Category Archives: recipes

lemon sweet rolls

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I started with this recipe from the New York Times, but made a much smaller batch of them with more lemon flavor.

Ingredients

For the dough:

  • 3/4 teaspoon (2.3 grams) active dry yeast
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk, warmed to 100 degrees (or, 1 tablespoon lemon juice + enough milk to reach 1/3 cup)
  • 1 tablespoon (16 grams) sugar
  • 2 2/3 tablespoons (38 grams) unsalted butter
  • 1/2 heaping tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
  • 1/3 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 1/3 cup (171 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

For the filling:

  • scant 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 heaping tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
  • pinch of kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft

Directions

Combine the yeast, buttermilk, and a sprinkle of sugar. Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes

Add the butter, remaining sugar, lemon zest, salt, and cardamom to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low to combine. Add the eggs and buttermilk mixture. Mix on low to combine.

With the mixer on low speed, add flour and stir until all of the flour is moistened. Switch to the dough hook, and mix for 5 more minutes. The dough will be soft and billowy. It will stick to the bottom of the bowl. Add more flour if the dough seems very very soft.

Transfer the dough to a fresh bowl that has been lightly oiled. Turn the dough to coat it in oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Alternately, refrigerate the dough before rising for up to 24 hours.

While the dough is rising, make the filling. Rub the lemon zest into the sugar until you smell the lemon bloom. Add the cardamom and pinch of salt. Stir to combine.

Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper and the pan. Gently deflate the dough by folding it over on itself a few times in the bowl. Turn the dough out on a floured surface. Pat or roll it out into a 12-by-8-inch rectangle that is about 1/4-inch thick. Spread the soft butter over the rectangle, then sprinkle the lemon sugar evenly over the top. Roll the dough into a tight log. Use a serrated knife to cut the log into 8 even pieces.

Place the rolls into the prepared pan. Cover with a kitchen towel. Let the rolls rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour (possibly more if you did a cold rise for the previous one). Alternately, refrigerate the rolls before the second rise for up to 24 hours. Let the rolls rise at room temperature until doubled in size.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the rolls are golden and baked through.

luxury brownies

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There are at least a million brownie recipes out there.  This is my current favorite, based on this one.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1-1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter
  • 8oz bittersweet chocolate, broken in small pieces for melting
  • 1-1/2 cup mixed chopped nuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.  Butter an 8×8 tin, and line with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.  In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat, stirring occasionally until completely melted.  Add chocolate, and stir until completely melted.  Remove from heat.  Slowly stir in the eggs, then stir in the dry ingredients.  Quickly stir in the chopped nuts.  Spread batter in prepared 8×8 tin, then place in preheated oven.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until edges have set and the center doesn’t wobble when you shake it.  Let cool to room temperature before cutting, ideally waiting overnight.

Variations

I love variations of this recipe!  Replace some or all of the chopped nuts with chocolate chips, other flavor chips, dried fruit, etc.

Raspberry-sour cream brownies: Decrease the butter to 1/2 cup.  Omit nuts.  Add 1/2 cup sour cream, 2 cups raspberries (fresh or frozen), and 2 tbsp raspberry jam.  Follow above directions, folding in the sour cream, raspberries, and jam after stirring in the dry ingredients.

Cherry brownies: Omit nuts, add 1 cup cherry jam.  Follow above directions.  After spreading batter in prepared tin, gently dollop jam on top of batter, then use a knife to swirl it through.

 

gingersnaps

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I love soft cookies, and I love spicy cookies.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup vegetable shortening at room temperature
  • 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg, beaten lightly
  • 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
  • 2 tablespoons honey or golden syrup
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 heaping teaspoons cinnamon
  • 2 heaping teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 heaping teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • granulated sugar for dipping the balls of dough
  • raspberry jam (optional)

Directions

In a large bowl, cream the shortening with the brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Stir in the egg, molasses, and honey until combined. In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture, a third at a time, to the shortening mixture, and blend the dough well. Chill the dough, covered, for at least 1 hour.

Roll level tablespoons of the dough into balls. Roll the balls of dough in the granulated sugar. Arrange the balls about 3 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Bake the cookies in batches in the middle of a preheated 375°F. oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are puffed and cracked on top. Optionally, make a small indentation in the middle of the cookies and fill with raspberry jam.

