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French Toast

1 cup half-and-half
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 (1/2-inch) slices day-old or stale country loaf, brioche or challah bread
4 tablespoons butter

In medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, honey, and salt. You may do this the night before. When ready to cook, pour custard mixture into a pie pan and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side, and then remove to a cooling rack that is sitting in a sheet pan, and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.

Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch nonstick saute pan. Place 2 slices of bread at a time into the pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on rack in oven for 5 minutes. Repeat with all 8 slices. Serve immediately with maple syrup, whipped cream or fruit.

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Fajitas

From Good Eats

1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 scallions, washed and cut in 1/2
2 large cloves garlic
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more if desired)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 pounds inside skirt steak, cut into 3 equal pieces

1 ripe (red/yellow/orange) bell pepper, sliced
1 sweet onion, sliced
8 oz mushrooms, cleaned & sliced

1 avocado, sliced, sprinkled with lime juice, salt, and pepper
sour cream

flour tortillas

AB calls for grilling directly on chunk charcoal. Directly directly…no grate. Here is his recipe if you want to check it out. I’ve modified the recipe slightly for a gas grill.

In a blender, put in oil, soy sauce, scallions, garlic, lime juice, red pepper, cumin, and sugar and puree. In a large heavy duty, zip top bag, put pieces of skirt steak and pour in marinade. Seal bag, removing as much air as possible. Allow steak to marinate for 1 hour in refrigerator.

Heat all grill burners on high for 5-10 minutes, scrape down & oil grates. Turn the burners down just a squidge.

Grill steaks for two minutes per side. When finished cooking, place meat in double thickness of aluminum foil, wrap, and allow to sit for 15 minutes.

While the meat rests saute the onions, pepper, and mushrooms.

Remove meat from foil, reserving foil and juices. Slice thinly across the grain of the meat. Return to foil pouch and toss with juice. Serve with onion mixture, sour cream, and avocado in flour tortillas.

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The Apple Lady’s Apple Cake

From NPR in ’01:

Wells got this recipe from a woman who sells her family orchard’s apples at a Paris farmer’s market “in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.” This cake, Wells says, is “the sort of homey recipe that makes French home cooking so incomparable.” She recommends serving it with honey-flavored ice cream.

1/2 cup (2.5 oz) flour
1/3 cup (2.5 oz) sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup whole milk
4 baking apples (about 2 pounds total), cored, peeled, and cut into thin wedges

The topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Equipment:
1 9-inch springform pan
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and set it aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and sea salt, and stir to blend. Add the vanilla extract, eggs, oil, and milk, and stir until well blended. Add the apples and stir to thoroughly coat them with the batter.
4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake pan. Place the pan in the center of the over and bake until fairly firm and golden,a bout 25 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the topping. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, egg, and melted butter, and stir to blend. Set it aside.
6. Remove the cake from the oven and pour the topping mixture over it. Return the cake to the oven and bake until the top is a deep golden brown and the cake feels quite firm when pressed with a fingertip, about 10 minutes.
7. Transfer the cake pan to a rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Then run a knife around the sides fo the pan, and release and remove the springform side, leaving the cake on the pan base. Serve at room temperature, cut into thin wedges.

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Mashed Sweet Potatoes

No picture, forgive me.

Even L devoured these, and she’s the queen of “new is bad”.

4 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 4 pieces
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 large or 3 medium-small potatoes), peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
pinch ground black pepper

1. Combine butter, cream, salt, sugar, and sweet potatoes in 3 to 4 quart saucepan; cook, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, until potatoes fall apart when poked with fork, 35 to 45 minutes.
2. Off heat, mash sweet potatoes in saucepan with potato masher, or transfer mixture to hopper of food mill and process into warmed serving bowl. Stir in pepper; serve immediately.

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Apple Pie Hubbub with Cinnamon Streusel Topping

This is adapted from the September ’96 issue of Bon Appetit.

Crust:
6 oz (1.5 sticks) butter, softened
1.5 oz (6 tbs) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
7 1/4 oz (1.5 c) flour

Filling:
2 lbs baking apples, peeled, cored, cut into .5″ slices
1/4 c sugar
3 tbs butter, melted
1 tsp cinnamon

Topping:
4.5 oz (1 scant cup) flour
1/2 c light brown sugar
1 c rolled oats
1/2 c chopped walnuts
1 tsp cinnamon
5 oz (1 1/4 sticks) chilled butter, cut into small pieces

For crust: Preheat oven to 350F. Combine first four ingredients in large bowl, beat until fluffy. Add flour, beat just until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Press dough over bottom and up sides of 9″ pie pan. Freeze until firm, about 10 min.

Bake crust 10 min. Using rubber spatula, press up sides of crust if beginning to fall. Bake until crust is pale golden, about 20 min. longer. Cool completely on a rack.

For filling: Toss apples with remaining ingredients. Transfer filling to crust, mounding in center.

For topping: Mix all but butter in medium bowl. Using fingertips, rub in butter until moist clumps form. Sprinkle topping over filling, pressing gently to compact.

Bake until topping is golden and apples are tender, covering crust edges with foil if browning too quickly, about one hour. Cool to room temperature.

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CARAMEL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

2 1/4 c. all purpose flour (11 oz)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar (5.25 oz)
3/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar (4.75 oz)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
12 oz. pkg. semi sweet chocolate morsels
15 caramel squares, cut into 8 pieces
4 oz pecans (1 cup)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In large mixer bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract; beat until creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour mixture. Stir in semi sweet chocolate morsels and caramel bits. Drop by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 11 minutes. Makes about 5 dozen 2 1/4 inch cookies.

