Cranberry Chiffon Pie

My oh my…will you lookie here now at this show stopping Cranberry Chiffon Pie! How fancy! But this pie isn’t just all looks. No indeed, it delivers on taste as well.

The crunchy graham cracker crust is filled with a lighter than air combination of tart and silky cranberry curd and luscious sweet Swiss Meringue. It is topped with gorgeous little sugared cranberries. Just Stunning!

Today is February 1st. This particular day lies half way between Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. It is St. Brigid’s Day. Brigid is one of Ireland’s three patron saints along with St. Colmcille and St. Patrick. Beginning in 2023, Ireland will be marking her Feast Day with a new permanent Bank Holiday on the closest Monday to February 1st. Hooray! Who doesn’t like more holidays?!! According to Irish hagiography, Brigid was an early Christian nun & abbess who preformed many miracles. She also shares the name with an important Celtic goddess who is associated with the festival of Imbolc which was celebrated at this time as well, which suggests that the early church might have adopted the legends of the goddess and transformed them into the Christian persona. Interesting huh? I don’t know how many of you folks out there remembered to put a scarf out last night. You see on St. Brigid’s Eve you should always place a scarf or other piece of fabric outside.

When Brigid passes over the land that night she will bless it. You then can fetch it back inside the next day and thanks to Brigid, it has the power to protect and heal headaches, sore throats and fevers throughout the coming year! What with all the Covid still rampaging around, I wasn’t going to take any chances. My little scarf was frozen solid this morning, but is happily thawing away now, freshly imbued with healing powers. As I mentioned, today marks the festival of Imbolc as well as Candlemas, both of which are associated with fertility, fire, purification and weather divination. And speaking of weather divination, tomorrow my favourite varmint, Punxsutawney Phil, will be stepping out of his burrow at Gobbler’s Knob and letting everyone know if there will be 6 more weeks of winter or if instead Spring is on the way.

One extraordinary rodent!

I don’t know if good ole Phil will see his shadow tomorrow or not. If he predicts more winter, I am, of course, fine with that. But even if he says Spring is coming, I feel like I’ve at least gotten a taste of winter. So this is quite an auspicious time of year! I’m very happy to be marking another event today as well. February 1st just happens to be the 11th year anniversary of  the my cooking blog! Yup… Eleven years ago today I posted my first recipe. It was for Cream Tea Scones with Currants.

I’ve managed to do an anniversary post nearly every year since. Pretty impressive considering how slack I can be! Last year I shared the rich & creamy Ground Beef Chili with Chocolate & Peanut Butter. Get. out!

And the year before, I posted about these scrumptious Morning Buns!

One of my favorite recipes that I shared with you on an anniversary was: Model Bakery’s English Muffins:

Then there were those decadent  Banana Rum Muffins:

That jaw-dropping, over the top Crack Pie:

And who can forget that magical “caviar of the South” – Pasture’s Pimento Cheese. Keep this one in mind for the Super Bowl!

But let me get back to telling you about this Cranberry Chiffon Pie. I originally made this for Thanksgiving and it was indeed a hit. Of course it would also go great with a Christmas feast. But you know, I was thinking with it’s flirty pink hue it might also be great for Valentines Day, which is right around the corner.

That being said, I will warn you that this pie is a bit of a time commitment. I would recommend planning ahead and making it in stages. The crust one day. The curd the next and then maybe do final assembly on the third day. And you might want to make sure your dishwasher has been unloaded before you start. Man did I dirty of few dishes to make this little devil! But hey, this pie is so unique and delicious it was worth it! I would totally do it again.

Make sure you allow at least four hours for that filling to set up. It would be better if you could let it sit in the fridge overnight. You want to make sure it can hold that dainty light and airy texture. And don’t forget to add a lovely dollop of whipped cream.

Believe me, folks will be thrilled with its sweet & tart flavor and light silky creamy texture. Bet you won’t just be making it once!

• Servings: one 9
• Difficulty: moderate - it is challenging to strain the cranberries & there are a lot of steps
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recipe from: King Arthur Baking Company

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 1 3/4 cups (149g) graham cracker crumbs*
• 1/4 cup (28g) confectioners’ sugar or glazing sugar
• 6 tablespoons (85g) butter, melted

*About 11 whole graham crackers will yield this amount of crumbs.

