Cornmeal/Sage/Chive Biscuits with Bacon and Redeye Gravy

Folks - this starts the food archives. From this point back in the archives are simply the recipes that have been on the blog since it's first public post of June 2008. There are some recipes in the blog that aren't here, so enjoy browing the regular content. - Brigid

Cornmeal Biscuits with Sage and Chives
(c) 2013 Brigid at Home on the Range
1 and 1/3 cup White Lily SELF RISING flour
3 Tablespoons corn meal
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
1/2  tsp. dried/crushed sageleaves
6 Tablespoons salted butter
1 /2 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Mix milk and lemon juice in a small bowl and let sit while you mix up everything else (let sit at least 8-10 minutes)

Mix self rising flour, cornmeal, sugar and cream of tartar.  Add in chives and sage and blend.

Make a well in the center and pour in the milk mixture, stir just until combined. Cut in butter with two knives or pastry blender until butter is in tiny little bits (don't incorporate completely for flakier biscuits.)  If dough is "wet" looking, add in another Tablespoon of flour as you knead.

Drop onto floured board and kneed 4-5 times (no more than that). Cut with 2 inch glass dipped in flour and bake on cookie sheet sprayed with non stick spray for 13-14 minutes, until golden on top.  Makes six biscuits.

Redeye Gravy

8 slices thick cut hickory smoked bacon
2 teaspoons flour
1 cup strong black coffee, room temperature
1/2 cup chicken stock
pinch of brown sugar
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon until crisp in a cast iron skillet. Remove half of the drippings and save. Set bacon aside to keep warm. Reduce heat slightly and in remaining drippings stir flour, whisking on low until golden and stirring up browned bits of bacon (about 3-4 minutes)

Pour coffee and stock into the bacon/flour mixture, whisking constantly, raising heat to low/medium until mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat slightly, add brown sugar and cayenne and simmer until slightly thickened (this won't be near as thick as Sawmill type gravy, but less flour makes the flavors really shine)

Add a dash of salt and pepper.  Serve over bacon and biscuits

   

Packing Heat - Dark Chocolate Brownies with cinnamon and espresso

 

 

2 cups sugar

pinch of Pink Himilayan salt

1 stick unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1  and 1/2  teaspoon Penzey's Mexican vanilla
4 large eggs (also at room temperature)
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/4 cup Sharffenberger unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup Penzey's Natural High Fat Cocoa  (this one has a strong dark, chocolate flavor).*
2  teaspoons instant espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon Vietnamese cinnamon (also Penzey's)
1/2 cup whole milk

Note:  If you don't have these two cocoas, a 1/2 cup of Hershey's Special Dark  can be substituted but if you can get one or both of these, it makes a nice difference.

Set oven to 300 degrees. That's right 300.F.  These babies cook for a whole hour giving the intense flavors time to work their magic. 

Cream the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt with a hand mixer until smooth.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.

Sift the flour, the espresso powder, the cinnamon and the cocoas  all together, adding it in the butter mixture,  mixing on low until well combined.

Pour into a buttered 12 x 15 pan (not a 13 x 9 and not a 8 x 8)

Bake for ONE HOUR.  These are very good frosted,  but also good just right out of the pan.

Adrenalin Junkie Cheesecake

Two forms of dark chocolate, chocolate covered espresso bean and cookie crumb crust and espresso sugar, what's not to love.

Crust

24 chocolate wafer cookies (from one 9-ounce package)

half a dozen chocolate covered espresso beans (Ok, I used a few extra  Look a Squirrel!!!)

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 stick of unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 3-inch-high sides. Chop espresso beans in food processor until chopped, then add in cookies and process until finely ground.  Blend in sugar and melted butter and process until blended.  Press the crumbs onto the bottom only of the prepared pan.  Bake about 5 minutes.  Leave oven on but remove crust and let cool on a wire rack.

Filling

1 9.7-ounce bar Scharffen Berger 70% Cocoa Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped (Lindt is a good substitute but don't use Baker's chocolate as it is too grainy for this recipe)
2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature  (that's four normal sized bricks)

1 and 1/3 cups sugar

2 Tablespoons of  Scharffen Berger unsweetened cocoa
1 Tablespoon  instant espresso powder (I use the Starbucks instant coffee)

a drop  or two of Madagascar vanilla

4 large eggs

Stir chopped chocolate in metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove bowl  and set aside to let cool  until lukewarm but still pourable. Blend cream cheese, sugar, cocoa and espresso powder in clean food processor until smooth. Blend in eggs 1 at a time. Leaving the mixer on, pour in lukewarm chocolate. and mix until blended.  Pour filling over crust; smooth top. Bake for 55 minutes to one hour.  Center should be set and just appears dry.  Remove from oven and cool 5-10 minutes.  Run a knife around the sides of the cake to loosen and when completely cool, cover loosely with foil and chill overnight

Ganache

An hour prior to serving:

3/4 cup heavy cream

6 ounces Scharffen Berger 70% Cocoa Bittersweet Chocolate,* chopped

1 tablespoon  Artisano's espresso sugar (they ship if you contact them)

Stir cream, 6 ounces chocolate, and sugar in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until smooth. Cool for 5 minutes and pour over cheesecake, spreading with a spatula..

Top with whipped cream and more espresso sugar if desired.

"It's So Fluffy" Waffles

These waffles have a very fluffy, tender texture, almost like a pancake or pastry. They are light in crumb with just enough crisp on the top to hold in those delicious pockets of butter and syrup.

It sounds like a lot of work, but both waffles and syrup can be ready in less than 20 minutes and the recipe easily doubles.

Makes four 4-5 inch square waffles

3/4 cup White Lily self rising flour (soft winter wheat makes a big difference in your waffle or biscuit).
1/4 tsp baking SODA
1 extra large egg separated
1/2 cup whole milk
1 Tablespoon Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 tsp. Penzey's vanilla sugar (or use granulated white to which you've added a drop of vanilla).
3 Tablespoons butter - melted

Set egg out on counter to bring to room temperature.

