Pacific Northwest Hot Cross Buns

On Good Friday, my mother always made Hot Cross Buns--it was her ritual.  Since I had the day off, I loved to help her make up these sweet buns that we enjoyed for breakfast and delivered a pan to my grandparents, who anxiously awaited their treat.  I have continued her ritual, making up the recipe she knew by heart, for my family and friends.  However, this morning, I don't know what came over me, but I decided to change the recipe to reflect where I call home--the Pacific Northwest.

Yes, we get a bum rap about our rain, rain, and more rain, but there are some beautiful reasons to live here.  One, that I've especially enjoyed, is the abundant crop of cherries that appear in the Farmer's Market in early June through August.  Over the years, I've enjoyed baking with several varieties, as well as, making jam and of course, adding fresh cherries to summer fruit salads.  And, Washington and Oregon cherry crops are enjoyed not only throughout the United States, but we export our harvest to other parts of the world to enjoy as well.

Just in case you weren't aware of the incredible health benefits, I'll fill you in.  First, they're a great source of dietary potassium, found to reduce hypertension and strokes, which has become a growing concern here in this country.  The two properties I find interesting is the benefit of reducing your cancer risk--high in fiber, Vitamin C, carotenoids and anthocyanins have been found to protect cells that may be prone to cancer and phytochemicals that inhibit enzymes responsible for inflammatory responses.  Of course, it doesn't stop there; sweet cherries are being researched for reducing the risk or morbidity related to Alzheimer's because of the phenolic compounds that protect neuronal cells involved in neurological function.  And finally, for all you insomniacs, cherries are an excellent source of melatonin that plays a role in promoting healthy circadian rhythm and healthy sleep patterns.

So, scientifically cherries were a good choice to add to my Hot Cross Buns, but moreover, I took a traditional recipe, created year after year, and made it my own to pass on to my daughter and grandchildren.  Isn't that what tradition is all about!

Pacific Northwest Hot Cross Buns
1 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup currants 
Place fruit in a small sauce pan.  Add about 3/4 cup water to cover and heat on medium to a boil.  Turn off the heat and cover pan.  Set aside while you prepare the dough. 

1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk (reserve the white for the icing)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. salt
6 T unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup milk
2 pkgs. (or a scant 2T) dry active yeast 
1 Vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cardamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cloves
6 to 6 1/2 cups King Arthur All-purpose flour

Additional butter
Sparkling sugar


In a 2-cup glass measuring cup, add the milk, then, the butter.  Microwave on High for 40 seconds, adding an addition 20 seconds for butter to have melted.  Add water to measure 2 cups of liquid.

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, place the sugar, salt, egg and egg yolk.  Mix on low just until combined.  Slowly add the liquid and mix to combine.  Sprinkle the yeast over this mixture and blend.  Let rest 5-10 minutes until it becomes foamy.  Add the vanilla bean, 2 cups of the flour and the spices, blend on medium speed.  Before adding to the dough, drain cherry/currant mixture, reserving the liquid to add to the icing.  Rough chop the fruit and add along with the an additional 2 cups of flour, blend once more.  

Change to the dough hook attachment and add flour, in 1/2-cup increments.  Once the dough has left the sides of the bowl, turn out onto a board and knead until smooth.  

In a large bowl, add 1 T butter and microwave on High for 40 seconds.  Brush the melted butter up the sides.  Add the dough, turning it over with the buttered-side up.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 1 hour or more until doubled in size.

Turn risen dough out onto a board and divide into 24 pieces.  Roll dough into balls and place in a buttered pan, leaving about 1/2-inch space between for rising.  

Brush tops with melted butter and cover once again with plastic wrap.  Allow to rise 40-55 minutes, or until doubled in size. 

Half way through the last rising, preheat oven to 400F-degrees.   Use kitchen shears to snip a "cross" in the tops of the buns.  Sprinkle tops with Sparkling Sugar.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and the internal temperature is 190F-degrees.  Let cool.


Glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
Reserved egg white*
Reserved cherry liquid


*If you're concerned with using the raw egg white, replace with 2 T meringue powder and 1 tsp. light Karo syrup.