Transfer the cookies to racks and let them cool. Makes 4 dozen small cookies.

roasted brussels sprouts

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If you had tracked me down when I was in my 20s and asked me if I liked brussels sprouts, I would’ve wondered aloud whether you were crazy.  But I can’t actually tell you if I’d ever eaten brussels sprouts.  When I did finally try them, it was roasted, and I discovered how fantastic they are.  I’ve since had them boiled to within an inch of their life, and understand why people who have only ever experienced them that way would think that they’re horrible.

This recipe is so simple that it doesn’t feel like it should count as a recipe.  But sometimes the simplest recipes are the most perfect ones.  I’ll sometimes just have these roasted sprouts for lunch because they’re so good.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound brussels sprouts
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp sea salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Cut the brown ends off of the sprouts and remove any yellow leaves.  If they’re large, quarter them; if medium, halve them; if small, leave them be.  Put the sprouts in a bowl, and toss with the olive oil and salt.  Spread in a single layer on a large roasting pan.  Roast for 40-50 minutes, shaking halfway through to evenly brown them.  The sprouts are done when they’re crispy brown on the outside and tender on the inside.

chocolate pudding

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I started with this recipe, and have essentially no updates.  I had a pint of Blue Bottle’s New Orleans iced coffee, which is milk-based, that was about to go off so I replaced some of the milk with that.  I had some Godiva chocolate liqueur in the back of the pantry, so I added a tablespoon of that.  And I had both Godiva ground chocolate and cocoa powder, so that went in too.  That might sound like a lot of updates, but it was really about what I had on hand.

Ingredients

2/3 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup ground chocolate (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon chocolate liqueur (optional)

Instructions

In a large saucepan, whisk together the dry ingredients, then whisk in the milk.  Over medium-high heat, continue whisking until it just starts to thicken and bubble, about 6-8 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir in the chocolate chips, vanilla extract, and chocolate liqueur.

Divide the pudding into individual cups.  If you’re opposed to a thin skin on your pudding (I’m not), put a bit of plastic wrap directly on the pudding.  Refrigerate until cold and set, at least 2 hours.

Serve with whipped cream, sliced strawberries, raspberries, or anything else that sounds good to go with it.  Swoon over how lovely it is.

marmalade mini-muffins

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We made way too much Seville orange marmalade last year, and one particular batch ended up being a bit too bitter for everyday use.  Marmalade cookies have been my go-to recipe whenever I come across one of those jars of marmalade.  I’ve had this recipe for good morning muffins saved for awhile as another marmalade alternative, and haven’t quite gotten around to it.  I didn’t quite get around to it this time either, making several changes: I switched out the orange juice for whole milk (leftover from making the mushroom lasagna), used more marmalade, skipped the topping, and made mini-muffins. I ended up with 72 mini-muffins.

I think I prefer these muffins to the marmalade cookies, but I might have to go make a batch of them to try them side-by-side.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 2-1/2 cups marmalade (that is, 3 8-ounce jars)
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla
  • 2 eggs, beaten

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder).  Using a pastry cutter or fork, mix in the shortening.

In a medium bowl, stir together marmalade, milk, and vanilla.  Add the marmalade mixture to the dry ingredients, then pour in the eggs.  Stir together lightly and gently, being careful not to over-stir.

Fill mini-muffin pans about 3/4 full.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.  Serve warm, possibly with some butter and additional marmalade.

Notes

17 November 2015: I halved the recipe and made regular muffins.  They came out great!  I baked them for 20-25 minutes, and got a dozen recipes.  They’re great weeknight muffins: I’ve got all of the ingredients to hand, they come together quickly, and the whole thing takes an hour if the oven is feeling cooperative and heats up quickly.

mushroom lasagna

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I took an even-longer weekend, and used one of my days in tidying the kitchen.  I looked through my recipes to try board and was inspired by mushroom lasagna.  It’s a good recipe for a weekend: kind of involved (so many pots!), but kind of not (sauté some mushrooms, make a bechamel, bake them together with some pasta).