Have two medium sized bowls, clean and totally dry, and one soup sized bowl ready.

Mix Braggs and whole milk in soup bowl.  Let set 10 minutes while you mix everything else up.

In one bowl mix flour, baking soda and vanilla sugar.

Prep your waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions.

Separate your egg.  Add yolk to the butter mixture and put egg white into remaining clean bowl. 

Microwave butter in a coffee mug to melt and set by the bowls.

Using a hand mixture, beat egg white until soft peaks form.

Slowly add butter to milk mixture while stirring constantly.  Add that bowl to the flour mixture.  Stir until combined (there may be just a few small lumps, the less stirring the better).

Carefully fold in egg white. Incorporate thoroughly but do not overmix. The batter will have almost a souffle like consistency

Use about 1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon batter per small waffle square.

Serve with butter and Maple Buurbon Cider Syrup

1 cup apple cider
1 cup maple syrup (REAL maple syrup,  not the thick and buttery flavored stuff)
1/2 shot Bourbon
pinch of cayenne

In a small saucepan, combine cider and syrup.  Bring to boiling over medium heat.  Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.  Add Bourbon and cayenne and simmer another 3-5 minutes.  Makes about 1 cup of finished syrup

Danish Braid

Danish Pastry is a “laminated” dough, which means that it’s made up of dough and butter layers. There are two components to it – Detrempe, the ball of dough and Beurrage:  otherwise known as a butter block.  The dough is rolled out in to a rectangle and folded up into thirds like a business letter, let to rest, and rolled out and folded, several more times, which makes all the wonderful little flaky layers of pastry. (If you've made croissants, this will be a snap).  It is then filled down the center, while the edges are cut into strips to braid over the filling before baking.

I recommend reading the directions carefully a couple of times, I've added some hints  in red print from my own experience making it.  Due to the poor light in my crash pad night kitchen  (no windows) I don't have decent photos of the braid process, but it's not as complicated as it sounds.  If you can fold a letter into thirds and make a braid with your hair, you can make this. 

Adapted from Sherry Yard’s The Secrets of Baking (a great book!)

The version , for a small household makes 1  - 1/2 pound pastry, but easily doubles (to double, use the amounts in purple print in the parenthesis)

DOUGH (detrempe)

1 and 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast   (1 T)
1/4 cup whole milk   (1/2 cup)
3 Tablespoons sugar   (1/3 cup)
1/2 teaspoon orange zest finely grated   (zest from a whole orange)
8 green cardamom pods, cracked scraped and ground or  heaping 1/4 t, dried)   (16 pods scraped or 3/4 tsp. dried)
1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla extract   (2 tsp)
1/4 vanilla bean, split and scraped   (1/2 bean)
1  large egg, chilled  (2 eggs)
2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice, pulp strained   (1/4 cup)
1 and 1/2 cups plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour  (3 and 1/4 cups)
1/2 teaspoon salt  (1 tsp)

BUTTER BLOCK (beurrage)

1 stick cold unsalted butter  (2 sticks)
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour   (1/4 cup)

Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat an additional 1 minute (it should be smooth and lump free.) Set aside at room temperature.

Preparing the dough - Detrempe

Slightly warm the milk in a bowl from a stand mixer, add 1 Tablespoon of sugar from the sugar allotment and add the yeast.  Cover and let rest 5 minutes. Mix with a paddle attachment on low speed. Slowly add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, egg, and orange juice. Mix well, adding  the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated. Switch to dough hook and knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. Add a little more flour if it is too sticky. (amount you add varies on humidity and moisture content of the flour.  The dough is about ready when it quits sticking to the side of the bowl and begins stalking the dough hook as it spins, then starts flopping around in a ball shape). 

Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes. (Do NOT cheat on the 30 minute sesssions, the butter needs to chill and the gluten, to rest, have a glass of wine, relax)

After the dough has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll the into a rectangle approximately 18 x  13 inches and 1/4 inch thick.

The dough may be sticky, so dust it lightly with flour as needed. Spread the butter block evenly over the right two thirds of the dough.  Fold the left edge of the dough to the right, covering half of the butter (like you'd fold  a piece of typing paper into thirds to stick in an envelop)  Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. You will be turning it more times so keep track on a piece of paper.

Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left.

Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, 1/4 inch rectangle. (Use long, continuous strokes to roll the dough rather than short jerky ones, to make sure the butter is evenly distributed). Fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third.  that's your second "turn".

 Refrigerate the dough for another 30 minutes.

Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours
or overnight.

The Danish dough is now ready to be used.

Filling

1 and 1/4  cup of fruit preserves, 1/4 to 1/3  cup cream cheese (more or less filling, to taste)

Prepare egg wash  - whisk together 1 large egg , 1 egg yolk and 1 teaspoon of milk (if you want a crispier, darker surface, omit the milk).

Time to make the braid

Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface,
roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle,1/4 inch thick.   If the dough shrinks back when it's rolled (too elastic) let it rest for a few minutes then roll again.

Place the dough on the baking sheet. (Visually divide up the dough into thirds.) Along one long side of the pastry (one third of whole pastry)  make parallel, 5-inch- long cuts with a knife, each about 1 inch apart (to form 1 inch flaps, which will be braided) Repeat on the opposite side, eyeballing it to  line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.

Spoon the fruit filling down the center  1/3 portion of the rectangle and dot with teaspoons of the cream cheese   Before beginning to “braid”, fold up the dough at each end of the braid, to keep the filling from leaking out. Start at the top and alternate sides, folding the side strips in towards the middle and covering the filling.  The dough strips should overlap in the middle. You may want to wet the strips a bit with a clean finger dipped in milk so that they stick to each other better where they overlap. Once it's all corseted up (and you will need a corset after eating this).

Proof and Bake

Spray cooking oil onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof in the warmest room of the house, or the oven that you've heated up to about 100 degrees, then turned the heat off.  When it's ready it will be double in volume and light to the touch.

Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. (I you're proofing the pastry in the oven, please remove it first!)

 Position a rack in the center of the oven.

Brush the pastry with the egg wash.  Bake 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so the end of the pastry that was in the back of the oven is now in the front. . Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. Glaze with a mixture of powdered sugar and milk  (1 tsp of cream or milk per 1/2 cup sugar) when cooled just slightly as desired.

Crêpes

Makes six small crepes or 3 large.

1 cup all purpose flour
small pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon plus one pinch sugar
1 egg lightly beaten
1/4 cup good spring water
7 ounces milk (1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup if using measuring cups)
1 and 1/2 teaspoons butter (melted)

Sift the flour, sugar and salt into a bowl and make a crater in the center.  Mix the egg, milk and water together and slowly pour into the crater, whisking constantly just until you have a smooth batter.  Stir in the melted butter, cover and put in refrigerator for 20 minutes while you prep pan and make some bacon.

I don't own a crepe pan, a medium sized cast iron pan, lightly coated with  a dab of melted butter worked just fine.  Over medium (moderate)  heat, pour in enough batter to cover bottom of pan in thin layer (for large crepe) or use a third cup measure to make small crepes, pouring directly in the center of the pan. For the first time cook, try the small crepes first, they are easier to work with as you have some bare pan to get the spatula in and around them to flip.

Cook over medium heat for a minute to a minute to a minute and a half.  The crepe will not bubble up like a pancake but the edges should start to pull away from the side of the pan or appear light brown and the center will look somewhat dry.  Flip carefully with a large spatula and cook for another two minutes. They do not brown up like pancakes but should not appear "wet" when they are done.

Unlike pancakes you can NOT make these in the shape of Mickey Mouse (look kids, an amoeba !)  They should be very thin and require a delicate hand when flipping.

If making a double batch, stack the crepes on a plate with pieces of wax paper between them and cover with foil to keep them warm and pliable.

Fill with a tablespoon or so of preserves and dust with powdered sugar.

Bacon Butterscotch Brownies with Salted Caramel

The Brownie

 

Makes one small loaf pan or double for an 8 x 8 pan

 

3 Tablespoons butter, melted

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 small egg (if using large egg, break, whisk and use 2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon)

1/2 teaspoon mexican vanilla.

1/2 cup flour

3/4  teaspoon baking powder

slightly less than 1/2 tsp salt (almost to the top of the measure, but not quite)

2-3  pieces applewood smoked bacon, cooked and chopped (reserving a few pieces for topping)

 

Melt butter, pour over brown sugar and stir till the sugar starts melting.  Cool slightly and whisk in egg.

 

In small bowl, mix remaining ingredients and pour into sugar mixture, stirring until blended and no longer grainy.  Place in well greased bread pan (mixturewill be thick) and bake 25-30 minutes (this one burns easy, check at 25 minutes, if edges are darkening and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean remove immediately otherwise check very minute til done). When it comes out of the oven, brush with some of the salted caramel, reserving more to serve with it when slightly cooled, topping with additional bacon, if desired.

 

 

The Salted Caramel Sauce

 

If the caramel sauce is intimidating, you can use about 1/4  cup of jarred caramel sauce and add the sea salt, but with practice this makes an incredibly rich buttery caramel you just can't buy.  This recipe makes enough for an 8 x 8 pan plus a little bit extra to dip pretzels or apple slices.

 

1 cup white sugar

5 tablespoons butter cut into fairly thin slices or chunks

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 Tablespoon whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

Directions

Place sugar in a quite heavy and tall saucepan set over medium-high heat (a tall cast iron pot works well). Do not use a pan  a lot bigger than the burner or your sugar will cyrstalize around the edge.

 

Stir continuously until sugar begins to melt. Do NOT walk away from this. Continue stirring until the sugar melts completely, begins to darken and all the chunks are dissolved, about 10 minutes. Stop stirring and continue to cook until the sugar begins to smoke and turns a dark shade of amber.  That can be from 3 to 7 minutes, but remove it from the heat at the VERY first wisp of smoke, don't wait for the color at that point.  Remove from heat and wait 30 seconds. Yes, you might burn your first batch, but trust me, it's worth tinkering with again.

 

Whisk in butter until melted and combined. Slowly pour in 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cream, taking care because it can bubble over. Sprinkle in 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanillaa nd stir to combine. Transfer sauce to a jar and cool completely before refrigerating.

French Onion Baked Potato

French Onion Baked Potato. It's not pretty, being somewhat bland in color, but I literally moaned when I bit into it.
 

You will need (per potato)
1 large potato
1 sweet onion
Malbec wine
summer savory
thyme
a bay leaf
salt and pepper
beef broth (I used some leftover homemade beef stock in which had earlier cooked a garlic studded roast beast, but canned will work)
extra virgin olive oil

To Start: Rub your scrubbed and clean potato with olive oil. I use one that is made of olives that taste like butter, from Artesano's in Indianapolis.

After your potato is oiled, poke a few holes in it so it doesn't blow up in your oven, resulting in potato residue on your clothing that will likely get you secondary screening by Security Canine Barkley. Then place directly on the rack of a 400 degree F. oven and set the timer for 60 minutes.

Next, get one sweet onion, fairly large but not a Jabba the Hut sized one, and chop it into fairly thin slivers or pieces. .


SNIFF. No, it wasn't the onions I was thinking about my last grouping before bow season.


The onions, when chopped, will look to be almost the same mass as the potato, but they cook down quite a bit.

Put the onions in a pan with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and a couple pinches of salt (which help caramelize it) and cook on low/medium heat. Stir every few minutes, for at least 30 minutes. The onions should be VERY soft and caramelized, starting to turn golden. In the last five minutes raise the heat to medium, and cook until very light golden brown, stirring constantly, if needed. You want soft, not crunchy onions, so watch they don't burn, adding a teaspoon more olive oil as needed.

Remove the onions, putting them in a little saucepan and keep warm. Do not rinse fry pan. Remove it from heat, let cool a minute and then put in a healthy splash of Malbec wine (if you don't have a dry red wine, a splash of Chardonnay and Vermouth would work.)


