Cinnamon-Date-Pecan Rolls with Maple Glaze

Cinnamon-Date Rolls round 2! Still have those dates in the fridge...

 

 From Cooking Light 

 

Hands-on: 40 minutes

Total: 3 hours

Dough: 

1 tsp. granulated sugar

1 package active dry yeast (about 2.25 tsp)

3/4 cup warm water (100-110 degrees)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

3 TBSP butter, melted (I used unsalted, but could try with salted?)

1/2 tsp table salt

1 large egg

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 15 and 3/4 oz) 

Filling: 

2/3 cup packed brown sugar (I used mostly dark)

1 tsp ground cinnamon 

1 tsp grated orange rind (optional, I omit)

2 TBSP butter, melted (I used unsalted, could probably use salted)

3/4 cup chopped pitted dates

1/4 cup finely chopped toasted pecans

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

2 TBSP maple syrup

1 TBSP milk (can be any fat)

Step 1

To prepare dough, dissolve 1 teaspoon granulated sugar and yeast in 3/4 cup warm water; let stand 5 minutes. Combine 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons butter, salt, and egg in a large bowl. Add yeast mixture; beat with a mixer at medium speed until blended.

Step 2

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Gradually add 3 cups flour to yeast mixture, beating mixture on low speed until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. Punch dough down; turn out onto a lightly floured surface.

Step 3

To prepare filling, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and rind in a small bowl. Roll dough into a 15 x 10-inch rectangle; brush with 2 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle dates and pecans over sugar mixture. Beginning with a long side, roll up jelly-roll fashion; pinch seam to seal (do not seal ends of roll). Cut roll into 18 (1/2-inch) slices. Place slices, cut sides up, in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, about 1 hour or until rolls have doubled in size.

Step 4

Preheat oven to 375°.

Step 5

Uncover dough. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until rolls are golden brown.

Step 6

To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar, syrup, and milk in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Drizzle glaze over warm rolls. Serve immediately.

My notes: 

1. Used all purpose. Used table salt. Omitted the orange peel, and added a little cardamom.

2. Chopped the pecans and the dates pretty fine. 

3. Dough came together nicely. Rose nicely (took an hour in a warm kitchen) and was easy to roll out post rise. I rolled it out to 10 x 15 but next time I might leave the dough a little thicker because it started to fall apart as I sliced it. 

4. It ended up falling apart entirely when I tried to cut the roll. Would consider possibly rolling it up and then wrapping in plastic wrap in the fridge to allow it to firm up a bit before cutting...

5. I did my best and baked it anyway, and made the made glaze as written— it’s good warm, quite sweet. It was very brown at the 20 minutes mark in my oven— would try checking at the 15 mark next time. 

6. Would consider trying to do second rise in fridge overnight. Would also call this recipe more of a coffee cake than cinnamon rolls, as mine turned bread-ier than squishier. 

Easy Buttermilk Biscuits

 From Brown-eyes Baker 

My thoughts and notes

1. I used regular All Purpose Flour, would consider the Sonoma flour 

2. Used table salt and that seemed right. 

3. Froze the butter, and then just used my fingers to cut in

4. Came together pretty quickly. Made exactly 12 with the 2.5 cutter.

5. Would definitely make again. I pulled when the tops were barely golden but may be good a little longer in the oven. 

6. Definitely use the amount of butter required for brushing 

Pumpkin cupcakes from smitten kitchen

https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/11/pumpkin-cupcakes/

 My notes:

1. Made with APP because that’s all I had 

2. Also used homemade 2% yogurt instead of buttermilk 

3. Followed the spice measurements for the most part but did more heaping teaspoons than level. I did a little white pepper instead of the fresh ground black pepper so it would appeal to the little ones. 

4. Baked up in 12 muffins and a little leftover in my mini cake pans. Took about 24 minutes. 

5. Halved the cream cheese frosting recipe because I don’t really love frosting and am definitely not going to make roses.

6. Made it the night before and frosted day of. 

crumble (basic)

 

INGREDIENTS

• 3 lb. any variety ripe plums, sliced ⅓" thick (about 8 cups)
• 2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ½ cup plus ⅓ cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 1 tsp. kosher salt, divided
• ¾ tsp. ground cardamom or ground cinnamon, divided
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 6 Tbsp. chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped raw pistachios

RECIPE PREPARATION

• Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 350°. Toss plums, lemon zest, lemon juice, cornstarch, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ tsp. salt, and ¼ tsp. cardamom in a large bowl; let sit until some juices accumulate, 5–10 minutes.

• Meanwhile, pulse flour and remaining ⅓ cup brown sugar, ½ tsp. salt, and ½ tsp. cardamom in a food processor to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture is very sandy and starts to form larger clumps.

• Transfer plums and their juices to a 9"-diameter deep pie dish (all of those fruit juices will overflow a standard one) or an 8x8x2" baking dish. Scatter topping over fruit, squeezing small fistfuls in your hand to bring it together, then breaking into smaller pieces of varying sizes. Sprinkle pistachios evenly over topping.

• Bake crumble until juices are thickened and bubbling and top is golden brown, 40–45 minutes. Let cool slightly.

