Tag Archives: recipes

Chocolate Orange Pecan Crinkle Christmas Cookies

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Who can resist a cookie with a powdery sugar overcoat and dark chocolate peeking out from the crinkles?

When I was young, I would seek out those chocolates the shape of an orange that had to be banged on a table in order to get the slices to come apart – Terry’s Chocolate Orange, I think they were called. The reward? Delicious orange-slice-shaped wedges of chocolate infused with orange flavor. With this holiday favorite in mind, I added essence of orange to my chocolate crinkles. I also put in chopped pecans for another layer of flavor and a little crunch. Voila, a new holiday favorite is created!

Chocolate Orange Pecan Crinkles

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp orange extract
  • 1/2 tbsp orange zest
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together cocoa powder and granulated sugar.
  2. Stir in vegetable oil.
  3. Mix in eggs, one at a time.
  4. Stir in vanilla and orange extracts and zest.
  5. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into the cocoa mixture.
  6. Fold in chopped pecans.
  7. Refrigerate for about 45 minutes so the dough is nice and firm.
  8. Place confectioner’s sugar in a zip top bag.
  9. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  10. Using a cookie scoop, or a small ice cream scoop, scoop out a dough ball and drop it in the confectioner’s sugar, making sure it is well covered.
  11. Place sugar covered dough balls on parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat until you’ve filled a baking sheet with 12 cookies.
  12. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for a minute before removing to wire rack.

Makes 30 generous cookies.

Smokey Chipotle Meatloaf with Poached Egg on Pan-Fried Beer Bread: Now That’s a Meatloaf Sandwich!

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Egg yolk flowing like lava over delicious meatloaf and melted gouda cheese. We haven’t even put the chipotle sauce on yet… 

My grandmother made meatloaf. My mother made the same meatloaf. Ground beef, an egg or two, breadcrumbs, milk, a dash of salt, a few grinds of pepper. Put it in a loaf pan, top it with ketchup, bake it, slice it, serve it with mashed potatoes. Not as tasty as a grilled hamburger… In fact, those meatloaf recipes of the past weren’t as good as a lot of things, and so for many of us this traditional dish has fallen by the wayside.

Time to look at meatloaf in a new way. Think of the following recipe as a foundation to come up with your own twist on this iconic American comfort food.

We served slices of the finished meatloaf on pan-toasted beer bread, one side of which was covered with melted gouda cheese. The poached egg on top – not an idea original to us – was perfect. After five miles of hiking through the city of Ulaanbaatar on a sunny, sub-freezing day in Mongolia, we had little difficulty polishing off these hot, hearty sandwiches.

Smoky Chipotle Meatloaf Sandwich

Ingredients

  • 1/3 pound thick-cut bacon, diced small
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3/4 cup onion diced fine
  • 3/4 cup yellow or orange bell pepper diced fine
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup diced crimini mushrooms (or other fresh mushroom)
  • 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tsp powdered chipotle chili pepper
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tbsp dry oregano
  • 1 tsp smoked sea salt (or use regular salt)
  • a few grinds black pepper
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
  • 2 cups fresh bread crumbs
  • 2 cups grated mozzarella
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup chipotle barbecue sauce (see recipe below)

