do with this information.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 cups pretzel M&Ms

Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Beat in the peanut butter, scraping down the sides of the bowl once in the middle.

Beat in the egg and vanilla until evenly mixed in.

Beat in the baking soda and flour, starting with the mixer on slow. Beat until just combined, scraping down the bowl once or twice in the middle.

Fold in the M&Ms, then form the dough into a rough disk on some saran wrap. Refrigerate for at least half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Scoop the dough into rounded tablespoons at least an inch apart on two ungreased baking sheets.

Used a scoop for a change.

Bake for 9-10 minutes. They don’t brown much, and come out of the oven a bit puffy and then flatten some as they cool. Let cool at least 20 minutes on the sheet and they’ll hold together when you try to pick them up.

The ones on the right are straight out of the oven, the other had 10 minutes to deflate. I don’t think it’s necessary to bake one pan at a time, I just…did.

Another hit with the floor hockey team! I would definitely make these again. Next time, though, I might flatten the dough balls out so that they’re a bit more even not bulges with flat edges.

Peanut Butter Pretzel M&M Cookies

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 cups pretzel M&Ms

Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Beat in the peanut butter, scraping down the sides of the bowl once in the middle. Beat in the egg and vanilla until evenly mixed in. Beat in the baking soda and flour, starting with the mixer on slow. Beat until just combined, scraping down the bowl once or twice in the middle. Fold in the M&Ms, then form the dough into a rough disk on some saran wrap. Refrigerate for at least half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Scoop the dough into rounded tablespoons at least an inch apart on two ungreased baking sheets. Flatten each ball slightly by pressing down with your hand or a spatula.

Bake for 9-10 minutes. Let cool on the pan at least 20 minutes before trying to move.

Posted in Dessert | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Blueberry Brown Sugar Gratin

Posted on May 30, 2012 by sparecake

This is a super easy dessert – it goes from ingredients in packages to out of the oven in under 10 minutes! It’s good with raspberries, blueberries…probably just about any berry, although I might cut strawberries into smaller pieces if I used them. Being mostly fruit and Greek yogurt, it’s not entirely awful for you, and it’s got a brown sugar crust that is worthy of the fattiest dessert. So delicious!

Ingredients:

  • 1 pint (2 cups) fresh blueberries
  • 2 cups vanilla Greek yogurt – I used two of those small Chobani cups
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar

Turn on your oven’s broiler. Gently fold the berries into the yogurt in a one quart (or roughly similar sized) broiler-safe dish. I used a metal bread pan, because I knew it wouldn’t shatter under the broiler.

Sprinkle the brown sugar over the yogurt mixture. I think you should put a little bit more towards the outside edges, because when you serve the melted sugar pulls in towards your spoon and away from the edges, and you still want some out on the edges too.

Place in the oven under the broiler and cook until the sugar has melted and just begun to caramelize. I gave mine 4 minutes and it was done.

And that’s it! You can begin serving right away, and the sugar will quickly harden into a delicious crust. Super simple, super good. Deb of Smitten Kitchen says the leftovers are still delicious, but we didn’t have any left to worry about!

If you want to get this ready before dinner you can mix up the berries and yogurt beforehand, but don’t put the brown sugar on if you’re not going to cook it right away because it’ll sink in and not create the nice crust.

Blueberry Brown Sugar Gratin

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

  • 1 pint (2 cups) fresh blueberries
  • 2 cups vanilla Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar

Turn on your oven’s broiler. Gently fold the berries into the yogurt in a one quart broiler-safe dish. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the yogurt mixture, going a bit heavier on the outward edges.

Place in the oven under the broiler and cook until the sugar has melted and just begun to caramelize, about 4 minutes. Serve immediately.

Posted in Brunch, Dessert | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Salted Caramel Apple Sourdough Challah

Posted on May 28, 2012 by sparecake

Happy Memorial Day! May’s Daring Bakers’ Challenge was pretty twisted – Ruth from The Crafts of Mommyhood challenged us to make challah! Using recipes from all over, and tips from “A Taste of Challah,” by Tamar Ansh, she encouraged us to bake beautifully braided breads. I had some sourdough starter that I’d been neglecting and my mom wanted me to do something with, and I’d seen a caramel apple challah sourdough recipe, so I knew what I had to do. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough eggs in the house for any of the sourdough challah recipes I saw, so I sort of…made my own? It came out pretty good, especially for an experiment, although I wish I’d cooked the caramel of the filling a few seconds less.

Ingredients:

Bread:

  • 3 1/2-4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup room temp water
  • 1 cup fed sourdough starter (I really don’t know much about sourdough and hydration and all that, but some poking around the internet leads me to believe mine’s 166% hydration)
  • 1/2  cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Filling:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2  cup water
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
  • 3 medium apples, peeled, cored and cubed
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon (I just used a bunch of cinnamon, no nutmeg or ginger)
  • 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • Squeeze of lemon juice

To make the dough, stir together the starter, water, and three cups of the flour.

Add the sugar, eggs, and salt, and stir together.