My Notes:

I followed the crumble topping exactly and it’s great. Would totally use for other crumbles. I did more like 2 lbs of fruit in an 8x8 and it nearly bubbled over. I did sliced almonds instead of pistachios, which was fine, though next time I’d do pecans 

Miso Tahini (dairy free) spread

 Dressing: 

2 small jalapeños, seeds removed chopped

1 (3/4 piece ginger) peeled, finely grated

2 small garlic cloves, finely grated 

1 cup packed cilantro leaves with tender stems

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

1/3 cup tahini

1 TBSP plus 1.5 tsp miso 

Kosher salt 

Purée everything in blender with 3 TBSP water until smooth and season with salt. 

My notes:

It’s an okay spread, couldn’t use as a dip. It’s sour and complex for sure. I used Serrano peppers instead of jalapeños, and I didn’t have nearly enough cilantro. I used less water to blend. Came out to about 3/4 cup of dressing. Would consider making again, but unnecessary, in my opinion, if you had hummus on hand. 

Fig and Plum (or any stone fruit) cake

This recipe came from Martha Stewart Living, Oct 209. I saved the recipe, because it seemed versatile, and I'd never come across the double-layer, semi-frangipane filling.

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces, plus more for pan
• 4 ripe but firm plums (1 1/4 pounds total), each pitted and cut into 4 wedges
• 6 small fresh figs (about 4 ounces total), halved
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for pressing dough into pan
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup finely ground almond flour
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

Directions

Instructions Checklist

• Step 1
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square cake pan; line with 2 wide pieces of parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides. Butter parchment. Toss fruit with 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside.
• Step 2
  In a food processor, pulse 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to combine. Add half of butter and pulse until fine crumbs form. Transfer to prepared cake pan and use floured fingers to press dough evenly into bottom of pan. (If too soft to easily press in, refrigerate 10 minutes.)
• Step 3
  Bake until crust is light golden in color, about 20 minutes; transfer to a wire rack and let cool 15 minutes.
• Step 4
  In food processor, pulse remaining half of butter, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt with baking powder until combined. Add almond flour, remaining 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, eggs, and almond extract; process until smooth.
• Step 5
  Spread batter evenly over crust. Gently stir fruit to reincorporate sugar mixture and arrange on top of batter (cut-side up). Bake until fruit is bubbling and filling is firm, about 1 hour and 5 minutes. Let cool in pan 15 minutes, then use parchment overhang to lift cake out of pan and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool 1 hour and serve. Cake can be stored in an airtight container up to 2 days.

My thoughts and notes:
1. I used apricots, peaches, and one plum, just making sure the total weight of the fruit was 1.5 lbs. I'm glad a chose a variety of fruits and colors-- the orange of the apricots, the yellow flesh and red skin of the peaches, and the dark purple of the plums looked pretty cool all mixed together. I also cut things into medium chunks, and didn't mix in the sugar and salt until maybe ten minutes before topping the cake, so that the fruit wouldn't get super runny. I also added some ground cardamom and ginger, which didn't particularly shine through the almond extract, but I liked it and would do some spices again.
2. I didn't clean out the food processor between layers, and it did not matter
3. I used measuring cups, not a scale. I used TJ's almond flour.
4. First bake took a little longer to get golden brown... and even then only the edges really browned. Second bake took 1 hour and 5 minutes, as the recipe said.
5. I served it an hour after it came out of the even with whipped cream and it was FAB. Would totally make again.

Spaghetti al Limone with asparagus

Saved this recipe from Bon apetit because Evan Funke. Don't know if I'll ever be able to eat at Felix, but at least I have this recipe. https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/spaghetti-al-limone-with-asparagus

RECIPE PREPARATION

• Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1½ cups pasta cooking liquid.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high until shimmering. Add asparagus, season with salt, and cook, stirring often, until just beginning to take on color, about 1 minute. Add garlic, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and let sit until pasta is done.
• Add pasta and basil to pot with asparagus mixture and return to medium-high heat. Squeeze juice from both lemons into pot and add 2 oz. Parmesan and 1 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid. Cook, tossing vigorously and adding more pasta cooking liquid if needed, until sauce is creamy and emulsified and pasta is coated, about 1 minute. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Remove and discard garlic.
• Divide pasta among bowls, placing a lemon strip in each, and top with more Parmesan.

My notes:
1. I had really thin asparagus (the TJs bag), which made it a pain to thinly slice, but I did the best I could and I'm glad I didn't half ass it. The thinner the slices, the more "noodle-like" it becomes when cooking.
2. I used pecorino intead of parm because that's what I had, seemed fine
3. I measured and used the full amount of oil. Very necessary. Could up the amount of red pepper flakes.
4. I had large lemons, so I used 1.75 lemons for the lemon juice. I also forgot to remove the garlic before serving, but found that it didn't matter because it cooked and was delicious.
5. I used a mix of whole wheat and regular spaghetti, again, because that's what I had.
6. Delicious. I really liked it. It could used more veggies-- maybe cooked on the side, or chopped small and cooked with the asparagus. I envision mushrooms, broccoli, etc.
7. I would make again because it's not like really another pasta I make, and as far as al limone goes, I'm glad it's not a super creamy version.