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Cinnamon Walnut Scones

I made these for a recent brunch and they were delicious. While they’re more traditional patted out and cut into triangles, I’m prefer making drop scones with a disher, and will do so next time. This keeps you from overworking the dough and they stay tender.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/2 cup butter, cubed
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons buttermilk
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

1. In a food processor combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon peel.

2. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in all but the 2 tablespoons of the nuts. Add buttermilk, pulse to just combine.

3. Gather the dough into a ball and knead for about 2 minutes on lightly floured board.

4. Roll or pat out 3/4 inch thick. With a chef’s knife cut into 3 inch triangles. Place, spaced 1inch apart, on a greased baking sheet. Brush tops with remaining 1 tablespoon buttermilk; sprinkle with the remaining sugar and the nuts.

5. Bake in center of 425 degree F (220 degrees C) oven about 15 minutes or until nicely browned. Serve warm with butter or jam.

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Lemon Cheesecake

A few years ago I started baking cheesecakes in cake pans instead of springform. Not for lack of supplies–I own five springforms–but for how much it simplifies the water bath. No need to wrap the pan in two layers of heavy-duty tin foil.

Line the pan with parchment (when I’m really overachieving I do the sides as well as the bottom) and start with the crust. The one time I sprayed the pan and then the liner with nonstick spray was the one time it came apart a bit on me. The liner stuck to the pan with the addition of the spray.

Refrigerate the cake in the pan covered with nonstick tin foil, then when thoroughly chilled turn out onto a flat surface (a cutting board works well) and invert back onto the serving platter.

Cookie-Crumb Crust
5 ounces Nabisco Barnum’s Animal Crackers or Social Tea Biscuits
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and kept warm

Filling
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (8 3/4 ounces)
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese , (three 8-ounce packages), cut into rough 1-inch chunks and left to stand at room temperature 30 to 45 minutes
4 large eggs , room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup heavy cream

Topping
1 cup lemon curd

First, so you don’t get animal cracker crumbs in the cheesecake, process 1/4 cup sugar and lemon zest in food processor until sugar is yellow and zest is broken down, about 15 seconds, scraping down bowl if necessary. Add remaining 1 cup sugar, pulse once or twice to combine. Transfer lemon sugar to small bowl.

FOR THE CRUST: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. In food processor, process cookies to fine, even crumbs, about 30 seconds. Add sugar and pulse 2 or 3 times to incorporate. Add warm melted butter in slow, steady stream while pulsing; pulse until mixture is evenly moistened and resembles wet sand, about ten 1-second pulses. Transfer mixture to 9-inch cake pan; using bottom of ramekin or dry measuring cup, press firmly and evenly into pan bottom, and sides. Bake until fragrant and golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 30 minutes. When cool set cake pan in roasting pan.

In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on low to break up and soften slightly, about 5 seconds. With machine running, add sugar mixture in slow steady stream; increase speed to medium and continue to beat until mixture is creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Reduce speed to medium-low and add eggs 2 at a time; beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping sides and bottom of bowl well after each addition. Add lemon juice, vanilla, and salt and mix until just incorporated, about 5 seconds; add heavy cream and mix until just incorporated, about 5 seconds longer. Give batter final scrape, stir with rubber spatula, and pour into prepared cake pan; sit cake pan in a roasting pan. Fill roasting pan with enough hot tap water to come halfway up sides of cake pan. Bake one hour. Turn off oven and allow cake to rest in water bath in oven for 1 hour. Transfer cake pan to wire rack; run small paring knife around inside edge of pan to loosen sides of cake and cool cake to room temperature, about 2 hours. Refrigerate overnight.

5. TO FINISH THE CAKE: When cheesecake is cool, carefully turn out onto nonstick tin foil. Invert onto serving plate. scrape lemon curd onto cheesecake; using offset icing spatula, spread curd evenly over top of cheesecake.

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Spaghetti Carbonara

This is from Cook’s Illustrated and is basically the recipe I grew up on, with the addition of garlic. I’ve tweaked the technique a bit to temper the eggs and make it more difficult to curdle.

2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound bacon (6 to 8 slices), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
3 eggs
3 ounces Parmesan cheese , finely grated (1 cup)
3 small cloves garlic , minced
1 pound spaghetti
Table salt and ground black pepper (see note)

Cook spaghetti, reserving a cup of cooking water.

Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until shimmering, but not smoking. Add bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm. Beat eggs, cheeses, and garlic together with fork in small bowl. Slowly stir in about 1/3 cup of the hot pasta cooking water to temper the eggs.

Return drained pasta to pot; pour egg mixture over hot pasta stirring constantly. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes or 3/4 teaspoon table salt; toss well to combine. Pour bacon mixture over pasta, season generously with black pepper, and toss lightly to combine. Serve immediately.

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Cornbread

jiffy cornbread

Posted with reservations. This came highly recommended on an internet forum recently and with so many fans I had to give it a try. Eric & A love it, but it’s a little too rich for me–and that’s saying something. I’ve I’m going to have that much butter in something I also want it iced in chocolate!

2 packages Jiffy Cornbread mix
16oz sour cream
4 eggs
2 sticks melted butter or margarine

Mix all ingredients together, pour into ungreased 13×9 pan. Bake at 350 for 30-45 mins until lightly browned on top and sides pull away from the pan.