Cook Like James

Traditional Hot Cross Buns

 

There are many stories regarding the history of Hot Cross Buns. One interesting one comes from Alan Davidson's "The Oxford Companion to Food". He says that the Saxon invaders in Britain chomped on buns adorned with impressions of crosses in honor of the pagan goddess of light, Eostre, from whom the name Easter is derived. Today they are traditionally served at Easter and there is a superstition that Hot Cross Buns baked on Good Friday never became moldy and in the past one Hot Cross Bun would be saved as a good luck charm until the next year's buns were made. Whatever the history, these sweet tender buttery buns are a delicious treat and should be enjoyed all year long. This is adapted from a Cook’s Country recipe for Sweet Dough.

 

Download Hot Cross Buns Recipe

 

3/4 cup buttermilk, warmed (around 110 degrees)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 stick), melted and cooled until warm 

3 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten 

4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour  

2 teaspoons ground spices, optional (if using, try this mixture - 1/2 teaspoon cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg)

1/4 cup sugar  

1 envelope instant yeast or rapid-rise yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons) 

1 1/4 teaspoons table salt   

Extra flour for the counter 

1 large egg, lightly beaten 

1 tablespoon water  

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar  

1 tablespoon milk  

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract  

 

 

1.    Whisk the butter, buttermilk, and eggs together in a large liquid measuring cup. Mix 4 cups of the flour, the sugar, yeast, spices (if using) and salt in a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook. With the mixer on low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and mix until the dough comes together, about 1 minute.

 

2.    Increase the speed to medium-low and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. (If, after five minutes, more flour is needed, add the remaining 1/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough clears the side of the bowl but sticks to the bottom.

 

3.    Turn the dough out onto a clean counter and knead by hand to form a smooth, round ball, about 1 minute. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

 

4.     Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and divide into 12 even pieces. Following the photos, roll the dough into tight balls. Arrange the balls in a greased 9 by 13-inch metal baking dish and wrap tightly in greased plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until the rolls have nearly doubled in size and are pressed against one another, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

 

5.    Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a sharp knife, cut an X through the top 1/4 inch of each bun. Whisk the egg and water together and brush over the buns. Bake until golden and puffed, 25 to 30 minutes.

 

6.    Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Whisk the sugar, milk, and vanilla together and drizzle in an X into the cut grooves of the buns. Serve warm or let cool completely.

Sour Cream Apple Crumble Coffee Cake

This rich, moist coffee cake is quick to make and also works well peaches, apricots, and even frozen blueberries. 

Download Sour Cream Apple Crumble Coffee Cake recipe

Streusel Topping

½ cup flour

½ cup brown sugar tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Pinch of salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

¼ cup chopped nuts (optional)

 

Coffee Cake

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 eggs

¾ cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-2 medium sized apples, peeled, cored and diced

 

Streusel Topping:

Mix flour, sugars, spices and salt in the bowl of food processor or Cuisinart Mini-prep and pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse just to combine. Add nuts and pulse 3-4 times; set mixture aside.

Coffee Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and adjust oven rack to center position. Grease and flour and 9” square pan, or springform pan.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

3. Beat the butter for 1 minute in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed. Gradually add the 1 cup sugar and beat on medium high speed for 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat for about 20 seconds eggs. Add vanilla and beat for 10 seconds.

4. Remove bowl from mixer stand and add 1/3 of the flour mixture and 1/3 of the sour cream and stir with a rubber spatula until combined. Repeat twice, being careful not to overbeat mixture.

5. Spread batter into prepared pan. Scatted diced apples over top over batter. Sprinkle streusel topping over apples, pinching pieces together to form small clumps.

6. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until firm to the touch and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Best Fresh Strawberry Tea Cake

Fresh Strawberry Tea Cake

This is a traditional tea cake recipe and makes great use of fresh strawberries – you can also use raspberries, blueberries or a combination. You could dust with powdered sugar or make a simple glaze, but I think it’s perfectly fine on its own.

Download Fresh Strawberry Tea Cake recipe

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, at room temperature

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

3 cups plus 1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk

1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries

1. Adjust rack to center position and preheat oven to 350 F.

Sift together 3 cups flour, baking powder and salt in large bowl; set aside

2. Cream butter and sugar on medium high speed for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each – about 30 seconds for each egg.

2. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternating with milk. Toss strawberries with remaining 1 tablespoon flour and fold into batter.

