Brioche Cinnamon Rolls

Softest cinnamon roll you will ever eat!

1. Recipe for "Authentic Brioche" from Fine Cooking

2. Your best filling, Mine was from an old KitchenAid spiral backed cookbook.

3. A tangy cream cheese frosting recipe. I reduced the sugar and added sourcream for

 added tang. And as with all cream cheese thing, I added both vanilla and lemon, 

or "fiori di sicilia". 

They were THE MOST TENDER things I have EVER eaten. 

*Note, due to adding a cup of KAF sourdough starter, I added a few sprinkles 

of potato flakes. I like to do that to bread. My yeast + potato flakes/flour, it always

Makes it a tad more fabu. 

A MUST TRY! :)

A Toast! To New Successes!

While it has been a clean minute (or year) since I last blogged my foods, so lets recap a few of my food stories that turned out fabu!

more recently (easter 2014) I attempted my first brioche in the form of an Easter bread, which I never before had made. It was so well liked, my mother already has plans for what to do with this brioche next! The recipe you can find on finecooking.com as Authentic French Broiche

Scones! Well, Mothers day tea party approaching swiftly had me in the mood to test a few batches before the day fell upon us. You see, I have never made scones. They are trickier than biscuits! I have tested 2 recipes. One is the most popular/high rated scone recipe on allrecipes.com. The second I found on smitten kitchen. It was apparently the test kitchens. 

Bread bowls, via King Arthur Flours recipe, but altered for adding my KAF sourdough starter. Rave reviews on these! Even by my picky gourmande bro in law.

just a pinch's site "best white cake ever". Topped with an altered white chocolate buttercream (for higher ratios of white chocolate, used Lindt bars). and my own raspberry (seedless) filling. This was a big hit. 

OH MY GOD.... THIS CAKE IS A KEEPER! IT GOT MOISTER EACH DAY! IT ONLY LASTED 4 DAYS, BUT WAS SOOO MOIST EACH TIME! You could almost ball it up with your fingers. 

Chocolate crinkles! 1st made a 2013 christmas cookie party, but remade to test a lower than suggested cooking time to achieve more moist fudgeness. The site escapes me, but its popular on pinterest and features a teal/light blue background. these were great!

more on the cake....

Sourdough cinnamon rolls from a doughnut dough recipe in an oldddd sourdough cook book. The dough is soooo the best for this. Hubs hates how typical cinny rolls get tougher and dryer each morning. He says "only good fresh". But with this dough, PROBLEM SOLVED!

Appitizer for Thanksgiving 2013. Brie en croute wrapped in puff pastry topped with brown sugar and pecans. Surrounded by fancy crackers and gala apples. HIT! BIG TIME!

This is the sourdough donut recipe used for the cinny rolls above, they taste SOOOO MUCHHH like krispie kremes! Hubs loves these! Everyone does!

baked pumpkin cake donuts with apple cidar glaze!

Success with gluten free biscuits! typical biscuit recipe used, but subbed better batter AP flour. 

THIS IS A HUGE DEAL! GF BISCUITS ARE SOOOOO HARDDDD TO ACHEIVE!

Christmas Cookies - Quickie

For my hubs fams xmas these m & m cookies were fab! Snuck a few to keep here for us. 

RECIPE HERE.

 These are America's Test Kitchens famed sugar cookies. They were indeed crunchy and chewy. As promised. 

RECIPE HERE

OKAY! Thanks for stopping by! I'll add in a few more winter eats we made on my way out for your enjoyment. 

Less Common Cookware

There are some less common cooking items I want. Even if there are "one trick ponies". I know we try to keep a rule of multi-taskers in our kitchen, but sometimes you can't really get around it. 

Now not all on the list are one way devises. This list is just items we will eventually need. Or just want ;)

Aebleskiver pan

Silver dollar waffle pan

Crepe pans

Popover pans

Food mills

Flour mill

Meat grinder

Spice grinder

Coffee grinder

Ice cream pop molds

Ice cream machine

Food dehydrater

Yogurt maker

Pasta extruder/maker

Ravioli stamps

Pasta dryer

Pizza stone

Pizza peel

Calzone mold

Hand pie mold

Tortilla press

Tart pans

Mini tart pans

bundt pan

Mini bundt pans

Dough bands

Pie beads

waterbath canner

Set of jars, multi sized

Kitchen torch

Mandoline

Deli slicer

Flat and offset icing spatulas

Meat cleaver

Poultry shears

Tiered oven rack

Flour sifter

Sugar shaker

Bread machine

Deep fryer

Rotisserie 

Belgian waffle iron

Vacuum sealer

Immersion circulator 

All Clad or fancy Crockpot slow cooker

Small slow cooker

Waffle tongs

Popcorn maker

Juicer

Food processor

Kitchen aid mixer (copper)

Bialetti hot cocoa maker

Chefs choice electric kettle

Braun or Krups coffee maker

Rice cooker

Milk frother

Tea kettle

Tea  ball

Long slot toaster, proof glass

Cuisanart elite grill/griddle

Food scale

Meat thermometer

Oven thermometer

Whimsical mechanical kitchen timer

And more.