Directions

  1. Grease a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan with butter. You will need a sheet of aluminum foil to cover this pan.
  2. Set oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C).
  3. In a pan over medium heat, fry bacon until thoroughly cooked but not crisp. Remove bacon and set aside. Save bacon grease in pan.
  4. Over medium heat, add olive oil to bacon grease. Add diced onions and cook for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add diced bell peppers and continue cooking and stirring occasionally till onions turn translucent and bell peppers are soft. Remove onions and bell peppers from pan and set aside to cool.
  5. Place egg in a large bowl. Add soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, powdered chipotle, paprika, oregano, salt and black pepper. Whisk together.
  6. To the egg mixture, add all remaining ingredients except the barbecue sauce. Gently fold everything together with your hands. Keep in mind that while you do want everything evenly mixed together, the less you handle the ground beef, the better the texture of your baked loaf will be.
  7. Place meat mixture in greased loaf pan, pressing down as you would a hamburger. Slightly indenting the center will result in a finished loaf with a more even top, as the center will rise when baking.
  8. Top the loaf with chipotle barbecue sauce, cover pan with aluminum foil and place in oven.
  9. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 40 minutes.
  10. Remove loaf from oven. Let rest for 10 minutes. Gently flip the loaf out onto a serving platter.
  11. Melt a slice of gouda cheese on pan-fried toast made from rustic bread. Place a slice of meatloaf on the toast with the cheese, slather the other slice of toast with additional chipotle barbecue sauce, place a poached or easy-over egg atop the meatloaf and dig in.

Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients (When adding the seasonings, begin with a little and add more to taste.)

  • 6-ounce can tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1/2 tsp smoked sea salt
  • 1 tsp dry oregano
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp powdered chipotle chili pepper
  • couple grinds black pepper
  • water, as necessary, to achieve desired consistency. The sauce should be fairly thick.

Directions

  1. Combine ingredients in a pot.
  2. Simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Pan-fried Toast

  1. Place about 1 tbsp of good olive oil in a frying pan for each slice of bread to be toasted.
  2. Over medium heat, bring oil to a soft sizzle.
  3. Reduce heat to medium-low and place the bread slices in the pan and fry for about 2 minutes on each side, until surface is golden and crispy.
  4. For an extra kick of garlic, coat one side of each slice with olive oil and top with minced garlic. Take care not to burn the garlic. This is a family favorite.

Blueberry Crunch Muffins – Betcha Can’t Eat Just One! Makes a Great Cake, Too

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A slice of moist cake stuffed with blueberries and topped with crunchy streusel makes for a great start to any day.

Jack says muffins are cake. Whether you use fresh or frozen blueberries, a batch of these muffins is easy to whip up anytime. They’re a favorite with fried eggs and fresh fruit for a tasty, satisfying brunch. Today, I made the recipe again, but in a 9-inch springform pan for a lovely snack to go with afternoon tea. A warm slice of this cake with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream would be an indulgent way to end a dinner – and an absolutely wrong way to begin your day!

Streusel-Topped Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

Muffin dough

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup plain yogurt
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries or thawed frozen blueberries

Streusel Topping

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin tin or line with muffin liners.
  2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder in a large bowl.
  3. Mix oil, egg and yogurt in a medium bowl.
  4. Stir oil mixture into flour mixture until just mixed.
  5. Fold in blueberries.
  6. Fill muffin cups right to the top.
  7. Mix together streusel topping ingredients.
  8. Place even amounts of topping on each muffin.
  9. Bake for 20 minutes in a preheated oven. A wooden stick inserted into center of muffin will come out clean when muffins are done.

Makes 12 streusel-topped blueberry muffins.

 

Secrets for Fluffier Country Butter Biscuits

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Hot from the oven, these beautiful country-style biscuits have a down-home balance of crunchy peaks and crannies and buttery fluffiness. They’ll disappear faster than you can say “Breakfast is served!”

There are two tricks to fluffy biscuits. The first is use frozen butter. I use a cheese grater to add it to the dough while it’s still frozen. The grated butter pieces are just the right size to stir into the flour for even distribution. As the biscuits bake, buttery pockets are created and the steam released causes the dough to rise and become flaky.

The other trick is to tear the dough into biscuits instead of cutting it. Alternatively, you can use a cookie scoop to create the biscuits. Both methods produce fluffier biscuits than laying out the dough and cutting it. A traditional method of making biscuits is to use a water glass to cut them. Don’t. The glass seals the dough edges which inhibits the dough’s ability to rise. Tearing the dough is quick and allows for minimal handling. The edges of the ripped biscuits bake up into satisfyingly crunchy peaks and crannies.