I made a couple of minor changes to the recipe: I added some minced garlic to the béchamel and I used brown mushrooms instead of portabellos.  Also, I made more mushrooms and béchamel because I think it’s ridiculous to use 3/4s of a box of lasagna noodles.  I ended up with one 9×13″ pan of lasagna and one 8×8″ pan of lasagna, with a couple of cooked noodles left over (which I think I’ll turn into a teensy little tomato lasagna for a lunch sometime).  In the big pan, I didn’t overlap the noodles; in the little one, I did.

This is a great dish for freezing.  Use a foil pan, and do everything through assembling the lasagna.  Then let it cool (if it isn’t already), cover tightly with foil, and freeze it.

I wouldn’t use no-boil lasagna noodles in this dish.  Those work better if you’ve got a sauce with a lot of liquid, and this sauce isn’t it.

Ingredients

  • salt
  • olive oil
  • 1 pound dried lasagna noodles
  • 6 cups whole milk
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1-1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1-1/2 tablespoon salt
  • 1-1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2-1/4 pounds brown mushrooms, sliced 1/4″ thick
  • 1-1/2 cup freshly ground Parmesan

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 if you’re making this now. Leave the oven alone if you’re freezing it for later.

Boil the pasta

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add about a tablespoon of salt and a splash of olive oil.  Add the lasagna noodles and cook for 10 minutes.  Drain the lasagna noodles and set aside.

(If you’re trying to reduce the number of pots you have to clean, give this a quick wash if it needs it, and reuse it for cooking the mushrooms.)

Make the béchamel

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and garlic.  Bring to a simmer, then set aside.

Melt 12 tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks) of butter in a large saucepan.  Add the flour, turn the flame to low, and whisk constantly for 1 minute.  Add the warm milk in a steady stream, whisking all the while.  Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Cook over medium-low heat, whisking occasionally, for 3-5 minutes.  The béchamel should be thick but not lumpy.

Saute the mushrooms

In a large pot, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over a medium flame.  Add 2 tablespoons of oil, 1/3 of the mushrooms, and a good sprinkle of salt.  Cook the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and start to release some of their liquid.  If the mushrooms become too dry, add a little bit of butter or oil.  Set the mushrooms aside.  Repeat for the rest of the mushrooms.

Assemble the lasagna

Spread some of the béchamel in the bottom of your 9×13″ baking pan.  Arrange a layer of noodles on top, then more béchamel, then 1/4 of the mushrooms, and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan. Repeat 2-3 more times, layering noodles, béchamel, mushrooms, and Parmesan. Top with a final layer of noodles and béchamel, and sprinkle with some more Parmesan.  Repeat in your 8×8″ baking pan until all noodles, béchamel, and mushrooms are gone.

If you’re planning on freezing, stop here.  Let the assembled lasagna cool, cover tightly with foil.

Bake the lasagna

Bake for 45 minutes, or until top is browned and the sauce is bubbly. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

granola bars

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I love granola bars.  My recipe is based very loosely on the White House recipe, which seemed to have too much liquid to turn into bars, and was too sweet for my tastes.  I use a mix of at least three types of dried fruit in my granola.  Dried cherries and apricots are always part of it.  I sometimes use different nuts in place of the almonds or seeds, or mix nuts and seeds.  And I sometimes use a different spice than cinnamon.  It depends on what I’ve got on hand and what I’m in the mood for.

If you want your granola to be vegan, replace the butter with a neutral-flavored oil (like grapeseed).

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds OR 1/2 cup mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, etc)
  • 3 tbsp butter, plus extra for buttering the pan
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 2 cups mixed dried fruit (at least three kinds)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 8-inch-square glass baking pan with parchment paper, letting a few inches hang over side of pan. Butter the parchment paper.

Spread oats and nuts or seeds on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until golden and fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes, stirring oats and nuts or seeds once.

In a saucepan, combine butter, honey, maple syrup and salt. Stir over medium heat until butter is melted, and the mixture is smooth and hot. In a mixing bowl, toss together toasted oats and nuts or seeds, dried fruit, and cinnamon. Pour hot honey and maple syrup mixture into the bowl, and stir until everything is combined combined.

While mixture is still warm, transfer it to prepared pan and press down using a spatula.