For the curd:

• 12 ounces (340 grams) fresh or frozen cranberries, a scant 3 1/2 cups
• 1 cup (198 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (113 grams) orange juice, cranberry juice, or water
• zest (grated rind) of 1 orange, optional
• 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks, whites reserved for the meringue
• 2 tablespoons (28 grams) water, hot
• 1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin (A typical packet of powdered gelatin is a generous 2 teaspoons, so you’ll need less than a packet. Be sure to measure out 1 ½ teaspoons carefully; too much gelatin and the pie’s filling will be “bouncy.”)

For the Meringue:

• 3/4 cup (149 grams) granulated sugar
• 2 large egg whites, reserved from above
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

For the Topping:

• 1/2 to 1 cup (113 grams to 227 grams) heavy cream
• 1 to 2 tablespoons (7 grams to 14 grams) confectioners’ sugar, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F

To make the crust: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the crumbs, sugar, and butter.

Press the mixture into the bottom and partway up the sides of a 9″ springform pan, 9″ cheesecake pan, or 9″ deep-dish pie pan.

If you’re using a 9″ by 1 1/2″ pan, you’ll have 1/4 to 1/2 cup of extra crumb mixture. This can become a garnish for the pie, if you like.

To prebake the crust: Place it in a preheated 375°F oven for 15 minutes, just until set and you smell the cookies toasting. Remove the crust from the oven, cool on a rack.

To make the curd: In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar, juice or water, and zest. Set the pan over medium-high heat and bring the berries to a simmer. Cook until all the berries have burst and softened, about 10 minutes total.

Remove the pan from the heat and pass the cooked cranberries through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl or measuring cup. Be sure to press the solids to extract as much of the smooth sauce as possible; you should be left with about 1 1/2 cups (400 grams to 425 grams) of sauce. (Pushing those cranberries through the strainer actually be much easier if you give the cooked cranberries a few pulses with an immersion blender before trying to strain them.)

Stir the butter into the warm sauce until it’s melted completely.

Clean and dry the saucepan, then add the eggs and egg yolks to it. Slowly pour the cranberry sauce back into the saucepan with the eggs, whisking to incorporate.

Return the pan to medium-low heat and cook the curd, stirring constantly, until it’s thick enough that the lines made by your spoon or spatula as you stir take a second or two to disappear.

Remove the curd from the heat and pour it into a heat-safe bowl or measuring cup. If you see any small bits of cooked egg, pass the curd through a fine-mesh strainer to remove them.

 In a small bowl, combine the hot water and gelatin. Add a spoonful or two of the hot curd to the gelatin, stirring to incorporate, then stir the gelatin mixture back into the curd, mixing thoroughly. Set aside while you prepare the meringue.

To make the meringue: In a large heatproof bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together (briefly) the sugar, egg whites, and salt.

Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (you should just barely see some lazy bubbles coming up) and whisk gently and continuously until the mixture reads 160°F to 165°F on a digital thermometer.

Remove the bowl from the heat and beat the meringue with a whisk or your stand mixer’s whisk attachment until stiff.

Fold about a quarter of the meringue into the curd to lighten it, then fold the curd back into the meringue, mixing gently until no white streaks remain.

Pour the filling into the cooled crust and refrigerate the pie (covered with a cake cover or large overturned bowl) until set, at least 4 hours or overnight.

To make the topping: Whip the cream and confectioners’ sugar until soft peaks form.

Spread the whipped cream on top of the pie or serve it in a bowl alongside. Garnish with sugared cranberries, if desired (recipe below).

Storage instructions: Store the pie, covered with a cake cover or large overturned bowl, in the refrigerator for up to five days.

To make sugared cranberries: Combine 3/4 cup (149 grams) granulated sugar with 1/2 cup (113 grams) water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, cooking until the sugar dissolves. Add 1/2 cup (50 grams) fresh or frozen cranberries stir around quickly. Remove from the heat and, with a slotted spoon, take the cranberries out of the syrup and roll them in superfine (Baker’s Special) or granulated sugar until coated. Place on a rack to dry before using to garnish your pie.

Enjoy!

Useful links for Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Cranberry Chiffon Pie:

Oxo Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer

Set of 3, Fine Mesh Strainers

Vitamix Immersion Blender

Lavatools Javelin Pro Instant Read Thermometer

Apple Dumpling Slices

Woohoo! Here it is the day before Thanksgiving! I bet everyone is as busy as little bees in their kitchens today, either that or out there braving the grocery stores (Boo!) Well, whatever it is you are doing, I’m sure you’re crunched for time. That is simply how it is come holiday time. Let this recipe for Apple Dumpling Slices can come to your rescue! Sweet, gooey, apple-y autumn perfection! And…(insert drum roll please) super-duper quick and easy to make!

