MINI-BRIOCHE ROLLS

I make these rolls about twice a month and freeze them (fully baked) in a high quality freezer container. A frozen baked roll takes about 4-5 minutes (at 350) to reheat. They are also very handy for the holidays because they are more festive than standard dinner rolls and since they are already fully baked, you can just pop them all in the oven five minutes before dinner.

3½ cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons dry active yeast
½ cup warm milk
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
4 eggs at room temperature
½ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1½ cups of flour, sugar, yeast, zest and salt. In a saucepan (or microwave) heat the butter and milk to 120 to 130 degrees. Add the warmed liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients (stirring quickly with wooden spoon). Add the room temperature eggs and mix well; add one more cup of flour and beat until smooth. Stir in the rest of the flour, but do no knead the dough. Put the dough in a greased bowl and cover and let it raise in a warm place for about an hour. After an hour, push all of the air out of the dough and cover and refrigerate it overnight. (see note about rising times)

The next day, push any air out of the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured counter; let it rest for 30 minutes (with inverted bowl over it).

If you want the traditional brioche shape, divide the dough so that you have 1/6th (for the little top knots) and divide the rest of the dough into 12 pieces. Roll the larger pieces into a ball and place in individual brioche pans (or cupcake pans) and make a dent in each one. Roll smaller balls (from the 1/6th portion) and set them on the indentation. Lightly spray the rolls with cooking spray (very lightly) and cover with plastic wrap. Let these raise in a warm place for one to two hours or until they are double in size. Gently brush the rolls with egg wash and bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes or until golden. Place a pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven while the brioche bake.

NOTE: I don't make the traditional brioche shape. I roll 12" "snakes" and then tie them in knots, tucking in the loose ends.
NOTE: I don't use an egg wash on mine because they get too crusty when I reheat them. I bake them without the egg wash and just brush them with a little butter when they come out of the oven the first time.
NOTE: Keep in mind that if you have granite counter tops, it is going to take longer for your dough to raise because they are so cool.

DULCE de LECHE (Made in the crockpot!!)

Yes, you heard me right, dulce de leche made in the crockpot!! The first time I tried it, I was very skeptical, but it works like a charm and couldn't be easier.

Fill crockpot with COLD water. Put an UNOPENED can (with paper label removed) of sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk) into the cold water, making sure that the water is 2" taller than the can. If you are doing more than one can, make sure there is at least 2" of space BETWEEN each can as well. 

Put the lid on the crockpot and let it "cook" on LOW for EIGHT HOURS. Take the cans out of the crockpot and dry them off and label them. If you are going to use them right away, let them cool down a couple hours before you try to open the can. Cooled and unopened cans can be kept in the pantry like you would any other canned item.

DISCLAIMER: people that make Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk never anticipated people heating their product in an unopened can. As a matter of fact, I'm sure they would disapprove, so please, if you try this method, use (common sense) caution....but it has worked VERY WELL for me and for many other people I know. 

 Crockpot Dulce de Leche

Right after opening the can; it is unbelievably delicious!!

 

NOTE: One friend that had a white crockpot, said that the can left a permanent "ring" on the bottom of her crockpot; I didn't have that problem (my crockpot is black). If you are concerned, put a layer of paper towels under the can/cans before you add the cold water.

GUILTLESS BANANA MILK SHAKE

This banana milk shake is my latest addiction, and for once, it is guiltless!! Toss some frozen bananas, fat free banana yogurt and some 2% milk in the food processor (or blender) and in 10 seconds you will have the thickest, creamiest milk shake ever!! It is absolutely delicous and totally satisfies that "whats to snack on?" moment in the middle of the day. I hope you try it.

In advance, slice some bananas into ½" slices and freeze them, in a single layer, on some waxed paper. When they are frozen, put them all in a Zip Loc freezer bag and keep frozen. When it comes time to make your milk shake, place 16 slices of frozen banana into the food processor (I don't have a blender). Sixteen slices equals the same amount as a medium size (8") banana.