Like seafood tools, fruit and vegetable tools. I know I have missed some. But that's a pretty decent list ;)

Almost any of these can be found at our fave store : http://www.williams-sonoma.com/

Quickie post: Honey Nut Granola Bars

RECIPE I ALTERED SLIGHTLY HERE

below, * indicates alterations.

Honey, *almond butter, oats, *oat bran, *walnuts, * olive oil, egg white, cinnamon, and * melted sugar free chocolate chips. 

Very good, next time I thought about using agave instead. We'll see. 

Mini cheesecakes - Healthified

Healthified Mini Cheesecake Bites!

• 1 pkg fat free cream cheese room temp
• 1 contanor fat free cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt or sour cream
• 1 cup (or to taste) brown sugar xyltitol
• vanilla, lemon and salt to taste 
• 2 eggs room temp
• 2 tbsp bean flour

(1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp lemon, pinch salt for me)

crust is oat bran, (ground up in chopper) oat shredded square cereal, flax, brown sugar xylitol, spices (cinnamon, apple pie spice), and butter (melted) or oil. 

preheat oven to 350 line muffin tin, spray cups

mix crust ingredients together, spoon in about 1/4 - 1/3 cup and squish down flat in each cup.

mix wet ingredients in top list, minus eggs, in chopper, add sugar salt flavorings, add flour, add eggs. 

the chopper adds less air than stand mixers do.

after well blended, gently add to each cup, get close to top without going over, not much rising here.

bake twenty minutes. cool in or on top of oven for thirty mins. place in fridge for hour or more, then gently remove cups and serve. 

second batch

i just made these recently, first batch got a tad over cooked (i did 30 mins) so beware not to overcook!

Unrecipe - Oat Bran Muffins

Oat bran, a Dukan staple. I love everything oat, but oat bran is a tad more challenging. Though, its health benefits make it way worth a look. 

I do not have a recipe, but ingridiants for the muffins I just made for my Dukan breakfast oat muffins. 

You can prob find a regular recipe and switch up or figure out.

- oat bran, more this than others

- oat flour

- cornstarch (tolerated food item)

- 2 eggs (why 2? idk)

- salt, baking soda and powder

- fat free cream cheese

- cinnamon and apple pie spice

- stevia in the raw

- honey/agave

- tad olive oil

- fat free/low fat buttermilk or yogurt, or sour cream, or almond, whatever (I used the first)

you could add fruit, replace oil with applesauce (except dukaners) or add nuts.

mix together whatever measurements of what you decide. bake 400 F for 15 mins or until done inside. 

Mine made six. 

For a full recipe of oat bran muffins here are a few options...

apple muffins

http://unsophisticook.com/apple-muffins/

moist bran muffins

http://www.wellsphere.com/healthy-cooking-article/bran-muffin-recipe/774173

flax bran muffins

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/oat-bran-muffins-10000000522196/

vegan oat bran muffins

http://www.egglesscooking.com/2010/04/19/vegan-oat-bran-muffins/

blueberry versions :

http://www.livelaugheat.com/2011/04/12/blueberry-oat-bran-muffins/

&

http://www.onearabvegan.com/2012/03/10/banilla-blueberry-and-yoghurt-oat-bran-muffins/

Or just take a basic oat bran recipe and play switch up with healthier options and add in things like shredded carrots, sweet potato, pumpkin, apples raisins, whatever you want!

They say that muffin batter, being thin, should not contain any items larger than a blueberry or it might sink for lack of support no matter how much flour you dust it with. You could try adding in at halfway point or after long enough for batter to thicken in oven.

oh and I glazed tops of mine with a lite kiss of honey.

ok, bye bye now!

Strudels and Danish - History, Pictures and Recipes

Strudel History

apple-strudel recipe

Strudel

The Strudel is a pastry with a sweet or savory filling rolled up in a very thinly stretched dough. The name "Strudel" means Whirlpool since the dough is rolled and the center of the pastry resembles a whirlpool. 

Traditionally, Strudel dough is made from scratch out of high-gluten flour, water, and oil. Preparing the dough is manually intensive. It requires an intense kneading period to develop the gluten strands, followed by a resting period for the dough (and the baker!). This gives the dough the elasticity it needs to be stretched into a very thin sheet - so thin that it is almost transparent. Easier recipes replace this process by substituting the traditional dough with a ready-made phylo-dough or puff-pastry dough. 

 

Strudel Variations

The most well known Strudel is the Apple Strudel. However, both sweet and savory Strudels exist in German cooking. Some of the most popular Strudels are described below, but the number of variations are endless ... limited only by the creativity of chefs both in Germany and around the world.