Sprinkle half a cup of the remaining flour on a clean surface and turn the dough out on it. Knead until smooth and only lightly tacky, adding as much of the last half cup of flour as necessary – I needed just over 3 1/2 total.

Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise 3 hours.

In the meantime, make the filling. Combine the chopped apples with the spices, lemon juice, and flour in a bowl and set aside.

Put the sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and add the water. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and boil until the sugar turns medium brown, 5-7 minutes.

Too early!

Realistically… a few seconds too late. Oops. Still tasted good in the final product, but was a bit too bitter to eat alone because it was slightly overcooked.

When medium brown, lower the heat and gradually add the cream and butter, being careful of spattering sugar.

Simmer, stirring with a wooden spoon, until smooth and thick, about two minutes.

Stir in the sea salt. Remove from heat and cool about three minutes. Stir in the apples.

Let cool to room temperature. Store whatever’s not used in the bread to put on ice cream, pound cake, or just eat off a spoon.

When the apples are cooled and the dough has risen, divide the dough into three portions. Roll out into roughly 1/2″ thick ovals and spoon some of the apple mixture down each piece.

Carefully pinch together each piece into a (somewhat stumpy) rope, sealing as tightly as possible. Be careful not to get the caramel on the edges or they’re virtually impossible to seal.

Braid the three ropes together, then transfer to a foil-lined baking pan. I used a 9X13″ dish, as this had to fit in the oven with a few other things, and a cookie sheet wouldn’t’ve cut it. Brush with the egg/water mixture.

Cover and let rise one hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and rebrush the top with the egg wash.

Bake until browned, 60-65 minutes.

Let cool fully before slicing.

I grilled a few slices of this on a greased pan and it made a pretty fabulous breakfast. Yum!

Salted Caramel Apple Sourdough Challah

Filling and idea from Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives.

Bread:

  • 3 1/2-4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup room temp water
  • 1 cup fed sourdough starter
  • 1/2  cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Filling:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2  cup water
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
  • 3 medium apples, peeled, cored and cubed
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • Squeeze of lemon juice

To make the dough, stir together the starter, water, and three cups of the flour. Add the sugar, eggs, and salt, and stir together. Sprinkle half a cup of the remaining flour on a clean surface and turn the dough out on it. Knead until smooth and only lightly tacky, adding as much of the last half cup of flour as necessary. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise 3 hours.

In the meantime, make the filling. Combine the chopped apples with the spices, lemon juice, and flour in a bowl and set aside.

Put the sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and add the water. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and boil until the sugar turns medium brown, 5-7 minutes. Lower the heat and gradually add the cream and butter, being careful of spattering sugar.

Simmer, stirring with a wooden spoon, until smooth and thick, about two minutes. Stir in the sea salt. Remove from heat and cool about three minutes. Stir in the apples. Let cool to room temperature.

When the apples are cooled and the dough has risen, divide the dough into three portions. Roll out into roughly 1/2″ thick ovals and spoon some of the apple mixture down each piece. Carefully pinch together each piece into a rope, sealing as tightly as possible. Braid the three ropes together, then transfer to a foil-lined baking pan. Brush with the egg/water mixture.

Cover and let rise one hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and rebrush the top with the egg wash. Bake until browned, 60-65 minutes. Let cool fully before slicing.

Posted in Bread | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Oven-Barbecued Chicken Breasts

Posted on May 25, 2012 by sparecake

This recipe’s adapted from a book of healthy chicken recipes, so for once I am reasonably sure something I’m posting isn’t awful for you. Exciting? It’s a somewhat sweet barbecue sauce, and I liked it a bunch. It’s great with some corn and maybe a chunk of bread.

Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 14.5 ounce can of canned tomatoes, liquid included
  • 1/2 cup pineapple juice
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1 1/2 pounds total

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil until hot but not smoking. Add the garlic and cook until softened, stirring frequently, about 30 seconds. Stir in the can of tomatoes and crush them with the back of a wooden spoon.

Add the pineapple juice, honey, vinegar, molasses, ginger, and salt, stir together, and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally, continuing to break up the tomatoes, until the sauce has thickened a bit, about 20 minutes.

Put the chicken in the lined pan and pour the sauce on top.

Bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Turn on the broil and cook another two minutes. I cooked this in the toaster oven, so it was already close to the top burners and didn’t really need extra broiling.

Plate the chicken and spoon the extra sauce over it. Enjoy!

Oven-Barbecued Chicken Breasts

Adapted from Great Taste ~ Low Fat Chicken.

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 14.5 ounce can of canned tomatoes, liquid included
  • 1/2 cup pineapple juice
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1 1/2 pounds total

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil until hot but not smoking. Add the garlic and cook until softened, stirring frequently, about 30 seconds. Stir in the can of tomatoes and crush them with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the pineapple juice, honey, vinegar, molasses, ginger, and salt, stir together, and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally, continuing to break up the tomatoes, until the sauce has thickened a bit, about 20 minutes.

Put the chicken in the lined pan and pour the sauce on top. Bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Turn on the broil and cook another two minutes.