In a small bowl whisk the sugar and egg white (or substitution).  Add enough of the cherry liquid to make a spreadable icing.  I placed the icing in a pastry bag, fitted with a #7 tip and piped the traditional "cross" on top of the buns.  Alternatively, if you don't have a pastry bag, place icing in a plastic sandwich bag and at one of the corners, cut a small opening with scissors and pipe the cross.

It's so comforting to bake a recipe you've grown up with.  The memories come flooding back, helping my mother and in later years, my daughters helping me, create these traditional Good Friday treats.  I hope one day to have Ari and Maddie in the kitchen to make my version and start some new traditions of their own.  Enjoy!



 

M & C's

One of my fondest childhood memories was stopping in to visit with my grandparents, before starting down the path to our home after school, and having gingersnaps and milk.  It was a time to see what they had been up to during the day--tending the garden, a woodworking project my grandfather was beginning, or just hearing some stories of my mother growing up.  It didn't matter so much that the once home baked cookies Grandma made had been replaced with store bought, it was the precious time I spent with them...a ritual, so to speak, that I looked forward to when I stepped off the bus.

I also remember hearing from my daughters, when they went off to Mount Holyoke College, how they looked forward to M & C's at night, after a day of classes and homework.  To them this time was sure to bring engaging conversations, not just of school, but getting to know their friends and classmates and sharing experiences.  Kelly wrote an essay, that was published in the Mount Holyoke Alumnae magazine, telling of the sharing of stories that occur around the table and the importance that this memory carried with her in raising her son. 

Today, for M & C's, I made up a bittersweet chocolate~pistachio~mint chip cookie.  There was something about seeing the bright green chips in the dark chocolate dough that made me think of Spring--new shoots of plants popping up in the rich soil!  Also, I made them BIG with my one-third measured scoop because Kelly and I always said, "if you can only have one cookie--make it a BIG one."

Bittersweet Chocolate~Pistachio~Mint Chip Cookies
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips, melted
1 large egg
1 T Vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups King Arthur All-purpose Flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 T milk
1 cup pistachio nuts, chopped (measure after chopping)
2 cup (1 12 oz bag) Mint Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter, then add the sugars and beat until fluffy.  Add the egg and mix thoroughly, scrapping down the sides of the bowl afterward.  Add the melted bittersweet chocolate and the vanilla and beat on medium speed to combine.
Add the dry ingredients and milk and beat to combine.  Add the nuts and beat well.  Stir in the mint chips.

Use a one-third measure scoop for large cookies. (If you make the cookies smaller, adjust baking time to 10-12 minutes)

Place six scoops onto a large baking tray, lined with parchment.

Bake BIG cookies 12-14 minutes.  Let cool on the baking sheet 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

Once they're cooled, pour a glass of milk for you and your children, or friends and enjoy sharing your experiences of the day.  I'm thinking about the pot of basil I will plant, thanks to a wonderful friend.

It's these memories, around the table, that last a life time...I know this to be true. Enjoy!
 

Spanakopita...Oompha!

I won't pretend to be Greek, but the great thing about having lived all over the country, I met a wonderful friend when we lived in Thousand Oaks, California, who was of Greek heritage and she taught me a thing or two about their cooking.  I first had spanakopita at their son's baptism reception and fell in love with the flavors.  The feta and spinach "marry" beautifully together enveloped in phyllo dough--what's not to like!


This savory dish is mostly eaten as a snack in Greece. I've done an appetizer version with the phyllo cut in strips and folded (like a flag) into a triangle, which is my husband's favorite, but tonight I wanted to make it as a main dish, accompanied by a salad for a light Spring dinner.  I will admit, I've never attempted to make homemade phyllo dough and not likely to do so in the near future since good quality phyllo can be purchased at any grocery store.

One pound of phyllo comes with two wrapped rolls and this recipe only requires one, so freeze the other one for a later use or make up a batch of Baklava...which is for another day.

Spanakopita
1 lb. pkg. Phyllo dough (defrost in the refrigerator)
16 oz. frozen chopped spinach
1 T olive oil
3 shallots, minced

In a medium saute pan, saute the shallots in the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the entire bag of chopped spinach and stir together.  Lower heat to medium/low and continue to cook until all the moisture (that is released from the spinach) is absorbed.  Set aside to cool.