With the wine in the pan, stir up the little bits of onion left with a spatula. Return to low heat and add 1/3 to 1/2 cup beef broth. Add a heaping half teaspoon of Summer Savory (if you can't find, use thyme), a bay leaf, 1/4 heaping teaspoon fresh ground pepper and a dash of salt. Simmer on low to medium low until reduced to 1/4 cup of liquid (by the time the potato is done, it should be ready).


While this simmers, shred just shy of a half cup of Gruyere cheese and also cut 4 thin slices (about an inch by 4 inches) of cheese for the top of the potato. Add the shredded cheese to the onion mixture. Reserve the strips. I used a really good quality Swiss Gruyere.


At an hour, remove potato from oven and turn oven to broil, positioning the top rack two rungs down. Cut off a thin wedge off the top of the potato and then scoop the potato flesh out of the potato as well as the little bit of flesh from the top piece, which you won't need. Mix the potato flesh with the broth over low heat (bay leaf removed and any extra broth removed with a spoon if you think after simmering it's more than 1/4 cup). Add onion mixture to wine infused broth and potato mixture. Mix with a spoon until combined and creamy with the cheese starting to melt. You can add additional salt and pepper to taste (I didn't think it needed it). Spoon the mixture back into the potato carefully. It will be more than the potato will hold, so you end up with a nice little Mt. McKinley of potato goodness on the top.

That potato summit then will be conquered by the strips of cheese which you will lay across the top of the potato in a small baking dish. Place the dish in the oven under the broiler and broil the potato until the cheese is melted and starting to brown (watch carefully, better light gold than burnt). Top with a sprig of fresh thyme and serve with a green salad.


Try not to make those little noises when you eat it. It makes the neighbors wonder.

click to enlarge

 

Pavlova - A Perfect Summer Dessert

This recipe may be doubled to make an 18 inch dessert, cooking time remaining pretty much the same.

4 egg white (room temperature)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon vinegar
2 teaspoons corn starch
15 fluid ounces whipped cream, whipped
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out
soft fruit.

Mark a 9 or 18 inch (if doubling) circle on a large sheet of parchment paper.

Place on a baking sheet.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. F.

When preparing a Pavlova recipe, the most important thing is to have scrupulously clean utensils, free of grease or egg shell. The success of the meringue depends on it. It is also important that the egg whites are at room temperature before beating them.

Whisk  egg whites til shiny.

Continuously whisk in sugar, a Tablespoon at a time, until glossy and thick.

Carefully fold in the vanilla, vinegar and corn starch.

Spoon mixture inside the circle and make well in center.  Bake one hour, and when cool carefully transfer to serving platter.  Top with whipped cream to which you've added the vanilla pod seeds and fruit.

If the room is fairly cool, open the oven door, after turning the heat off, letting the shell cool a little more gradually, removing  from the oven when cool.  Cracks will form either way, and are not noticeable with the whipped cream.

Pretzel Rolls

Common in Chicago, Pretzel Rolls are buns for sandwiches, hot dogs or hamburgers, borrowing their name for that famous Bavarian Creation.  The chewy, slightly salted surface and soft interior is something unique.

They're a little bit of time to make, but once you've had them, plain bread for ham and cheese sandwiches, bratwurst or burgers is going to seem rather boring. They're wonderful freshly made, heated on a griddle or cold with lunch meats, but do freeze well, thawing quickly.

Pretzel Rolls

1 3/4 cups whole milk

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 and a generous 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast

3 1/2 cups King Arthur's bread flour

3/4 teaspoon plus one pinch salt (just slightly less than 1 full teaspoon)

Coarse salt for sprinkling

Water Bath

7-8 cups water

1 tablespoon salt

4 tablespoons baking soda

Warm the milk to 110 degrees. F.  (bathwater warm). Do NOT scald. Stir in the yeast.  Remove from heat and let the mixture stand until it starts to foam (means the yeast is working) 5-8 minutes. Add in the olive oil, stir, and add three cups of the flour and the salt.

Kneed the dough in a big clean bowl with a dough hook for 5 minutes, adding the additional 1/2 cup flour as needed.  It should remain a bit tacky, but clean the sides of the bowl.  Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface and kneed lightly by hand until the dough is smooth and elastic (another minute).

Place the dough in a well oiled bowl and turn it over so that both sides are oiled. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise where it's neither cold or drafty (an oven is idea) until it's double in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how cold it is in the work area. 

If the bread is in the oven, remove and preheat it to 400 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Punch the dough down and  drop it on down to a clean floured surface, dividing into 8 pieces. Form each piece of dough into a ball, slightly flattened. Place the dough balls on the lined baking pan, cover and allow to rise for an additional 20 minutes.

While the buns rise, prepare a water bath.  Not for you, for the buns.  It's not hard. and if you've made bagels you've already done this before.  In a large, deep cooking pot, bring water, salt and baking soda to a rolling boil.  The dough at this point is a little sticky, so put a little flour on clean hands to help in handling them. Gently drop the buns (I use a large slotted spoon so not to splash) into the boiling water, a couple at a time, and let them boil for about half a minute on each side.  Remove with a slotted spoon and place on the lined baking pan.  Using a serrated bread knife, cut a couple lines across each bun and sprinkle with course salt.  When all the buns are "poached" and on the pan, bake for 25-30 minutes until the buns are a deep brown color.  Cool on a wire rack.

You may never eat a regular hamburger bun again.

Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

Adapted from a recipe in Cooks Illustrated.