Add a 6 ounce container of fat free banana yogurt and one cup of 2% milk. Run the food processor about 10 seconds. You will end up with about 2½ cups of thick milk shake. This next photo is not a very good one, but I wanted to show you that the final product is thick enough to support a spoon!!

NOTE: I keep a bag of frozen banana slices just so I can make this treat in a hurry. It is also a great use for those bananas that have a few too many brown spots on them.

CRANBERRY SHORTBREAD BARS

This week, I have been trying out some new "goodie" recipes with the holidays in mind; I like to add a few new items to my standard cookie boxes every year. Today I made some cranberry shortbread bars that I found in a holiday issue of Fine Cooking and they are definitely going to make the "big list". The bars have an ultra-buttery shortbread crust topped with cooked cranberries and then a shortbread-type streusel topping. They are baked in a 9 x 13 pan that is lined with foil for easy removal. The bars are very sweet, buttery, tender and cut nicely...perfect for gift giving.

Wash and sort a 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries. Put them in a heavy saucepan with ¼ cup of water and one cup of white sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat. After it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium high and boil until the sauce is like a thick syrup - 5 to 8 minutes (mine took 6 minutes). Set aside to cool (it will thicken even more as it cools).

SHORTBREAD CRUST

21 tablespoons of butter, melted and cooled to room temp.

This seems like a lot of butter, but it makes an upper and lower crust

¾ cup of white sugar

2 large egg yolks

3 cups + 3 tablespoons all purpose flour

No need to use an electric mixer, I did it all with a wooden spoon. Mix the sugar into the melted butter and whisk in the egg yolks. Stir in the flour to make a very stiff dough. Remove two cups of this dough and pat evenly into a foil lined 9 x 13 pan. Prick the dough all over with a fork and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or put in freezer for 7 minutes). Set the rest of the dough aside.
With the remaining dough, run a fork back and forth in the dough to loosen it up into crumbles Add ¼ cup of white sugar to these crumbles and work the fork back and for a little more to break up any large clumps. Do not chill these crumbles.

Bake the 9 x 13 chilled pan of dough, on the middle rack of your oven, for 20 minutes at 325. After 20 minutes, the dough will still be very pale in color and will not have any golden color on the edges. Remove it from the oven and spread the cooled cranberry filling evenly over it.

Spread the loose crumbles over the cranberry filling

Bake on the TOP rack of a 350 oven for 25 minutes (mine took 32 minutes). Watch the crumbles towards the end of the baking time. You want to see a little golden color on the top of the crumbles, like this:

Cool baked bars on a wire rack for at least an hour or until completely firm. You can speed set them in the fridge. When the bottom of the pan is completely cool, lift the bars out of the pan by pulling on the flap ends of the foil. Cut into 2" bars. These will keep at room temperature for a week.

NOTE: The butter measurement of 21 tablespoons is not a typing error

NOTE: Bake the bars in a metal 9 x 13 pan so they don't over bake. Line it with foil and leave the ends of the foil a little long, so you can use them as handles to lift the cooled bars out of the pan.
NOTE: Pay attention to baking temperatures. The first crust pre-bake is on the middle rack at 325. The final bake is on the TOP rack at 350. The recipe says it is baked on the top rack so that the bottom of the crust doesn't get too dark.

CROCKPOT MAPLE PORK TENDERLOIN

This recipe gets five stars for two reasons...it is totally delicious AND super simple. As a matter of fact, it is one of the best crockpot recipes that I've tried in a long time. You can not get much simpler than this: brown the pork loin, cover it with sauce and 8 hours later (my crockpot only took 6 hours) and you have fork-tender, delicious pork loin and a gravy that is amazing.

 2½ pound boneless pork loin
1 cup real maple syrup (DON'T USE PANCAKE SYRUP)
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2½ tablespoons cider vinegar
2½ tablespoons soy sauce
salt and pepper

I bought my pork loin, vacuum packed from Walmart (2½ pounds seems to be a standard size). When you open the package, there will be two long loin pieces. I cut each one into three pieces, then salted and peppered them and browned them in a little olive oil. Place the browned pieces in a wide crockpot for even cooking (as opposed to the tall ones).

