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Friday, August 28, 2009

Warm and Gooey Cinnamon Buns


In the whirlwind of life, it’s easy to overlook the small things that make it beautiful…like a deliciously sweet bite of nectarine, a small dainty flower by the sidewalk, the sun on your face or a crunchy piece of toast drizzled with clover honey. It’s nice to find things to look forward to, things that make you happy and think “Oh yes, life is good.”

One of the things that makes me happy is weekend brunch – it’s one of my favorite meals to eat, and to cook (probably because there is generally a fair amount of baking involved). I like to host brunches too - they offer a nice space to catch up with friends and enjoy a bit of a slow and lazy afternoon.


Freshly baked, ooey-gooey Cinnamon Buns are a happy addition to a brunch table…the smell of the sweet cinnamon and slight yeastiness in the air is satisfying and cozy.

Cinnamon Buns are great for so many reasons…including the fact that you can make them the night before, and then just pop them into the oven the next day (which means you get to sleep in!).


The dough for these Cinnamon Buns is one of my favorite breakfast breads…it’s lighter than a brioche but still tastes rich and buttery, and it’s incredibly versatile.


You can fill the breakfast dough (or not) with whatever you want, perhaps a filling with a bit of strawberry rhubarb jam and almonds sounds good to you…or maybe a poppy seed filling with an apricot glaze. Whatever you fancy, this is one of those things you'll look forward to.

Warm and Gooey Cinnamon Buns

(adapted from Cindy Mushett)

Dough:
1/2 cup warm milk, 110-115 degrees (I used 1% milk, but you can use whatever you have)
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast or 1 1/8 teaspoons instant yeast
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 1/2 cups bread flour or unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, very soft (not melted)


Filling:
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Glaze:
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon warm water

1. Mix and Knead the Dough - Combine warm milk and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Whisk by hand to blend well. Let the mixture sit for 5 - 10 minutes, until the yeast is activated. Add the egg and yolk and whisk by hand until well blended. Stir in the flour and salt with a silicone spatula. Attach the dough hook and knead on low speed for 2 minutes. The dough may look ragged at this point but don't worry - it will smooth out when the butter is added. Increase the speed to medium and knead for 1 minute. With the mixer running, add the soft butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, allowing each addition to blend in before adding the next. Once all the butter has been added, decrease the speed to medium-low and continue to knead for 5-6 minutes longer, until the dough looks soft and silky.

2. Rise the Dough (First Rise) - Lightly butter or oil a tub or bowl, scrape the dough in and then brush the surface of the dough with a little butter or oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp lint-free cotton towel and let the dough rise until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

3. Roll the Dough - Dust your work surface with flour. Turn the risen dough out of the tub or bowl onto the flour. Press down firmly with your hands to expel as much of the gas as possible, but don't knead the dough or the gluten will be too developed for the dough to roll easily. Dust the top of the dough with flour. Roll the dough into a 10x16 inch rectangle. Position the dough so that one of the long sides is parallel to the edge of your work surface. Brush any remaining flour from the surface and underside of the dough.

4. Make the Filling - Place the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in the bowl of the stand mixer and blend on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and slightly lightened, 2-3 minutes. Scrap down the bowl. Use a silicone spatula to spread the filling over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the long side opposite you.

5. Shape the Buns - Beginning with the long edge closest to you, roll the dough into a cylinder, gently tucking and tightening as you roll. Wet your fingers and rub a thing film of water along the empty border. Finish rolling the dough into the border. Roll the dough backwards so the seam is facing upward and pinch all along it to seal the dough. Turn the seam side down and use a chef's knife to cut the roll into 10 equal pieces. Set each bun with a cut side up on your work surface and gently flatten it slightly with the palm of your hand. Place the buns into a lightly buttered 10" round cake pan, spacing them evenly.

6. Proof the dough (Second Rise) - Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap or a damp lint-free cotton towel and set aside to rise until the rolls have almost doubled in size, 45-60 minutes.

7. Bake the Buns - Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and position an oven rack in the center. Bake the buns for 30-35 minutes, until the buns are deep golden brown and the center register 185 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Transfer to a cooling rack.

8. Make the Glaze - In a medium bowl, stir the confectioners sugar and warm water vigorously with a silicone spatula until there are no lumps remaining, adding a few more drops of water if needed. Use a fork to drizzle the glaze over the warm buns. Then, enjoy!

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Danish Pastries You'll Want to Eat



My experience with Danish…of the pastry sort…has been bleak. I blame it on icky motels' “complimentary breakfasts” where the boxed Danish (usually resembling a coffeecake) is a standard feature…neighboring stale white bread, a broken toaster and jelly in plastic containers.

Inside the feeble pastry box, with a plastic “window” (try not to look in!), is a slab of soggy-sweet Danish dough. It’s usually filled with some sort of fruity/tar-like goop and high-fructose corn syrup is mandatory. This Danishy thing is disgusting just to look at, let alone eat.

But it’s simply not fair, right or reasonable to judge all Danish against this sucrose abomination. And so, let’s figure out the real deal with Danish. Is it actually edible?