Serves 6 generously

1 cup milk (I used skim).
1 cup mayo (don't skimp here, use the leaded stuff)
1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 pound salad macaroni (1/2 of most boxes)
1/4 cup plus 1/2 teaspoon Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar
2 generous Tablespoons grated onion
1 carrot peeled and finely diced
1 small celery rib, chopped

Make the dressing by whisking 3/4 cup of the milk with 3/4 cup of the mayo, the pepper and brown sugar.  Set aside.  Cook the macaroni in salted water for 15 minutes, no more, no less.  Drain and toss with the Apple Cider Vinegar in a large bowl.  Let cool 10 minutes, and then add the dressing.  Just before serving, chop the veggies (or have them set aside and ready) and stir in with another 1/4 cup mayo and 1/4 cup milk and a generous dash or two of salt.

Baked Peaches with Maple Bacon Crumble

Recipe and photo (c) Home on the Range

Baked Peaches with Maple Bacon Crumble.

This recipe serves two, but easily doubles.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Spray 8 ounce oven-safe ramekins with non stick spray.

Drain one 15 ounce can of  "packed in fruit juice" peaches (or use fresh/frozen fruit) and toss with 1 Tablespoon of sugar and 1 Tablespoon of flour.

Divide into the two ramekins.  In a small bowl mix -

4 Tablespoons steel cut oats (not quick cooking oatmeal)
1 Tablespoon flour
3 shakes of Vietnamese Cinnamon (about 1/8 teaspoon)
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 Tablespoons of brown sugar
1 slice of smoked bacon, cooked and chopped fine
3 and 1/2 teaspoons of salted butter - melted

Mix and sprinkle over fruit.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown.  Let cool two minutes (it will be VERY hot),  then top with a couple big spoonfuls of vanilla ice cream.

Cheddar Garlic Biscuits

2 and 1/2 cups White Lily® Enriched Bleached Self-Rising Flour (10 ounces)
1/4 cup lard
3/4 cup milk
a generous 3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Place flour in bowl and cut in lard with pastry blender or two knives until the fat is the size of very small peas.

Stir in the milk and the cheese, stirring just until the dough leaves the side of the bowl and is holding together. The mixture should be slightly sticky but not "wet". If it is wet, add a Tablespoon of flour, if too dry, another Tablespoon of milk. Weighing the flour really helps get the proportions just right.

Drop by a big tablespoon until a baking sheet sprayed with non stick spray.

While they bake, mix in  a microwave safe cup in microwave -
1/3 cup unsalted butter
3/4  teaspoon garlic powder
a pinch of Penzey's Tuscan Sunset or your favorite blended Italian seasoning

Nuke 15-20 seconds, until the butter is melted and stir.  In a separate dish measure out 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of dried parsley.

Brush butter mixture over biscuits as they come out of the oven.

Sprinkle with  parsley and serve warm.

Makes 10-12 biscuits

Blueberry Tart with Almond Streusal Topping

Pastry 1 1/2 cups flour (with extra for dusting the work surface) 1/2 cup sugar 1 and 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces yolk of one large egg 3 tablespoons of cold heavy whipping cream In a mixture or food processor, mix flour, sugar and butter until mixture looks like sand.  Add in egg yolk and cream and mix gently JUST until a dough forms.  Shape ino a thick disk, wrap in cling wrap and stick in fridge for an hour. On lightly floured clean surface, roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thick and about a 11 inch round.  Wrapping it loosely around your rolling pin, transfer to a 9 inch non stick tart pan.  Trim edges and freeze for half an hour. Preheat oven to 320 degrees F. Remove tart pan from freezer and line with foil (or parchment paper) and place some dried beans (to act as weights) on top and bake until the crust is dry and just barely golden (about 15 minutes).  Remove foil/paper and beans and bake until it's  golden (not brown) but cooked through (about 10 minutes, it will bake further with filling so you don't want the edges turning brown). Streusel Topping 1/2 cup flour 1/3 cup light brown sugar 1/3 cup finely diced almonds 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted 1 tsp ground cinnamon dash of nutmeg drop of Mexican vanilla 1/4 tsp salt Mix with a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Blueberry Filling 3 cups fresh blueberries 1/3 cup sugar 2 tbsp tapioca 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp lemon zest Increase oven temp to 350 F.  Mix all ingredients just until combined and distribute evenly in the cooked tart crust. Sprinkle with streusal topping and bake for 30-40 minutes, until the streusal is browned and the juices are bubbling up.

Bacon Quiche with Hash Brown Crust

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Hashbrown crust -

3 1/2 cups shredded potato (can use  thawed hash browns) moisture removed (use a salad spinner or blot with paper towels).
a few grinds of pepper
a shake or two of sea salt
1/2 cup stick butter melted.

Mix and pat in a large pie pan and bake at 450 F for 22-25 minutes until edges are browning up.   Remove and lower oven temp to 325. (if you want the bottom a little crispier, put some foil gently around the edges and cook an additional two minutes).

Cook 8 pieces of bacon, drain,

Chop and toss with 1/2 teaspoon pure maple syrup.

Mix in large bowl:

the bacon
1 and 1/2 cup slightly steamed broccoli
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/8 teaspoon of  smoky hot sauce (I strongly recomment  the "Singing Smoke" sauce from Scoville Brothers 

In small bowl mix:

4 eggs whisked
1 cup half and half. 

Pour over veggies/bacon.

In a cereal bowl toss:

1 cup of  Italian  blend cheese (Asiago, Romano, Mozzerella, Parmasan)
1 Tablespoon of flour.

Gently stir into quiche filling in the large bowl.

Gently ladle into crust and cook in 325 degree oven for 50-55 minutes, until a knife inserted into center comes out clean.  Let rest 10 minutes and serve.

Angel Food Cake

1 1/2 cups Castor sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup cake flour, sifted

12 egg whites at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla paste (on line or find at Trader Joe's)

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 325F.

If you can't find Castor (super fine sugar) put regular sugar in the food processor and pulse on and off for a minute or two (no more).

In a small bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup sugar and the cake flour. Put that aside for after you beat the egg whites. In another small bowl, put the rest of the sugar in another little bowl and have it handy near your mixer.

You will  have one bowl that is JUST sugar, and one that is flour/sugar, do NOT mix them up.