3. Scrape batter into greased and floured 12-cup bundt pan. Bake in center of 350-degree oven until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 1 1/4 hours.

4. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes, then unmold cake onto rack to cool completely.

Overnight Spinach Gruyere Breakfast Strata

  

Overnight Breakfast Strata with Spinach and Gruyère Recipe

Makes one 8 by 8-inch strata

Download Overnight Breakfast Strata with Spinach and Gruyère Recipe 

   

 

This is great for a Mother's Day morning breakfast because you can throw it together the night before. I make two or three pans for big brunch parties. You can vary the fillings – add sausage or bacon, leftover vegetables and feel free to substitute any good melting cheese, such as Havarti, sharp cheddar. To weigh down the assembled strata, Cooks Illustrated suggests using two 1-pound boxes of brown or powdered sugar, laid side by side over the plastic-covered surface (A gallon-sized zipper-lock bag filled with about 2 pounds of sugar or rice also works.).

 

8 - 10 slices supermarket French bread (1/2-inch thick) or Italian bread (6 - 7 ounces)

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

4 medium shallots, minced (about 1/2 cup)

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1/2 cup medium-dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc

6 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)

6 large eggs 

1 3/4 cups half-and-half 

¼ tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

 

 

1.    Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 225 degrees. Arrange bread in single layer on large baking sheet and bake until dry and crisp, about 40 minutes, turning slices over halfway through drying time. (Alternatively, leave slices out overnight to dry.) When cooled, butter slices on one side with 2 tablespoons butter; set aside.

 

2.    Heat 2 tablespoons butter in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sauté shallots until fragrant and translucent, about 3 minutes; add spinach and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach and shallots are combined, about 2 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl; set aside. Add wine to skillet, increase heat to medium-high, and simmer until reduced to 1/4 cup, 2 to 3 minutes; set aside.

 

3.    Butter 8-inch square baking dish with remaining 1 tablespoon butter; arrange half the buttered bread slices, buttered-side up, in single layer in dish. Sprinkle half of spinach mixture, then 1/2 cup grated cheese evenly over bread slices. Arrange remaining bread slices in single layer over cheese; sprinkle remaining spinach mixture and another 1/2 cup cheese evenly over bread.

 

4.    Whisk eggs in medium bowl until combined; whisk in reduced wine, half-and-half, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread layers; cover surface flush with plastic wrap, weigh down (see note, above), and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

 

5.    Remove dish from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature 20 minutes. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Uncover strata and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese evenly over surface; bake until both edges and center are puffed and edges have pulled away slightly from sides of dish, 50 to 55 minutes (or about 60 minutes for doubled recipe). Cool on wire rack 5 minutes; serve.

 

  
 

 
   

 

Homemade Cinnamon-Sugared Buttermilk Doughnuts

Homemade Cinnamon-Sugared Buttermilk Doughnuts

Doughnuts were a Sunday tradition in my house. Everyone sitting around the kitchen table, sipping coffee, reading various sections of the paper, (I usually opted for Parade Magazine) and reaching for a doughnut. Sometimes my sister would arrive with a variety box of Dunkin Donuts, other times it would be store bought Freihofer’s mixed dozen – plain, powdered, and cinnamon sugar (my favorite). This recipe from ‘The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook’ delivers a near perfect old fashioned country doughnut - crunchy on the outside, moist nutmeg spiced cake on the inside. I rolled mine in cinnamon sugar, but they’re great plain, with powdered sugar, or even a chocolate glaze. Make them when you’ve got plenty of friends and family around to enjoy them while they’re warm – they do not store well. A note from the cookbook: One of the secrets to the best buttermilk doughnut recipe was the right frying medium. Vegetable shortening in the form of Crisco produced a much less greasy doughnut than vegetable oil or peanut oil. Temperature is important, too - at 350 degrees, the dough absorbed too much oil; at 385 degrees the outside started to burn before the inside could cook through. Best results are achieved by bringing the oil up to 375 degrees before adding the doughnuts; it falls back to 360-365 degrees once the doughnuts are dropped in.