12 oz. (about 2 cups) Feta cheese
3/4 cup sour cream
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 scallions, chopped
1/4 chopped parsley
2 tsp. dried dill or 2 T fresh dill
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 T lemon juice
1 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 T Italian bread crumbs

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, then, fold in the cooled spinach.  

Melt 12 T (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
Grated Parmesan or a combination of Parmesan/Romano cheese (which is what I used)
Preheat oven to 400F-degrees


Butter a 9" x 13" Pyrex dish with butter.  Place the first sheet of phyllo dough down and brush it with butter.  (Keep a damp towel over the remaining phyllo to keep it fresh).

Continue to place a single layer of phyllo and brush with butter until you have 12 layers.  Spoon the filling on top of the phyllo and spread smoothly.  Layer a sheet of phyllo on top of the filling, then, sprinkle with the grated cheese.  This step, as I discovered in Cook's Illustrated, keeps your top layers from lifting as the cheese melts and "cements" the layers.

Continue layering and buttering until the remaining phyllo sheets are used (approximately 6 or 7).  Brush the final top layer and sprinkle with cheese.  

Place the glass baking dish on a baking sheet and place in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown.

Cool about 10 minutes and cut into squares.


One of my favorite movies in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and I watched it last week when I was in Kentucky with Ari.  The movie reminded me of my friend and my introduction to their cuisine, almost 30 years ago.  Enjoy!

 

Lemon Velvet Cake with Rhubarb/Raspberry Compote

Rhubarb is one of my favorite fruits. My Grandma Gladys introduced me to it, making pies and cobblers for us.  Most times it was paired with strawberries, but as I found to be true...it's good just by itself.

Rhubarb is a herbaceous perennial plant grown from rhizomes.   The celery-like stalks have a strong tart taste so it's best cooked with a little sugar added.  I was lucky enough to have three large plants in our garden in Connecticut, along with a great patch of asparagus.  One year, I harvested so much from those three plants that I was able to freeze about 10 quarts for later use and make a couple of dozen jars of Rhubarb Jelly, on top of the rhubarb/strawberry pies and breads that I made one season.  I've tried to grow it here in the Pacific Northwest, but we just don't get enough sun or maybe it's just too wet.  Anyway, I buy it in the farmer's market and appreciate the fact I can get it fresh.

The lemon velvet cake has a wonderful crumb to it and the tartness pairs well with the compote, not to mention it would be great on it's own.  The bright yellow color speaks of Spring and all the newness the season brings.  Yesterday, I watched a mama deer and two fawns romping in the grass and it brought back memories of our home in Connecticut.  We had five acres, with a pond, and watching the wildlife that came to our home was breathtaking.  This is life...and appreciating it with my baking.

Lemon Velvet Cake
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
Zest of two lemons
6 T lemon juice (squeeze both lemons, reserve the remaining juice for the glaze)
2 1/4 cups Queen Guinevere Cake Flour 
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Spray an 8-cup Bundt pan or a 9-inch round or square pan with a non-stick baking spray.  Set aside.

In the Kitchen Aid, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter completely.  Add the sugar and beat until fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the zest and lemon juice and mix well.  Note...at this point the batter will appear "curdled."

Measure the flour and mix with the baking powder, soda, and salt.  Add to the batter and beat for 3 minutes until thoroughly combined.  Spoon batter into the Bundt pan. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes.  Test with a skewer to make sure it's done.  Allow to cool 5 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate.

For the Glaze:
Mix 1 cup confectioners' sugar with the reserved juice.  Add 1 tsp. light Karo syrup and mix well.  Pour over warm cake.

While the cake cools, prepare the Rhubarb~Raspberry Compote.
1 pint fresh raspberries, washed and dried
6-7 stalks of rhubarb, washed, ends trimmed, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 to 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3 T water
1 T cornstarch
1/4 tsp. cardamon


Prepare fruit.  Place fruit and water into a 3-quart sauce pan with a lid and place over medium heat.  Heat 3-5 minutes.  Remove lid and stir.  Mix the cornstarch with the sugar (I used 1/2 cup) and add to the fruit.  Stir until slightly thickened.  Turn off heat.  