In a clean metal bowl, beat egg whites on medium low until frothy, the add cream of tartar and salt.  (plastic bowls can retain some oil on their surface, which inhibits the eggs beating nicely, so if using one, clean in super hot water with lots of soap first).

Beat until fully incorporated then begin to add the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar, 1-2 tablespoons at a time. When sugar has been added, beat egg whites on medium speed to soft peaks.  Soft peeks look like gentle waves and as you lift the beaters up from the eggs they will gently fall down. If your batter drops like ribbons, it needs a bit more time but you want to stop before you have stiff (think hair gel) peaks, so stop and check it every 15-20 seconds. Soft peaks should take 2-3 minutes.

With the mixer still at medium speed, beat in half the sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, until all the sugar is added and the whites are shiny and form soft peaks, another 2  to 2 and a half minutes. Add the vanilla paste, lemon juice and almond extract and beat on high for 30 seconds.

Resift the flour/sugar mixture that you put aside and spoon it over the egg whites, about 3 tablespoons at a time, folding in gently with a large spatula.

Gently scrape batter into an ungreased tube pan with a removable bottom, smooth top with spatula, and give the pan a couple of gentle raps on the counter to release any large air bubbles in the batter. (if yours does not have removable bottom, line with parchment paper, do NOT grease).

Bake on lower-middle rack at 325 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes, until cake is golden brown and top springs back when pressed firmly.

After removing from oven, invert tube of pan over neck of bottle (or two stacked wire cookie cooling racks) so air can circulate all around it. Cool 2 to 3 hours.

Gently run a thin knife around the sides, then around the bottom of the pan to release the cake when you are ready to serve it.

Serve with fresh fruit or lemon curd or cube and serve with ice cream, strawberries and a drizzle of honey in a champagne class.

World's Fluffiest Pancakes

Take 3/4 cup milk and egg out of fridge and let sit until about room temperature (15 minutes minimum, 30 is even better, go walk the dog, brew some coffee)

Then, mix ix in a small cereal bowl:

The room temperature 3/4 cup milk
2 Tablespoons lemon juice

While that sits for 10 minutes, mix up the flour in a medium bowl and set aside:

flour mixture:

1 cup all purpose flour (use spoon to carefully drop flour in cup, don't shake, then level with knife)
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 tsp baking powder (check date, make sure it's not expired)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

After the 10  minutes is up for the milk mixture, whisk the egg into it well, then add 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla and 2 Tablespoons melted butter (nuke in a cup in the microwave for about 20 sec.), whisking well as the butter is added.

Immediately dump the milk mixture into the center of the flour mixture and stir JUST until combined, about 10-12 gentle stirs, scraping up along the bottom to get all the flour.  It will  quickly bubble up as you stir and look almost puffy/spongy. DO NOT mix further, this is what makes them so tall and light. Bubbles are good! Batter that looks like "the Blob" is good.  The magic of kitchen chemistry. 

 click on photos to enlarge

Let the batter then  sit about 15 minutes (don't stir again), then cook quickly on a oiled grill, handling the batter as little as possible (I used a 1/4 cup measure to carefully withdraw batter to pour on the grill). The batter is a lot thicker looking than you're likely used to and doesn't make a perfect round , but as it cooks it will spread out some.  The batter does thin on handling but do as little of that as you can.

Infused with vanilla and butter, they cooked up tasty, tender, light and well. . . fluffy!  (makes about 8  medium pancakes)

Guinness Molasses Cake

Richer than gingerbread, more dense than regular cake, it's perfect with a soft whipped cream frosting, not too sweet, intensely satisfying.

Grease an 8 x 8 inch glass pan.

Set aside in cereal bowl -

All Purpose Flour - 2 cups

In small saucepan on low, heat the following until the sugar is dissolved and the butter is melted, then set aside to cool:

Sugar - 1/2 cup plus 1 and 1/2 teaspoons
Butter - 1/3 cup
Molasses (extra dark full flavored) -1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons

While molasses cools, mix together in cereal bowl and let set 5 minutes (it foams up so use a larger bowl)

Guinness  - 1 cup
Baking Soda - 1 tsp (check your expiration date for maximum rise)

Stir into cooling molasses mixture:

Cinnamon - 1 tsp
ginger - 1 tsp.
salt - 1/4 tsp
finely ground coffee - 2 generous teaspoons (regular coffee, just whirred a bit more in a blender)

In a large bowl whisk:

Egg - 1 Extra large (use an egg that's at room temperature)
Vanilla - 1 tsp.

In a very slow and small stream, stopping to whisk, pour molasses mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly and vigorously so egg does not cook. Add in Guinness mixture and blend.

Add flour, a bit at the time, continuing to whisk constantly until the mixture is smooth and just starting to look a bit shiny (3-5 minutes by hand)

Bake at 350 F for 38-42 minutes (toothpick in center should come out clean).

Cool 20 minutes and frost with the following:

1 1/2 cups heavy or whipping cream
1 and 3/4 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chill the bowl and beaters in the refrigerator for 30 minutes while the bake bakes. Pour the heavy cream into the bowl and whisk on medium-high speed until it just starts to thicken. Reduce speed to medium and slowly pour in the sugar, whisking until soft peaks form.  Continue to whisk until soft peaks form. (4-5 minutes with a chilled bowl)

Add the vanilla extract and continue to whisk by hand until the cream is smooth, and stiff peaks form
Sprinkle on some espresso sugar or serve as is. Best fresh, but will keep refrigerated.

Bacon! - Mom's Baked Beans Made Even Better

1 large (28 ounce) and 1 medium sized can Bush's regular baked beans  or 3  -15 ounce cans pork and beans  
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1  and 1/2 teaspoons chopped minced garlic
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup pineapple tidbits, all juice drained
3 Tablespoons A-1 Steak Sauce
1 Tablespoon course spicy mustard
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder (smoke without a lot of heat)
1 package smoked kielbasa, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 package smoked  high quality bacon

3/4 cup tomato sauce
2 Tablespoons molasses
2 Tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (Use Braggs, it's worth the effort to find in  the health food section)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain the liquid off the top of the cans of beans (you want just enough where they are  dripping wet but not enough that they are sitting in a little lake of sauce). Place in a big bowl and mix with onion, green pepper  pineapple, brown sugar, steak sauce,  red pepper and ancho chili  pepper,  mustard, and kielbasa in a large bowl. If you don't have ancho use a dash (or to taste) of your favorite smokey hot sauce like mine, Scoville Brothers Singing Smoke).