Rustic Fluffy Butter Biscuits

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter, frozen
  • 1 cup whole milk

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Cover baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
  3. Grate frozen butter into flour mixture using a cheese grater with large holes.
  4. Stir butter into flour mixture until it is evenly mixed.
  5. Gradually stir in milk until dough just pulls away from the side of the bowl. Do not overstir.
  6. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until dough sticks together. It will be craggy looking.
  7. Pull off pieces sized to your liking and gently flatten them to about 1 inch thick.
  8. Place pieces on baking sheet.
  9. Bake for 11 – 13 minutes. Edges will be golden brown when done.
  10. Let cool slightly before serving. Serve warm or room temperature.

As buttery as these are, Jack still slathers them with butter and adds honey. I like them “as is” unless we have a favorite homemade jam on hand.

Pinchos Morunos – Spiced Grilled Pork & Red Grapes Served on Skewers

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pinchos morutos 2One of Spain’s most popular tapas, pinchos morunos features skewered pork and flame grapes in a dish that balances citric tang and sweetness against a mix of fiery and savory spices. Our first lesson with The Joy of Mediterranean Cooking was a tasty success!

Pinchos refers to small wooden skewers and morunos means “in the way of the Moors.” Of course, when the Moors, who were from Morocco, crossed the Mediterranean Sea in 711 CE (Common Era) the dishes they brought with them would have reflected their Islamic faith, which means that pork would have been off the menu. When Spain finally won independence, they employed all the wonderful spices the Northern Africans had introduced to create a grilled dish with pork. It’s been a favorite tapa there ever since. Flame grapes go perfectly with the marinated grilled pork. Here in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, we found tiny 4-inch (10 cm) skewers that were perfect for serving these as a snack, an appetizer or a main entrée.

We’ve mentioned The Great Courses in previous posts and would be remiss if we didn’t mention this excellent company here. Thus far, we’ve studied baking, cooking, photography and wine appreciation through them, all from the comfort of our own home (or boat), all at very reasonable prices and all with topnotch instructors. It’s been a long held dream to study cooking at the Culinary Institute of America, an institution Craig Claiborne likened to the Juliard of professional cooking. Here we are, in Mongolia, studying Mediterranean Cuisine with CIA’s Chef Bill Briwa and loving it!

For more on The Great Courses, see:

Photography: Great Cameras and Joel Sartore’s Great Course

Cooking: Deep Fried Parsnips – World’s Best Bar Snack?

Baking: Chocolate Mousse Cake – Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate!

Pinchos Morunos – Grilled Skewered Pork with Flame Grapes

Ingredients

  • 1 lb pork tenderloin cut into 1″ cubes
  • flame grapes
  • wooden skewers
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice (approximately the juice from 1 lemon)
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. For the marinade, combine spices in a mixing bowl.
  2. Add orange juice, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. Stir together.
  3. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Add cubed pork to briefly marinate – approximately 20 minutes.
  5. Skewer flame grapes and pork, alternating pork, grape, pork, grape.
  6. Cook in a dry skillet or on a grill over medium high heat for about 5 minutes, turning once to ensure even cooking. The pork should be nicely browned.
  7. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon wedges. We served our pinchos morunos with smashed baked potatoes whipped together with onions and garlic sautéed in butter and white wine and a light cheese.

Enjoy pinchos morunos with a Riesling, Sangria or a cold beer.

Adapted from Bill Briwa’s recipe in The Everyday Gourmet: The Joy of Mediterranean Cooking

Brownie Blondies, Blond Brownies, Brownie Double Deckers… Hey, Brownies!

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When faced with a difficult choice such as brownies or blondies, my answer is both! We love dense, chewy brownies, and lots of Dutch processed cocoa makes the brownie layer in this recipe super chocolatey. Slightly caramelizing the brown sugar gives the blondie layer a rich caramel flavor. There doesn’t seem to be a clever portmanteau to name these bits of deliciousness… How about Double Decker Blondie Brownies?