If you tend to enjoy warm, yeasty breakfast pastries (given they are made by a competent baker), then you’ll make room in your heart and tummy for the Danish. It’s sweet, crisp and soft at the same time, sticky in a nice way, and can host a variety of fillings from cream cheese to fruit to nuts to whatever else…in fact, if you have any interesting Danish filling ideas, let me know!



Making Danish follows almost exactly the same process as making Croissants (for reference, see my 7/24/09 post on Croissants). The main difference is that Danish dough contains more eggs, which makes it a bit softer and more tender. It is formed into a variety of traditional shapes and is usually brushed with some sort of fruit jam/glaze immediately after it emerges from the oven. I especially like the way a Danish wreath looks, and it’s actually a simple shape to make.

You start by rolling the dough into a rectangle, and then you fill the middle (I used a lemon cream cheese filling topped with blueberries). Be sure to leave a bit of an edge on so you can seal it without the filling gushing out.



Then, you roll it up, shape in into a circle and make slits along the sides (mine were about 2 inches deep and 2 inches apart). You then turn the dough in between the slits to face up (so you can see the filling).



Then you bake it, glaze it…and eat it.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Chocolate with Alice Medrich



Oh, I wish it were last Wednesday, I wish it were last Wednesday....sigh, no luck. I suppose I shouldn't try to live in the past, but last Wednesday’s pastry class with Alice Medrich was so amazing, I can't bear to let it go. At least I can write about it, although it’s a shame there will be no tasty samples this time around.

So, “Who is Alice Medrich?” you ask. Or, if you already know who she is, then your mouth is surely watering. Alice Medrich is known in the culinary world as the “First Lady of Chocolate” (I wonder if the “First Lady of Muffins” is up for grabs…). This woman deserves her title. She introduced upscale, European chocolate desserts to America and was the founder/owner of the San Francisco based chocolate shop, Cocolat, for over 15 years. She has written numerous books, received multiple James Beard awards, and has seduced many hungry followers all over the world.

Oh, and the desserts she makes! She started the demo by making a “Celebration Cake” with layers of rum-soaked chocolate Genoise (a light, airy cake), a crunchy chocolate-hazelnut layer, chocolate mousse, mascarpone and raspberries in the final layer. The cake was enveloped in shiny, hard chocolate and was topped with chocolate fans (something she made effortlessly, but have since caused me much anxiety and chocolate dismay trying to replicate).



Alice introduced us to a relatively new technique; caramelizing white chocolate. She caramelized the white chocolate by placing it in a large metal bowl, and then putting it into a low oven (~250 degrees F), stirring every 10 minutes or so. She served the caramelized white chocolate as ice cream, scooped into the daintiest Coconut Tuile cones. On top were a few crystals of smoked sea salt (an idea she gave David Lebovitz credit for). The salt brought out deep caramel and nut flavors in the ice cream that weren't distinguishable without it. Alas, I have no pictures of this dessert…it was a mad rush to eat the ice cream before it turned into soup, I hope you understand.

Other treats of the night included Coconut Macaroons with grated lime zest and cinnamon in them...



Which she topped with a light chocolate mousse and bittersweet chocolate drizzle.



There was also a Sesame and Chocolate Torte glazed with dark, milk and white chocolate.



And of course there were lots of other chocolate goodies, including crusty French bread that was toasted, tossed in olive oil and then covered in dark chocolate. How divine.



And, as is right and good with all things dessert, there’s more! We had a chocolate tasting, which included a variety of chocolates made by different companies. When tasting, Alice recommended starting with darkest, most bitter chocolates (which had the highest percentage of cacao) and working towards the sweetest chocolates (which had the lowest cacao content). After this experience, I recommend using Valrhona, TCHO or Guittard chocolate for all baking and eating pleasures.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Roasted Red Pepper, Feta and Basil Muffins



After long workdays that I spend sitting on my bum for far too long, I stroll up the San Francisco hills and wind through the (windy!) Italian neighborhood, called North Beach. I’m on my way to my pastry classroom at The Tante Marie Cooking School. Along my journey, I inhale deeply as I pass the chocolate shop on the corner of Columbus and Stockton. It smells more like rich and buttery caramel than chocolate, but is still a sweet reprieve from the usual city “aroma”- which I will avoid describing in case anyone reading this is in the midst of a snack.

Once I have climbed an urban mountain, I see the lovely Bay in the distance (some days more clearly than others, we’re at the mercy of the fog). When I see the water, I feel happier…relaxed…lucky.



And then, down the street I go, trying to look somewhat normal as I walk/run (the run part is not on purpose) down the hill towards the school, wearing a giant backpack overstuffed with my apron, checkered pants, pastry jacket and recipes.





Once inside the school, dinner (courtesy of the culinary students) is served.



In return, we leave them pastries for the next morning, which are generally well received. However, one snooty culinary student once told me that she didn’t like to eat pastries in the morning, so could we please just make oatmeal. For that comment, she will not be invited to my next birthday party…(humph). After dinner, we start baking the recipes for the evening.