In a small bowl, whisk the maple syrup (do not use pancake syrup, it is way too sweet and will ruin your pork, trust me), Dijon mustard, cider vinegar and soy sauce together. Pour over browned pork loin pieces. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (my crockpot took only six hours). If you use a different cut of pork, you may have to use the full 8 hours. It isn't absolutely necessary, but try and turn the meat over a couple of times during the cooking process. When it is time to eat, thicken the gravy. I served this with rice and coleslaw. It also made delicious sandwiches the next day.

NOTE: If you are concerned about the maple flavor being overpowering...don't be. As a matter of fact, it is almost a background flavor, but it IS there and the meat was extremely tender and slightly sweet. This is a fantastic recipe for any special occasion.

RASPBERRY FILLING

This recipe for raspberry filling can be used a dozen different ways. You can use it in puff pastry turnovers like the photo below, or between cake layers, inside cupcakes or donuts, on french toast, on ice cream, on cheesecake and on and on. It is a great basic recipe that only takes a few minutes to put together and can easily be doubled.

(1) 12 ounce bag of frozen raspberries (not in syrup)
½ cup + 3 tablespoons of water
¾ cup white sugar
1 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ cup cold water

Gently simmer the raspberries, water, sugar and lemon juice for 15 minutes, in a small heavy bottomed pan. After 15 minutes, you can push the berries through a sieve if want a seedless filling (I leave the seeds in).

Bring the strained berries back to a full simmer. Dissolve the cornstarch in the ¼ cup of water and whisk it into the simmering berries. Bring it back to a boil, and simmer for another five minutes. Cool/chill completely. It will thicken as it cools.

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For the above raspberry turnovers, I just thawed a sheet of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry dough for 45 minutes and then floured my board a little. I unfolded the dough and rolled it out flat (about 2" bigger than right out of the box). I cut the sheet into 6 pieces and put a dollop of raspberry filling into the center and folded the dough over (wetting the edges) and crimping them. I cut small vent holes in the top of the turnovers and baked them on an ungreased sheet at 400 for 15-18 minutes (or until they were golden).

You can drizzle a glaze on them if you want, or just dust them with powdered sugar. Hubby likes them "unadorned". They are light as air, crisp and flaky, just right for breakfast or an instant dessert.

ITALIAN VEGGIE BAKE

This is one of my favorite things to eat on the nights that hubby has opted to be carnivorous. It is a recipe big on flavor, veggies and cheese; my favorites are mushrooms, red peppers, onions, zucchini, beans, carrots, pasta, ricotta and Monterrey Jack cheese. It makes the BEST lunch on day two!!

Not the best photo, but trust me, it's excellent !!

½ cup onion chopped
½ cup celery chopped
1 cup chopped carrot
½ cup chopped red pepper
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 cups diced zucchini
1 cup black beans
1 clove garlic minced
(1) 12 ounce can tomato paste
5 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1 teaspoon dry sweet basil1 teaspoon fennel seed (don't leave out)
scant ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes2 teaspoons brown sugar2 cups small pasta cooked
ricotta cheese2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese (grated)
2 tablespoon butter

 

In a large, deep pan, saute the onion, celery and garlic (in the butter) until the are sweet, then scoot them to one side of the pan. In the same pan, saute the rest of the raw veggies until they start to wilt. Add everything else (except the pasta and cheeses) and simmer slowly, for about an hour (without a lid so the sauce will thicken up). After an hour, stir in the cooked pasta and 1 cup of cheese.

To assemble this dish, pour half of the veggie mixture into a greased baking dish and top with small dollops of ricotta cheese (randomly over the mixture...but not a solid layer). Top with the other half of the veggie mixture and cover with shredded Monterrey Jack cheese. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.

NOTE: You can use any combination of veggies that your family likes in this dish.

NOTE: Any small pasta will work, just make sure that when it is cooked, it is bite size or the same size as the chopped veggies.