Transfer fruit to a serving dish and serve warm or cool over the cake.

Rhubarb is probably one of those fruits that you either love or dislike.  I'm happy to say I LOVE IT.  Enjoy!
 

Chocolate Eclairs--Voila!

The little Eiffel Tower box is a keepsake from a friend in Japan that I met when I taught my 3-D flowers at a trade show.  She said to me, "it's a Japanese souvenir!"  We both laughed and hugged.

As promised...this morning I baked Chocolate Eclairs to go with the theme April in Paris.  I first made pate choux, renamed by a French chef who thought the pastries resembled little cabbages, with my Mom when we were catering a wedding for a family friend's daughter.  We filled the "cream puffs" with turkey salad, but I so enjoy making the dessert ones instead.  (You will recognize this dough as being the "filling" for my Krinklair that I make every Christmas!)  This dough is also used in profiteroles, which Erin loves filled with ice cream, cruellers, beignets, and churros to name a few.  Instead of yeast to give the rise in the dough, high moisture content creates steam that puffs the dough up.

These luscious little pastries are light as a feather with a vanilla pastry cream center and chocolate glaze and you will find these at any bakery on the Avenue des Champs-Elysees in Paris, but don't be intimidated--this version is easy and will surprise your family and friends.

Chocolate Eclairs
Pastry:
1 cup water
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs

Quick Pastry Cream:
1 3.4 oz. Jello Vanilla Instant Pudding
1 1/2 cups whole or 2% milk
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Chocolate Glaze:
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 425F-degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Measure the water, butter, and salt into a 1-quart sauce pan and over medium heat, bring to a boil.  Immediately add the flour and stir until the dough forms a ball.  Cook one minute more.

Place mixture into a Kitchen Aid and using a paddle attachment, beat the mixture to help cool it down.  Start adding the eggs, one at a time and beating well after each addition.  Continue beating until the pate choux looks shiny.

Fill a pastry bag with a # 808 tip to form the dough in elongated shapes.  Once they're all done, whisk one egg with 1 1/2 teaspoons of water and brush the tops to smooth them.

Bake for 15 minutes, then, lower the oven temperature to 375-F degrees and continue baking another 20-25 minutes.  Resist opening the oven door while baking!

Remove from the oven and let cool completely while you mix up the pastry cream.

In a medium bowl, place the Jello pudding and 1 1/2 cups of milk, scrape a vanilla bean and add this paste to the mixture.  Whisk together until it thickens slightly.  In a separate bowl, place the one cup of heavy cream and using a hand held mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the cream until firm.

 
Add half of the whipped cream to the pudding mixture and stir to combine.  Add the remaining cream and fold in.  Attach tip #230 to the end of a pastry bag and fill with the pastry cream.  Pipe the mixture into the side of the pate choux.

Once all the eclairs are filled.  Mix up the chocolate glaze.

Heat the heavy cream, over medium heat, in a small sauce pan.  Place the 4 oz. of bittersweet chips in a bowl and pour the hot cream over it.  Let set a few minutes, then stir to combine.  Pour the glaze into a shallow bowl.  Dip the tops of the eclairs into the glaze and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set the glaze.

I found these elongated gold eclair papers at a packaging specialty store.  They make an elegant presentation to this simple dessert.

When I was in Kentucky, Ari would tell me about the little train that never gave up--"Mimi, it said, I think I can...I think I can..."  Tell yourself that and try this dessert.  Enjoy!

HOP Muffins

Ari and I love to go to the movies when I visit and we both couldn't wait to see HOP, the newest movie by the creators of Despicable Me (also one of our favorites).  Today, I had an email from King Arthur Flour and this recipe for Cream Cheese Carrot Cake Muffins made us both think of EB leaving carrots all over the house :-D!  These are easy to make and good for you.

We baked on Tuesday--the Mint Stracciatella Pound Cake , but mostly we've been playing baseball and going to the park.