Mix tomato sauce, molasses, honey and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl.

 Pour mixture into a non-stick sprayed 9×13 baking dish then lay bacon strips across the top. Spread tomato sauce mixture on top of the bacon and  bake for an hour and 30 minutes or until the top is deeply caramelized. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

These beans are perfect for serving over cornbread (baked or pan fried) or corn waffles with hot sauce on the side and a tall frosty beverage.

Blue Cornbread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl mix:

3/4 cup milk plus 2 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar (or lemon juice)

Let sit while you mix the following in a large bowl

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons flour
3/4  plus 2 Tablespoons blue cornmeal
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 t.plus 1/8 teaspoon Baking Powder (there is usually not a 1/8 measure, use the 1/4 and fill it up halfway).
1/4 t. plus 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 t. plus 1/8 teaspoon salt
two small shakes or a pinch of cayenne (red) pepper

To milk mixture whisk in

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 heaping tablespoons sour cream
2 eggs (if using extra large or jumbo, use just 1)

Add wet and dry ingredients (yes, it's going to look like you're making gravel)

Fold in 3/4 cup fresh or roasted corn kernels. (now it looks like gravel with corn in it, yummmm)

Bake in greased 8 x 8 pan for 28-34 minutes. It's hard to tell doneness by the color as only the edges golden up, so use a toothpick inserted into center to tell if it's done.

Serve with butter and maple syrup or molasses. By itself or with a couple of eggs and venison sausage, this makes a dandy breakfast.

Sour Cream Pancakes

Sour Cream Pancakes

In a bowl mix 3/4 cup milk and 2 Tablespoons lemon juice.  Let sit 10 minutes

In a larger bowl mix
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1  teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
pinch of cardamon (or nutmeg).

After the 10 minutes is up, whisk into soured milk mixture until smooth:
1 large egg (at room temperature)
1/3 cup sour cream
1 tsp. Mexican vanilla
2 tablespoons melted butter

Combine wet and dry ingredients  mixing ONLY until flour is incorporated (mixture will have small lumps).  Bake on hot oiled griddle until golden brown.

Homemade Syrup

Better than store bought and seriously cheaper than pure maple syrup.

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
•  1 cup cup water
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
•  a pinch of sea salt

Bring sugars and water to a boil, cook and stir for two minutes. Once the sugar is dissolved, stir in butter, 1 teaspoon of no alcohol vanilla extract or maple extract and a pinch of salt.

Cream Puffs

mmmmm Cream puffs. Basically a crisp hollow round of tender choux pastry, split in half and filled with a filling. "Choux" in French means cabbage and the pastries, before cutting, do look a bit like a cabbage so perhaps that's where the name came from. A lot of recipes call for a thick, sugary cream filling, usually made with boxed pudding. Not these. The pastry has the barest hint of vanilla sugar, and the filling is very light and not overly sweet, also with a decided undertone of vanilla. For these are filled with cream that's been seeped with a dismantled vanilla bean and then whipped until light and soft and creamy with an extra dab of vanilla sugar. Jello pudding's for kids.
I'm a HOTR Cream Puff

Preheat oven to 400F (205 C)
1/2 cup (70 grams) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla sugar (I used Penzeys)
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (120 ml) water
2 extra large eggs, lightly beaten

In a bowl, mix the vanilla sugar, flour and salt and set aside. Bring water and butter to a boil on the stove over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Remove from the heat source and add the flour mixture all at once, stirring briskly with a wooden spoon. Return pan to the heat source and stir vigorously for about two minutes, until the dough forms a smooth ball that pulls away from the side of the pan. Remove from the heat source and stir vigorously another minute to release the steam from the dough.

Let cool to lukewarm and then add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly with a wooden spoon after each egg, until it is incorporated into the dough and is quite smooth (this takes a while, be patient).

In a small dish, beat a small egg with a good pinch of salt (is your arm tired yet?) to make a glaze for the puff if you wish.

Using an ice cream scoop or other small measure, spoon cream puff mixture onto a buttered baking sheet(use real butter, not cooking spray). It should make about 12 small puffs (and yes you can do large ones but you will have to adjust your second stage cook time and let them dry in the oven after the heat is off for 15 minutes.

Gently brush dough with just a small bit of the egg glaze (optional).

Bake at 400 (205 C.) degrees for 15 minutes and then reduce heat to 350 F (177 C.). The initial high temperature will set the structure of the puff by allowing it to rise quickly. Bake for an additional 30 to 40 minutes (40 if you're making larger ones) or until the shells are a nice golden color. Take out a test puff and cut in half before turning the heat off. The inside should be dry. If it's wet, the puff will deflate when it cools. If they're done turn the oven off and, with the oven door ajar, let the shells dry out for a further 8-12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.

Vanilla bean whipped cream:
2 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean
3 Tablespoons plus two teaspoons white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon Penzey's Vanilla sugar

Chill the bowl and whisk attachment of an electric mixer. You can do this by placing in the refrigerator or in a room with your ex wife. Both would probably work.


Pour the cream in a medium sized bowl. Cut vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape seeds into cream. Add remains of bean to cream and whisk to incorporate. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. Strain cream mixture through a fine mesh sieve into the chilled bowl of your electric mixer, then beat with the chilled whisk attachment at medium speed for 1 minute.

With the mixer running, slowly sprinkle in sugar. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form. May be refrigerated for an hour or two before filling puffs (I used a pastry bag but a spoon will work).

Cream puffs will keep for two days in fridge or can be frozen for up to three weeks.