Download Homemade Cinnamon Sugared Buttermilk Doughnuts

Doughnuts:

3 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for surfaces

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2       teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1teaspoon table salt

1 ½ teaspoons fresh grated nutmeg

¾ cup buttermilk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs

1 egg yolk

6 cups vegetable shortening for frying

Topping:

1 cup granulated sugar

1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon

1. Mix 1 cup flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment.

2. Mix buttermilk, butter, and eggs in 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup. Add wet ingredients to the dry; beat on medium speed (number 4 setting on a KitchenAid) until smooth, about 30 seconds. Decrease speed to low (number 2 setting on a KitchenAid); add remaining flour and mix until just combined, about 30 seconds. Stir batter once or twice with wooden spoon or rubber spatula to ensure that all liquid is incorporated. (The dough will be moist and tacky, a cross between cake batter and cookie dough.)

3. Fit candy thermometer to side of cast-iron kettle or large, heavy-bottomed soup kettle; gradually heat shortening over medium-high heat to 375 degrees (or use a deep fryer if you have one). Meanwhile, turn dough onto floured work surface. Roll with heavily floured rolling pin to 1/2-inch thick. Stamp out dough rings with heavily floured doughnut cutter, reflouring between cuts. Transfer dough rounds to jelly roll pan or large wire rack. Gather scraps and gently press into disk; repeat rolling and stamping process until all dough is used. (Cut doughnuts can be covered with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature up to 2 hours.)

4. Carefully drop dough rings into hot fat four or five at a time, depending on kettle size. Turn doughnuts as they rise to surface with tongs, a Chinese skimmer, or a slotted spoon. Fry doughnuts until golden brown, about 50 seconds per side. Drain on paper towel-lined jelly roll pan or wire rack. Repeat frying, returning fat to temperature between each batch.

5. Mix sugar with cinnamon in small bowl. Cool doughnuts about 1 minute and toss with cinnamon sugar to coat.

Makes about 15 doughnuts

 

Fluffy Scrambled Eggs with Spinach and Cream Cheese

There is a wonderful little coffee shop in Silver Lake called Millie’s Café. When I lived in that area it was my favorite breakfast spot and I always ordered Millie’s Special – scrambled eggs with spinach and cream cheese. They serve theirs with a homemade biscuit, which makes a pretty perfect meal. At Millies they do “everything the pain in the ass, old-fashioned way, by hand, from scratch, because there is a difference.”  Millie's Cafe

Download Fluffy Scrambled Eggs with Spinach and Cream Cheese recipe

4 eggs

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon tarragon

Few grinds of black pepper

3 tablespoons whole milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups fresh spinach (about 1 bunch), stemmed, washed, and dried with paper towel, and torn into 1-inch pieces

Salt and pepper to taste

2 ounces cream cheese, cut into ¼” cubes

1. Crack eggs into medium bowl. Add salt, pepper, tarragon and milk. Whip lightly with fork until color is pure yellow and a few large bubbles remain. Set aside.

2. Place butter in 10” nonstick skillet and set pan over medium high heat. When the butter foams, swirl around pan and add torn spinach and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook 1-2 minutes, stirring with spatula, until wilted. Pour beaten eggs into pan. With wooden spoon or plastic spatula, push eggs from one side of pan to other, slowly lifting and folding the eggs to form large curds, 1-1 ½ minutes.  Dot mixture with cream cheese and stir gently to incorporate. Serve immediately. 

Overnight Cheddar Omelet with Fines Herbs

Overnight Cheddar Omelet with Fines Herbs   

This makes a great weekend breakfast for two. I love anything that I can make ahead and just pop in the oven the next morning. It’s light and fluffy and a breeze to throw together. “Fines herbes”, or fine herbs, are a staple of French cuisine and almost always found in Parisian omelets.

Serves 2

Download Overnight Cheddar Omelet with Fines Herbs recipe

For the Fines Herbs:

½ tablespoon medium chopped fresh Italian parsley

½ tablespoon medium chopped fresh chervil

¾ tablespoon thin sliced fresh chives

½ teaspoon thin slice fresh tarragon

1. Finely chop all herbs and set aside.

For the Omelet:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing the dish

2-3 slices high-quality white sandwich bread (if it's a large loaf, 2 slices will be enough)

3 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (3/4 cup)

3 large eggs

3/4 cup whole milk

1/4 cup grated onion

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/8 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1 tablespoon finely chopped herbs (save remaining Fine Herbs for garnish)

1. Grease the bottom and sides of a shallow 4 cup baking dish.  Spread the remaining butter over one side of each slice of bread, and then cut the bread into 1-inch pieces. Scatter half of the bread evenly into the prepared dish and sprinkle with half of the cheddar. Repeat with the remaining bread and cheddar. Whisk together the eggs, milk, onion, salt, pepper, mustard, fine herbs and Tabasco and pour evenly over the bread. Press lightly on the bread to submerge. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 24.