These muffins were the perfect morning meal, full of good ingredients and a surprise cream cheese filling (instead of frosting) in the middle.  Muffin and Milk gave Ari the must needed energy to play in the back yard.  It turned out to be such a beautiful Spring day in Kentucky, that we even planned a picnic outside with peanut butter & Vanilla Pear jam sandwiches, grapes & strawberries, and some juice.

Ari is so aware of his environment...listening to the birds, watching the squirrels play in the trees, and noticing every bug.  Listening to the birds today, he said, "Mimi, they want my lunch."  Which they might have, had Ari not eaten it quickly.

He's really getting into the Spring break concept and I'm loving being here to enjoy it with him. We  mixed up sugar cookie dough to bake tomorrow after seeing Easter cookies in a magazine and it's Pizza Night, so he'll have a chance to make up yeast dough.

The week is going by fast, but full of memories.  Take time to notice this beautiful Spring unfolding. Enjoy!

 

April's Give-Away

I guess I could have gone the route of April Showers, since I'm from the Pacific Northwest, but no, I've chosen a more romantic theme...with an April in Paris fabric to create this month's Give-Away.  I really had good intentions of making Chocolate Eclairs today to be displayed with the apron, but I needed to finish a quilt before I leave today for Kentucky, so we'll have to do the eclairs when I return home--promise.

When you post a comment for the month of April, your name will be placed in a basket and the drawing for this one-of-a-kind apron will be at the end of the month.  Bon chance!

Biscoff Cookie Cake

You know how pleasantly surprised you are when something you try turns out?   When I was younger, helping my mother prepared Thanksgiving dinner, I begged her to let me add crushed Fritoes to the dressing.  My deduction was that it was a "corn" product, so what was the difference between adding that or adding the usual cornbread?  It turned out perfect, with a lot more flavor (I thought) than the cornbread and I've been making my dressing with it ever since.

Trying unusual ingredients in recipes has always been a fascination for me.  Today, I wondered what would happen if I substituted one of my favorite cookies, crushed, for the flour and needless to say, that smile came on my face again when this cake turned out.

A few years ago, when I was flying to Kentucky to visit Kelly, Matt, and Ari, I flew on Delta Airlines for the first time.  Instead of "just peanuts," they offer a choice of snacks and one of them was a package of Biscoff cookies.  Of course, I chose the cookies :-D!  I was hooked and wondered where I could get more.  There was a website and I immediately ordered a box...I mean, a carton.  I sent some to Kelly and she said, "Ari likes dipping them in the homemade jam I sent along with the cookies."  She was amazed how distinctively he just dipped!  I sent more when she was going through chemo last year, and she told me she liked to dip her's in some coconut milk ice cream as a treat for enduring the drug regimen.  I was thinking about that today as I crushed the cookies and wondered if she'd like the cake as well.

Biscoff Cookie Cake
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs
12 oz. (1 1 /2 pkgs) Biscoff cookies, crushed

1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup Biscoff spread 

1 cup pecans, chopped
7 oz. (1/2 pkg.) coconut

Preheat oven to 325F-degrees.  Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with baking spray and set aside.
In a food processor, place the cookies (in batches if you have a smaller processor) and pulse until they've become fine crumbs. 

 In the bowl of the KitchenAid, using a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Mix in the Biscoff Spread.  Add the crushed cookies along with the milk and mix just until combined on medium speed.  Stir in the chopped pecans and the coconut.  Spread the batter into the prepared Bundt pan.

Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until a toothpick, stuck in the middle, comes out clean.  Let the cake rest in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a plate.  Cool completely and dust with some confectioners' sugar, if desired.

To me, the cake tasted very similar to German's Chocolate Cake, which is really strange since there is no chocolate in it.  If you're lucky enough to live in the South or Midwest, you can find Biscoff cookies in your grocery store.  However, if you don't, alas, you will have to order them online as I do.  I believe this recipe would work with other plain cookies, but the unique flavor of Biscoff cookies make it worth the effort to find them. Enjoy!
 

The Winner is...

Congratulations Kristi...and this ain't no April Fools! you have won the apron for March.  Please email me your address and I'll get this sent on right away.

As always, thank you all for posting comments.  April's Give-Away will be up shortly with the theme--April in Paris.  XOXO