Bake until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack and let cool completely (usually a couple of hours). Using the overhanging parchment paper, lift out of pan and place on a cutting board. Cut into bars (I like making them about 1″ x 3″)

marmalade cookies

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Michael made his very first batch of marmalade.  He wasn’t prepared for how much marmalade comes out of just a few Seville oranges.  Half of the marmalade was refrigerated for 24 hours before being canned, the other half was refrigerated for 48 hours.  The 48-hour marmalade has a lot more depth of flavor and more bitterness than the 24-hour marmalade.  I started looking for marmalade recipes for our sudden abundance of marmalade, and came across one for marmalade cookies.  I skipped the icing. The cookies are more cake-y than I usually like, but it works with the bite of the marmalade.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup orange marmalade
  • 1 tbsp lemon or orange liqueur (optional)

Preheat oven to 300°F.

In a medium bowl, Whisk together the dry ingredients.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add in the eggs one at a time, stirring after each to incorporate.  Add half of the dry ingredients, then the marmalade, and then the final half of the dry ingredients, stirring after each to incorporate.  Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes.

On a parchment-lined cookie sheet, drop a scant teaspoonful of cookie dough.  Bake for approximately 20 minutes per cookie sheet, turning the cookie sheet halfway through the baking.

Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies.

Experiments

13 Sept 2015: I wanted more marmalade flavor, so I tried doubling the marmalade.  They taste good, but they flattened as they cooled.  I think I’ll try again, but replacing half the butter with shortening.  There’s also some great thoughts in this thread for more ideas.

26 Feb 2018: I tried this with strawberry jam (6 3-ounce jars), and with the shortening/butter ratio that I listed in Sept 2015. This worked out really well: the cookies didn’t spread.  However, the cookies also turned out really sweet.  Cut back on the sugar to 3/4 cup next time.

29 Jan 2019: I tried out bar cookies based on this.  I doubled the marmalade, replaced half the butter with shortening, and added 2 cups of chocolate chips.  It baked in a 13×9 pan at 300 for about 45 minutes (more or less, honestly I wasn’t keeping track).  This was a great variation, and tasted even better the next day, so deserves some more time playing with it to get it right.

shepherd’s pie

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Shepherd’s pie is a good weekend dinner during the winter (at least, as much winter as we get in Northern California). It’s a bit too involved and time-consuming for a weeknight dinner, but it’s got a lot of time built in where you can do other things like tidy up the kitchen or whip up a batch of banana bread or marmalade cookies. (Or, all of the above.) It leaves enough leftovers for dinner another night, and I usually end up with a couple of lunch-sized portions too (which fit perfectly in the freezer). I adapted this from The Dean & Deluca Cookbook by David Rosengarten by adding more vegetables and broth.  I keep on meaning to try an all-vegetable version of this, but haven’t quite gotten around to it yet.

Ingredients

  • 2 large baking potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 stick butter, divided
  • 1-1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 pound ground lamb or beef
  • 1 cup chopped mushrooms
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 teaspoons flour, divided
  • 1 cup minced onion
  • 1 cup diced carrot
  • 4 cups beef stock
  • 1 cup frozen corn kernels
  • 1 cup frozen peas

Make the mashed potatoes

Put potatoes in a large saucepan, cover them with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 40 minutes, until potatoes are cooked through. Drain potatoes and place in bowl. Mash them with the milk and 2 tablespoons of the butter. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Set aside.

(This makes about 3 cups of mashed potatoes. If you were planning ahead, you could make the mashed potatoes in advance.)

Brown the meat

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add the garlic, ground meat, and mushrooms.  Cook, stirring frequently, for 5-7 minutes until the meat is well-browned. Season with the rosemary, Worcestershire sauce, and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Stir well and then sprinkle mixture with 2 teaspoons of the flour. Stir again and cook for an additional five minutes. Remove meat with a slotted spoon and set aside. Pour excess grease out of the pan.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Prepare the vegetables

Add the onion and carrot to the pan and cook over moderate heat for 5-7 minutes, until onion is translucent. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 teaspoons of flour and stir. Increase heat slightly, and add the beef stock, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release any caramelized bits. Cook for another 7-10 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by half.

Combine the casserole ingredients

Add meat mixture, corn, and peas. Stir well and cook another 3-4 minutes. Enough of the liquid should have evaporated so that the mixture is held together by a nice thick gravy.

Bake

Butter a 9″ square casserole dish well and spread the meat mixture over the bottom. Cover the meat with the mashed potatoes and smooth the top. Bake casserole, uncovered, in the oven for 40 minutes, until heated through.