Every couple of weeks I have a bake sale in my classroom. Students save up tickets and can buy various privileges, or they can choose to spend their earnings on Barbra’s Bakery. Everyone wins, right? I get to bake and they get to enjoy freshly made items created just for them. The tasty products keep them earning tickets!

Last Friday, I asked my students for some ideas. They were smitten with the blondies I’d previously whipped up and suggested a double-decker version of blondies and brownies sandwiching a layer of chocolate frosting. I love sweets, but that sounded too sweet. However, the double-decker idea was intriguing. The key would be to somehow keep the layers separate for an appealing visual effect, like a black and tan beer.

The trick turned out to be first partially baking the brownie layer and then gently layering on the blondie dough before the final bake. The concoction was a big hit with the students and also with all the lucky adults who got to participate in the tasting.

Brownie Double Deckers

Ingredients

For the brownie

  • 1 1/4 cups dutch processed cocoa
  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 5 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

For the blondie

  • 2/3 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • a little less than 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
  2. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with foil and generously butter. Set aside.
  3. Sift together dry brownie ingredients – flour, cocoa, and salt – in a large bowl.
  4. In a medium bowl, mix together melted butter and granulated sugar.
  5. Mix in one egg at a time until all 5 eggs are thoroughly mixed in.
  6. Stir in vanilla extract.
  7. Stir dry ingredients into wet.
  8. Pour brownie batter into baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. Brownie should be just starting to set.
  9. While brownie is baking, make blondie dough.
  10. Place butter and brown sugar in a medium pot. Stir over medium heat until mixture is just melted.
  11. Let mixture cool for a few minutes, then stir in eggs and vanilla.
  12. Stir in flour one cup at a time.
  13. Stir in baking powder and salt. Do not overmix.
  14. After the brownies have baked for 20 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  15. Carefully spoon blondie mixture on top of brownies. Gently spread blondie mixture to cover brownies. Don’t worry about making the dough perfectly even, it will spread during baking.
  16. Bake double-decker for an additional 30 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies will come out clean when it is done.
  17. As delicious as these smell straight out of the oven, they taste best when totally cool. We served ours with freshly brewed cups of chai tea.

Recipe adapted from Rachel Ray.

Mongolian Scones: An Airy, “No Cream” Version of a Breakfast Favorite

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“Mongolian” scones, a lighter and fluffier version of their English cousin, are quick to make and a delicious start to our day in the coldest capital in the world, Ulaanbaatar.

We are part of a foodie network in Ulaanbaatar (UB) where one of the most common questions is, “Can you get ______ ingredient here?” Although UB is a thriving city of over a million inhabitants, Mongolia is still a developing country where certain items can be difficult to come by. Heavy whipping cream is one example. When we finally tracked some down, the price tag was the equivalent of 28 US dollars for a one liter container. The cost and inconvenience associated with certain items has been fostering invention as we experiment with substitutions to our recipes.

Our “Mongolian” scones are our answer to the question, “What can I substitute for heavy cream in scones?” The answer is yogurt, which is inexpensive and readily available in Ulaanbaatar’s grocery stores. The result is a lighter, less crumbly scone.

For this version, we used a large cookie scoop, overfilled, to create mounded scones. It is typical to create scones in a disc shape and to then cut them into wedges. The mounded shape allowed a nice rise and more crunchy surface area in one perfectly portioned breakfast scone to accompany our Mongolian eggs and delicious, thick-sliced Mongolian bacon.

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A large cookie scoop portioned this dough into sixteen scones. An ice cream scoop would work well for slightly larger scones.