Plate the chicken and spoon the extra sauce over it.

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Rosie’s Butter Cookies

Posted on May 23, 2012 by sparecake

These’re some shortbread-y thumbprint cookies with your favorite flavor of preserves/jam. They went over really well with my floor hockey team, who have noted that we had won the two games that I had brought snacks to at that point and decided that dessert is our good luck charm.

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup raspberry preserves, or your favorite flavor

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients and beat until light and fluffy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl several times.

Starts off crumbly, but comes together after a few minutes.

Pat the batter into a rectangle roughly 1/2″ thick and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 3 hours.

15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Measure out rounded teaspoonfuls of dough and roll them into balls.

Place the balls about 1 1/2″ apart on the sheets, then make firm dents into each ball with your thumb or finger.

Bake until lightly golden, 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and increase the oven to 325 degrees. Fill each cookie with 1/2 teaspoon preserves.

Bake another 10 minutes until the jam has begun to melt and spread. Allow to cool on the sheet before eating, as hot jelly burns!

Buttery and delicious!

Rosie’s Butter Cookies

From Rosie’s Bakery All-Butter Fresh Cream Sugar-Packed No-Holds-Barred Baking Book.

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup raspberry preserves, or your favorite flavor

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients and beat until light and fluffy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl several times. Pat the batter into a rectangle roughly 1/2″ thick and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 3 hours.

15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Measure out rounded teaspoonfuls of dough and roll them into balls. Place the balls about 1 1/2″ apart on the sheets, then make firm dents into each ball with your thumb or finger. Bake until lightly golden, 25-30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and increase the oven to 325 degrees. Fill each cookie with 1/2 teaspoon preserves. Bake another 10 minutes until the jam has begun to melt and spread. Allow to cool completely on the sheet before eating.

Posted in Dessert | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Stuffed Baby Yorkies

Posted on May 21, 2012 by sparecake

Congrats to Barbara Palermo, who won the King Arthur Flour Cookbook! (Thanks again to King Arthur for providing the book!) A bit disappointed, yet also relieved, that it’s going to someone I don’t know. On to the recipe…

Terrifying name, eh? These are mini Yorkshire puddings, which is not something I’d had before, but is similar to a popover, and not like pudding. British people call a baffling number of things “pudding.”

This is a pretty easy dinner, and a good way to use up leftovers if you ever try making prime rib (which also turns out to be super easy). They grow super tall in the oven, but deflate a fair amount if not eaten pretty fast.

Ingredients:

  • 5 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup canola oil
  • 4 ounces cooked roast beef, thinly sliced (may use leftover prime rib or from deli)
  • 1/4 cup prepared horseradish
  • 1 cup canned au jus gravy, heated

Whisk together the eggs, milk, flour, and salt together in a medium bowl until the mixture is smooth and glistening. It took me ages to get mine smooth – this could be one recipe where sifting the flour saves you a lot of effort later. Set the mixture aside to rest for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a jelly roll with foil and set aside. Pour 1/2 tablespoon oil into each cup of a muffin pan and put in the oven to heat while the batter rests. Warm the prepared au jus.

After 20 minutes, briefly whisk the batter. Remove the muffin pan from the oven and put it on the lined jelly roll sheet. Quickly fill each cup 3/4 full with the prepared batter. It should sizzle and cook some. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of roast beef and 1 teaspoon of horseradish into each cup. For personal preference reasons, I used a bit more beef and less horseradish, but do what you like.

Return the muffin pan, on the jelly roll pan, to the oven. Bake until puffy and golden, about 12 minutes. I probably cooked mine more like 16 until they looked set.

Remove the puddings from the muffin pan and drain any excess grease with paper towels. Serve immediately with the warm au jus.

These were good, if only to try something new. It’s also fun to see how huge they get! Be sure to put your muffin tin on the other pan, as otherwise grease will end up overflowing onto the floor of your oven, which is awful every time you cook ever again after.

Stuffed Baby Yorkies

From AllRecipes.

  • 5 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup canola oil
  • 4 ounces cooked roast beef, thinly sliced (may use leftover prime rib or from deli)
  • 1/4 cup prepared horseradish
  • 1 cup canned au jus gravy, heated

Sift flour, then whisk together with eggs, milk, and salt together in a medium bowl until the mixture is smooth and glistening. Set the mixture aside to rest for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a jelly roll with foil and set aside. Pour 1/2 tablespoon oil into each cup of a muffin pan and put in the oven to heat while the batter rests. Warm the prepared au jus.

After 20 minutes, briefly whisk the batter. Remove the muffin pan from the oven and put it on the lined jelly roll sheet. Quickly fill each cup 3/4 full with the prepared batter. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of roast beef and 1 teaspoon of horseradish into each cup.

Return the muffin pan, on the jelly roll pan, to the oven. Bake until puffy and golden, about 12 minutes. Remove the puddings from the muffin pan and drain any excess grease with paper towels. Serve immediately with the warm au jus.

Posted in Dinner | Tagged , | 2 Comments