And now, I’m going to flip things around a little bit…I’m going to recipe travel back to the first week of pastry school and write about muffins. I know muffins aren’t fancy, they certainly don’t require a pastry school background, and they are often passed up in bakery cases. A friend of mine even suggested that “Muffins are just ugly cupcakes." Well, that is ludicrous...maybe cupcakes are just muffins in drag! [By the way, I’m not anti-cupcake…I just like muffins better].

And now, since I’ve already time traveled, I’m going to confuse things even more. One of the things that I’ve learned from pastry school that I wasn’t necessarily expecting is a new approach towards thinking about foods and recipes. There is sort of a release from expectations…twists on ingredients and food norms that create something a bit unexpected. For example...



Roasted Red Pepper, Basil and Feta Muffins. What? A muffin? But, it’s savory. Why, yes…it is….and it is delicious!



These muffins are great in the morning…or mid-day with some soup or salad for lunch…or with a nice piece of steak/fish/whatever you fancy for dinner. In a nutshell…these muffins are just yummy. You should really give them a try, I think you’ll be happily surprised.

Roasted Red Pepper, Basil and Feta Muffins

(adapted from The Art and Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet)

2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached AP Flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cups (4 ounces) jarred roasted red bell pepper, patted dry and chopped into 1/4 inch dice
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk
1/4 cup (2 ounces) olive oil
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and position an oven rack in the center. Lightly coat a 12-cup muffin tin with butter, oil, or high-heat oil spray. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together feta cheese, roasted bell pepper, and chopped basil. Set aside.

Pour the buttermilk into a medium bowl. Add the olive oil and egg and whisk together until well blended. make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the well and stir gently with a spatula. Mix only until there are no more streaks of flour or pools of liquid and the batter looks fairly smooth. A few small lumbs scattered throughout are fine, they will disappear during the baking. Gently fold in the feta cheese mixture until evenly distributed.

Use a large ice cream scoop or two soup spoons to divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until tops feel firm and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer muffin tin to a a rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Gently run a thin knife or spatula arond each muffin to free it from the pan, lift out the muffns and transfer to a rack to finish cooling. Serve warm.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Sesame Nut Brittle Ice Cream "Sundae"



Sweetly cold, creamy and scrumptiously summer…oh, ice cream. Sometimes it’s all you need, and then a little bit more. Although I’ve never segregated my ice cream consumption to certain months of the year, I do eat it more often when the sun is bright and the air is warm.

To me, there is something wonderful about ice cream...especially when it is just starting to melt. The flavors are brighter, taste is sweeter and texture is all the more satisfying. When I was a little girl, I remember filling my bowl with a few heaping scoops of Breyer’s Strawberry Ice Cream and then vigorously stirring it until the consistency had reached a slightly soupy thickness that melted into sweet cream as soon as it hit my tongue. I still think this is the ideal texture/temperature to eat ice cream.

This week in class, we had a seasonally-glorious ice cream challenge: to create an original dessert using the ice cream we had made the week prior (we were each assigned a different flavor, mine was “Sesame”). Sesame Ice Cream is admittedly exotic, I’d never heard of it until I was handed the recipe. It’s an intensely rich and smooth ice cream base that is made with tahini (sesame paste). The texture is somewhere between ice cream, peanut butter and warm fudge.



I found the finished Sesame Ice Cream in need of some textural variation. So, I made a Cashew-Pistachio Brittle that I chopped into pieces and folded into the ice cream. Once I did that, the ice cream’s taste and texture was incredible…it was rich, satisfying and had a deep nutty caramel quality like nothing I’d tasted before. It had also become highly addictive.



To accompany the Sesame-Brittle Ice Cream, I made Coconut Tuile Cookies. The flavors of coconut and sesame bring out the best in one another other, and the lightness of the ultra-crispy thin cookie was a nice contrast to the deeper crunch of the brittle and creaminess of the ice cream…a match made in dessert heaven.

I love the Sesame and Coconut combo, but was wanting for an addition of something tart in the final dessert...I wanted something fresh, something tropical. My original idea was to make a mango sauce. However, there were no ripe mangoes at the market so my teacher bought a papaya instead. I cut the papaya open, scooped the seeds out and was struck by inspiration. I could serve my ice cream in a papaya “bowl”. I decided to brulee the papaya (so the surface would be caramelized with a thin, hard sugar layer that could be tapped and broken with a spoon.



Because the papaya was rather large…and because I was feeling heavy-handed with the ice cream scoop, I decided to make my ice cream concoction a dessert for two (to share or not to share….). I put the papaya bowl with Sesame-Brittle ice cream on top of a dark chocolate sauced plate. Then, I made a mini ice cream cone (using the Coconut Tuile Cookie for the cone). Some softly whipped cream, tuile, brittle and papaya made excellent garnishes. And, luckily, the ice cream was just starting to melt when I served it...

Sesame Ice Cream


1/2 cup unsalted tahini
1 cup cream
2 tsp sesame oil
2 cups milk
1/2 cup sgar
1/8 tsp salt

*optional - any sort of nut brittle...made using your favorite recipe or purchased*

Whisk together tahini and cream until smooth. Whisk in sesame oil. Add milk, sugar and salt and whisk until smooth. Chill and freeze in ice cream machine. If adding nut brittle, add at very last minute, just to mix it in.