Mongolian Scones with Cranberry and Pecans

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 packed brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp dried orange peel, or fresh orange zest
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled and diced
  • 3/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 small eggs (Mongolian stores typically carry smaller eggs than are sold in America)
  • 3/4 cup plain yogurt

Direction

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
  2. Cover baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  3. Stir flour, brown sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, salt and orange peel together in a large bowl.
  4. Stir cranberries and pecans into the flour mixture.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk granulated sugar and eggs together. Mix in yogurt.
  6. Pour wet ingredients into dry.
  7. Stir ingredients until fully incorporated with a rubber spatula. Dough will be very sticky.
  8. Scoop out generous cookie scoops (2 tbsp or more) of dough and drop mounds on baking sheet.
  9. Bake for 15 minutes, until scones are golden brown.
  10. Enjoy fresh out of the oven with a fried egg and a slice of bacon.

Chocolate Candy Bar Coffee Cake

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Warm afternoon sunshine streamed in through the windows on a cool fall day, illuminating this rich, moist afternoon snack created from a favorite chocolate candy bar. Served with freshly brewed cups of hot tea it was just the thing before a walk into town.

Chocolate coffee cake is tempting straight out of the oven. But this cake tastes best the day after it is baked. The traditional streusel topping turns a good cake into an irresistible afternoon treat.

Chocolate Candy Bar Coffee Cake

Ingredients

Streusel top:

  • 2/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 quality chocolate candy bar, chopped fine

Cake:

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1  1/4 cups plain yoghurt
  • 1  1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Grease a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish.
  3. In a small bowl, mix together the following streusel ingredients: flour, sugar, and cinnamon.
  4. Rub in butter into streusel mixture, until coarse crumbs form.
  5. Fold in chopped chocolate pieces. Set aside.
  6. To make the cake, in a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  7. In another bowl, cream together butter and sugar.
  8. Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly.
  9. Mix in yoghurt and vanilla extract.
  10. Stir wet ingredients into dry. Mix thoroughly.
  11. Fold in chopped pecans.
  12. Pour batter into prepared pan.
  13. Sprinkle streusel mixture evenly over batter.
  14. Bake until topping is golden, about 40 minutes. Cake is done when toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.
  15. Let pan cool on wire rack. Cut into squares to serve.

Stacking Up Shortbread Cookie Recipes: Espresso-Chocolate and Almond

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A quintessential shortbread recipe revamped twice for two deliciously buttery versions of a classic cookie.

Shortbread cookies offer delectably crunchy bites that still maintain the sense of a soft cookie. Using powdered sugar as the sweetener gives these cookies their appealing melt-in-your-mouth texture. A blog I follow, Smitten Kitchen, posted a scrumptious coffee flavored version of these cookies featuring a deep, chocolately finish. Her recipe included a clever trick of rolling out the dough in a zip top plastic bag and then allowing it to chill in the bag, making for quick and easy cutting of the chilled dough. I made a batch of her espresso-chocolate flavored cookies and then experimented with my own almond flavored version. How did these two recipes stack up? Deliciously!

After successful experimentation substituting the coffee and chocolate with almonds, I can imagine a whole host of substitute flavors to continue playing with – lemon, caramel, anise…

Espresso Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp coffee extract (or highly concentrated coffee)
  • 8 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 oz of your favorite chocolate bar, chopped finely. I found one with toffee bits inside which worked fabulously.

Directions

  1. Thoroughly mix butter and powdered sugar in a medium bowl.
  2. Stir in coffee and vanilla.
  3. Mix in flour. Don’t overmix.
  4. Fold in chopped chocolate.
  5. Transfer dough to a gallon-sized zip top bag.
  6. Roll the dough out until it is about 1/4 inch thick. You should have a rectangle about 9 x 10 inches.
  7. Squeeze out the air and zip bag closed. Refrigerate dough for 2 hours. Refrigerated dough will keep for a couple of days.
  8. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  9. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  10. Cut the dough-filled plastic bag so you can remove top layer.
  11. Turn dough out onto a board.
  12. Cut dough into cookies – about 1 1/2 inch squares.
  13. Place cookies on parchment lined baking sheet.
  14. Bake for 10 minutes. Then rotate pan and bake for additional 10 minutes.
  15. Cool cookies on wire rack.
  16. Cookies will taste best when they are fully cooled.