Sweet Strudel

Apfelstrudel (Apple Strudel) Apple Strudel is a specialty of Austria and Bavaria (Bayern) and it is known worldwide. Its filling is made from chopped apples, cinnamon, raisins, and roasted bread crumbs. Other ingredients could include nuts (such as almonds or walnuts) and rum, depending on the recipe. The filling is spread out over the Strudel dough, which is then rolled up into a log. It is baked in an oven until golden brown and the ends become crispy. The Apple Strudel is best served warm, fresh from the oven. It is usually eaten with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or a vanilla sauce. Mohnstrudel (Poppy Seed Strudel) This Strudel is filled with poppy seeds, apples, raisins, powdered sugar, and milk. Quarkstrudel This Strudel is filled with Quark, butter, powdered sugar, raisins, semolina, eggs, and sour cream. Walnuss-Strudel (Walnut Strudel) The filling for this Strudel is made from ground walnuts, sugar, and whipped cream. Kürbis-Apfel-Strudel (Pumpkin Apple Strudel) Apples, pumpkin, powdered sugar, raisins, nuts, and cinnamon make up the filling for this Strudel.

Savory Strudel

Blutwurststrudel (Blood Sausage Strudel) This Strudel is a specialty of the Palatinate (Pfalz) region. It is made from a Potato-Strudel dough and filled with bacon,Sauerkraut, and Blutwurst (Blood Sausage). Krautstrudel (Cabbage Strudel) This Strudel is filled with white cabbage, salt, pepper, and sugar. Quark-Dill-Strudel Quark, butter, semolina, eggs, chopped dill, and sour cream make up the filling for this savory Strudel. Gemüsestrudel (Vegetable Strudel) The filling for this Strudel is made of carrots, celery, savoy cabbage, cauliflower, grated cheese, butter, and seasoned with salt, pepper, and parsley.

Recipe for "Autumn Fruit Strudel" here!

Recipe for "Summer Fruit Strudel" here!

Recipe for "Sour Cherry Strudels" from Gourmet.com here!

Recipe for "Plum Strudel" here from Saveur!

danish.

Cheese Danish

Danish Pastries is a speciality that comes from Denmark that everyone has enjoyed at one time or another. Vikings invented the Danish Pastry in a flower shape to worship a tribe leader’s daughter and who ever made the best tasting pastry was the one who got to marry the daughter. Danish Pastries are made all over the world these days, but most of its origin does trace back to Denmark. The Danish Pastries that are consumed in Denmark can be topped with a number of different things. Some of those things can be chocolate, sugar and icing, and stuffed with jam or custard. Each country though as there own way to prepare Danish Pastries and they all taste a little different depending which country they are from.

Most Danish Pastries have the following ingredients in them flour, yeast, milk, eggs, and generous amounts of butter. You will need to chill the dough to make it much easier to roll out though. Danish Pastries over the years as seen many different changes from the original format that was made so many years ago. Today's Danish Pastries come in all shapes and sizes from flower shapes to crosses to circles these days. You can almost make any shape out of Danish Pastries dough anymore if you have enough talent and are very creative. Many people do not know that Danish Pastries are actually a lot like the croissant that originate in Vienna and is called the wiener bread in Denmark.

Over the years many different things have changed about the Danish Pastries besides the shape of it. many different countries serve it in a multitude of different ways. People in the United States will put almost anything on top of it and eat it at anytime of the day. While in other countries it has to be made a certain way. Danish Pastries has grown a following over time and certain types are more popular than others. Taste is a very big factor when we talk about Danish Pastries and people will tell you everyone has a little different taste depending on the cooking process that the implement. No matter what one thing is for sure Danish Pastries has grown a loyal following over the years and I do not see that ending anytime soon.

Where Danish Pastries were mostly a breakfast treat around the world many people in the United States use Danish Pastries as snacks all day long or a special treat for the young child that does well. No matter how you use Danish Pastries there is no doubting how good they do taste. Danish Pastries can be found in the finest hotels and the smallest restaurants. Can you imagine that such a small treat that was originally design to win the love of a women could end up everywhere in the world, but that is the story of the Danish Pastry. If you have never tried any Danish Pastries you sure are missing out on a lot.

Raspberry Danish here!

These varieties here!

Cream Cheese and Apricot Danish here!

I am a fan of the closet cooking guy...

BOTH the above HERE

WELL! I have never made either, but adore pastries! WHO DOESN'T???!!! 

With autumn coming, I have my mind on pies, pastries and warm spice cakes. 

And always on chocolate :)

Must Try Burger! The Ham and Cheese BBQ Burger

Thats the general Idea, not my image though. I'll try to get a pic later. 

(Mine looks a bit different, ham no onion and all)

Burger lovers = must try this burger "BBQ ham hamburger". I saw a pic once that inspired my creation (can not find it now). I mix BBQ, Worcestershire, Dales, etc. in the burger, Use spicy cheese of choice (or creamy), mayo (on butter toasted buns), and grilled ham (I use turkey ham) topped with BBQ sauce (we like    Weber's) and optional caramelized onions or mushrooms, even bacon. Jacob loved it and so do I (onion free of coarse for me!). I use either charcoal grill or smoke flavoring, it goes well with the BBQ and ham. 

SO good! 

Would be great with side of sweet potato fries. Tonight I did it Fresco melt style, yum.

Again, mine looks a tad different than the pic, but I don't have one.

Another bbq burger pic...

more burger recipes

German Pancakes!

RECIPE - CLICK HERE

Quicky post, German pancakes... very good! easy peezy lemon squeezy! give a try!