2. When ready to bake, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the dish from the refrigerator and uncover. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 1 hour. Serve immediately.

Traditional Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

TRADITIONAL FLUFFY BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

 

Makes about 8 3-inch pancakes

 

My friend Robert called asking for a good buttermilk pancake recipe – he said he was very surprised not to find one on my site. I do have one for whole grain pancakes, but if you’re looking for a traditional buttermilk pancake, this one works just fine. It can easily be doubled if you have serving a larger crowd. 

 Download TRADITIONAL FLUFFY BUTTERMILK PANCAKES recipe

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

½ teaspoon table salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup buttermilk

¼ cup milk (plus an extra tablespoon or so if batter is too thick)

1 large egg, separated

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

vegetable oil (for brushing griddle)

 

1.  Mix dry ingredients in medium bowl. Pour buttermilk and milk into 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup. Whisk in egg white; mix yolk with melted butter, then stir into milk mixture. Dump wet ingredients into dry ingredients all at once; whisk until just mixed.

 

2.  Meanwhile, heat griddle or large skillet over strong medium-high heat. Brush griddle generously with oil. When water splashed on surface confidently sizzles, pour batter, about 1/4 cup at a time, onto griddle, making sure not to overcrowd. When pancake bottoms are brown and top surface starts to bubble, 2 to 3 minutes, flip cakes and cook until remaining side has browned, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Re-oil the skillet and repeat for the next batch of pancakes.

 

  

Cinnamon Sugared Doughnut Muffins

Cinnamon Sugared Doughnut Muffins

Download Cinnamon Sugared Doughnut Muffins recipe

These delicious, quick to make muffins are based on a recipe for “Nutmeg Muffins” in Marion Cunningham’s The Breakfast Book. They are tender, moist and fragrant – be sure to use freshly grated nutmeg for the best flavor. The cinnamon sugar topping gives them a doughnut-like taste.

Muffins:

1½ cups flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

¾ cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1½ whole nutmegs, grated (use a box or plane grater)

½ tsp. salt

1 egg

¾ cup heavy cream

¾ cup milk

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

 

Topping:

½ cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

 1.    Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a standard muffin tin.

 2.    Whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, grated nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl, thoroughly combining the ingredients.

 3.    Beat the egg in a small bowl, then stir in the cream, milk, and melted butter and blend well. Add the cream mixture to the flour mixture and stir only until there are no streaks of flour; do not over mix.

 4.    Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until the rounded tops are lightly golden.

 5.    While muffins are cooling, mix sugar and ground cinnamon in small bowl and melt butter in small saucepan. After baked muffins have cooled five minutes, working one at a time, dip tops of muffins in melted butter and then cinnamon-sugar. Set muffins upright on wire rack; serve.

  

 

Perfect Easy Popovers

 

Perfect Popovers

 I was in Washington DC recently and had a great dinner at BLT (Bistro Laurent Tourondel http://www.bltsteak.com/). The food was delicious, but the popovers were particularly memorable. Popovers are great in the morning with some strawberry butter, or you can add a little grated parmesan cheese to the batter and serve them at dinner. If you’re serving a Roast Prime Rib, you can also make great individual Yorkshire puddings by substituting pan drippings for the vegetable oil.

2 large eggs 

1 cup whole milk 

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces)

1/2 teaspoon table salt 

1 tablespoon unsalted butter , melted

1 tablespoon vegetable oil 

1.    In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and milk until well combined, about 20 seconds. Whisk the flour and salt in a medium bowl and add to the egg mixture; stir with a wooden spoon or spatula just until the flour is incorporated; the mixture will still be lumpy. Add the melted butter. Whisk until the batter is bubbly and smooth, about 30 seconds. Let the batter rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2.    While the batter is resting, measure 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil into each cup of the popover pan. Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position, place the popover pan in the oven, and heat to 450 degrees. After the batter has rested, pour it into a 4-cup liquid measuring cup or another container with a spout (you will have about 2 cups batter). Working quickly, remove the pan from the oven and distribute the batter evenly among the 6 cups in the pan. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, without opening the oven door. Lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake until golden brown all over, 15 to 18 minutes more. Invert the pan onto a wire rack to remove the popovers and cool for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.