Recipe courtesy of Smitten Kitchen.

Almond Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp almond extract
  • 8 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 oz almonds, chopped fine.

Directions

  1. Thoroughly mix butter and powdered sugar in a medium bowl.
  2. Stir in almond and vanilla extracts.
  3. Mix in flour. Don’t overmix.
  4. Fold in chopped almonds.
  5. Transfer dough to a gallon-sized zip top bag.
  6. Roll the dough out until it is about 1/4 inch thick. You should have a rectangle about 9 x 10 inches.
  7. Squeeze out the air and zip bag closed. Refrigerate dough for 2 hours. Refrigerated dough will keep for a couple of days.
  8. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  9. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  10. Cut the dough-filled plastic bag so you can remove top layer.
  11. Turn dough out onto a board.
  12. Cut dough into cookies – about 1 1/2 inch squares.
  13. Place cookies on parchment lined baking sheet.
  14. Bake for 10 minutes. Then rotate pan and bake for additional 10 minutes.
  15. Cool cookies on wire rack.
  16. Cookies will taste best when they are fully cooled.

Poppy Seed Cloverleaf Rolls

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In theory, this recipe will make twelve rolls. When I went to retrieve the rolls for my photo shoot, there were only six. Jack!?! They must have been really tasty!

The transition from Alaska to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia has not been easy for the baker in me. Ulaanbaatar is known for being the coldest capital in the world. Since we have arrived, the weather has been really warm. Turns out highs in the 70’s and 80’s F is mighty warm for our Alaskan blood. Finally, a cloudy day with a high of 53 degrees F made for a comfortable baking weather.

After years of making dough in my Zojirushi bread machine, the move to a country with different electrical outlets encouraged me to relinquish my training wheels and bake on my own. I had always had trouble getting my doughs to rise properly in our home in Point Hope. With experience and a few tricks, I was ready to give it a go without any machinery.

I pulled my Williams-Sonoma Baking Book off the shelf and looked for a yeasted bread recipe which would be a delicious accompaniment to Jack’s tomato soup. Poppy seed cloverleaf rolls sounded tasty and look beautiful, too. The recipe was easy to follow and the dough rose beautifully. The final product proved to be irresistible.

Poppy Seed Cloverleaf Rolls

Ingredients

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2  1/2 tsp active dry yeast
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp light oil
  • 1 egg, well beaten
  • 1  1/4 tsp poppy seeds

Directions

  1. In a small pan over low heat, mix milk, butter, and sugar.
  2. Stir until butter is melted.
  3. Pour milk mixture into a large bowl.
  4. Allow mixture to cool to 105 – 115 degrees F, then whisk in yeast.
  5. Let mixture stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
  6. Whisk again and then stir in flour and salt, about 1/2 cup at a time. Dough should be soft and sticky.
  7. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
  8. Coat a bowl with oil, then add dough to bowl. Turn dough so that it is covered with oil.
  9. Cover bowl with damp cloth and allow dough to rise until doubled, about 1  1/2 hours.
  10. Grease 12 standard muffin cups.
  11. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
  12. Flatten dough to a rectangle.
  13. Cut rectangle into 12 equal portions.
  14. Take each portion and break into 3 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place three balls into each muffin cup.
  15. Cover pan with a kitchen towel and allow dough to rise until doubled, about an hour.
  16. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  17. Brush tops of rolls with egg.
  18. Sprinkle each roll with some of the poppy seeds.
  19. Bake until puffed and golden, about 15 minutes.
  20. Remove from pan right away. Serve hot or warm.

Recipe courtesy of The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book.