Spicy Italian Frittata

If you have eggs and a cast iron skillet, you can make a frittata (pronounced "fri-taaa-taa") and it's a lot easier, for me anyway, than an omelet. This one is spicy, great paired with a salad and bread for a meal or just a hearty breakfast with friends.

If you like Italian food, especially pizza, you will like this Frittata.

 THAT'S ONE SPICY MEATBALL FRITTATA

• 12 large eggs
• 4 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 cups shredded Italian style cheese blend
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 and 1/2  teaspoons salt
  
• 1 teaspoon fresh gound pepper
  
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 medium sweet onion, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic,roasted and  finely chopped
• 3-4 small red potatoes, cut into big chunks
• 1/4 cup oil packed chopped sun dried tomatoes - drained
• 1/4 cup chopped pepperoncini salad peppers, drained
• about 3/4 of a 3.5 ounce package pepperoni, chopped
• 1 heaping teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1/2 tsp dried.
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (if you want it milder, just a pinch will work)

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oven to 300 degrees, have a rack in place so that you can broil the frittata briefly when cooked.

Whisk eggs, cream, 1 cup of the cheese Italian style cheese, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning in a bowl and set aside. Heat oil in a large, cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add onion and garlic and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes.

Add potato and cook, stirring occasionally, until edges become tender, about 4 minutes. Add drained Pepperoncini salad peppers and drained dried tomatoes and cook another 5 -6 minutes, until softened.  Add pepperoni, chopped basil and cayenne pepper, stirring to incorporate and making sure veggie mixture is distributed evenly across bottom of pan, stirring frequently so potatoes and garlic don't burn.

Lower the heat in the pan just slightly (a bit less than medium high) so that the eggs don't cook TOO quickly when they are added. (This is especially important if you have an old gas stove. You may even want to take the pan totally off the heat for a couple of minutes.) Pour the egg mixture over the vegetable mixture, tilting the pan to make sure the mixture covers the veggies evenly and reduce heat to medium. Cook until eggs are set around the outer inch of the pan, about 10 minutes Sprinkle remaining 1 cup Italian cheese evenly over the frittata and bake at 300F for 20 minutes, until the middle is fairly solid (To tell if it's close to done, cut a small slit in the center, if egg runs into it, give it another minute or two.)  Sprinkle with Parmesan and  place under the broiler until the cheese is browning up and the frittata is puffy, about 2 minutes.  Serve with toasted Rustic Italian bread.

Stay warm! - Brigid

Scandahoovian Double Berry Streusal Bars

2½ cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon table salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks) plus 2 tablespoons, cut into ½-inch pieces and softened to cool room temperature (keep the two tablespoons separate)
¼ cup packed brown sugar  light or dark
a drop of good quality vanilla extract
½ cup rolled oats  old-fashioned, not the quick cooking packets
½ cup almonds, chopped fine
1/16 teaspoon of Cardamon (or nutmeg if you just can't find Cardamon)
1  1/4 cup lingonberry or marionberry preserves
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cup fresh raspberries (about 4 ounces)
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut two pieces of foil  to fit down into the pan, draping over the sides to make a sling (in order to lift out the bars later) in a 9x13 inch baking pan. Spray lined pan with cooking spray.

Cookie Base:  Mix flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on low speed until combined. With machine still on low, add the two sticks of butter, one tablespoon at a time, plus a drop of vanilla, until the mixture looks like damp sand.

Set aside 1 1/4 cups of the mixture in a medium bowl. Pour the remaining dough into the baking pan and with clean, dry hands, press gently and evenly to form a crust.  Bake in preheated oven until the edges are brown (about 18 minutes).

Filling and Streusal Topping:  Add the brown sugar, oats,spice and nuts to the flour mixture set aside in medium bowl and stir to combine. Add in the separate 2 tablespoons of butter until fully incorporated into the mixture. Work with your hands to create clumps about the size of tiny peas (or small ball bearing for you non-Scandahoovian types).

Place the preserves, raspberries and lemon juice in a small bowl. Mash together with a fork, making sure some berry pieces remain intact.

When the crust is done baking,  remove from the oven and spread the berry filling over it and then sprinkle the streusel on top of that. Put pan immediately  back in the oven and bake for another 22 to 25 minutes, or until top is gold and bubbly. Cool in pan to room temperature, then lift bars out with the foil sling and cut in squares.

Yields 24 bars  - they'll keep in an airtight container for 3 days but they rarely last that long with a family around

Pop Tarts for Grown Ups.

Makes six  pastries.

1 sheet of Puff Pastry thawed in it's wrapper
4 ounces cream cheese (one half of a block).
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 pinches of cinnamon (a bit shy of 1/8 teaspoon)
pinch of Cardamon
3 tablespoons sugar.
2/3 cup whole boysenberries (fresh or frozen)
1/3  cup boysenberry jelly
1 small egg mixed with 2 and a half teaspoons water.

Thaw frozen puff pastry sheet in refrigerator overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Before unwrapping pastr , mix cheese, lemon juice, vanilla, sugar and spices in a bowl with a a hand mixer until fluffy.

In another small bowl mix fruit (if frozen, thaw and drain) and jelly.

Gently unwrap and roll the puff pastry sheet into a 10 inch square on a lightly powdered cutting board.  If there is any reason the dough will sit for a while after (phone call, dog has to go out, etc) cover immediately with Saran Wrap and a slightly damp towel so it doesn't dry out..

Transfer  rectangles to parchment paper covered cookie sheet.  With a fork, prick the center of the rectangle just a few times, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edges untouched (the more "holes" you put in it, the more steam will escape and more crisp and less puffy it will be).  Brush the top of the pastry with beaten egg/water mixture.  Drop  a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture in the center (don't attempt to spread out, just leave as a dollop) Then gently dot the cream cheese with small teaspoons of the fruit mixture, covering the top of the cream cheese, making sure 1/2 inch border remains bare. 

Bake for 16 to 18 minutes until puffy and golden brown. Cool slightly and serve immediately.