Now I love some good old fashioned dumplings for sure. I’ve told you all about how my Mom makes Pop-pop Roy’s Old fashioned Apple Dumplings every Thanksgiving. And they are so amazing!

So this is not what I will be making for dessert tomorrow. Can’t compete with Pop-pop Roy’s dumpling gems. I’ve got something else in the works. But I’m just thinking of you. If you’ve got some extra time on your hands, by all means give Pop-pop Roy’s a whirl. But if you are sick to death of being in the kitchen already and the day hasn’t even arrived, this might be the dessert for you! These Apple Dumpling Slices are altogether a totally different thing. They are kind of a cross between an apple dumpling, a cobbler, a cinnamon roll and a pie, if you can imagine that. And sooooo easy to make. You’ll have ’em done, your feet up and a glass of wine poured before you know it!

I highly recommend using the boiled apple cider, but if you don’t have it today, no problem. The recipe will guide you along without it. Though seriously, do get some. It is like a magic elixir! I will also say, when you pour that syrup over the dumpling slices, you might freak out, thinking it is way too much liquid. But don’t despair! It will cook down to a gorgeous gooey perfection of a syrup. Just spoon any left in the bottom of the pan over the dumpling slice and top it with a bit of ice cream. Keep this recipe in your bag of tricks, I’m telling you. Great for Thanksgiving, but very welcome anytime you need a scrumptious old time-y dessert. Folks will think you slaved over this dish all day. And me? I promise, I won’t say a word.

• Servings: 16 small servings
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recipe from: King Arthur Baking

Ingredients:

For the syrup:

• 4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, cold
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups (227g to 340g) water* (see tips below)
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups (198g to 298g) sugar* (see tips below)
• 1/2 cup (170g) boiled cider – optional* (see tips below)

For the Filling:

• 2 cups (255g) peeled, diced apple (from about 2 medium apples)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the Dough:

• 2 cups (227g) Self Rising Flour (King Arthur flour is the way to go!)
• 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, cold
• 1/2 cup (113g) milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Melt the 4 tablespoons butter for the syrup in a 9″ x 13″ baking dish; glass or ceramic is preferable. Set the dish aside.

To make the syrup: In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the water, butter and sugar until the sugar melts. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the boiled cider. Set aside.

To make the filling: Mix together the cinnamon and apples. Set aside.

To make the dough: Combine the flour and butter in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Work the butter into the flour with a mixer, your fingers, a pastry blender, or pastry fork, (I used my food processor to make quick work of it) until the mixture is crumbly.

Stir in the milk, and mix until the dough just comes together and leaves the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it gently, until it’s somewhat cohesive.

Roll the dough out gently until it’s a rectangle about 10″ x 15″; rolling the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper is helpful here. Scatter the apples evenly over the surface of the dough.

Starting with a long side, gently roll the dough into a log, pinching the edges together to seal. It may tear, but don’t worry; just mend it as best you can. If you’ve rolled the dough out on parchment paper, it can help prevent the tearing.

With a bench knife or serrated knife, cut the log into 16 slices, starting in the middle and moving out towards the edges.

Arrange the slices atop the melted butter in the baking dish as artfully as possible. The slices may want to fall apart, but again, not to worry. The finished product will look just fine.

Pour the syrup over the apple dumpling slices and carefully transfer the pan to the oven.

Bake the dumplings for 40 to 45 minutes, until the biscuits are lightly browned on top, and the syrup is bubbling. Be careful moving the pan, as the hot liquid can slosh from one end of the the pan to the other very easily.

Let the dumpling slices cool a bit, then serve them with syrup spooned over the top. Annnnd….probably a little ice cream as well!

Store, loosely covered, at room temperature for a day or so. Freeze for longer storage.

Tips:

King Arthur recommends using boiled cider for more pronounced apple flavor. If omitting the boiled cider, or you like your dumplings extra sweet and syrupy, use 1 1/2 cups each sugar and water. If using boiled cider, and you want dumplings that are a little less sweet but still sticky and gooey, use 1 cup each sugar and water.

Enjoy!

Links for helpful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Apple Dumpling Slices:

Cuisinart Pro-Classic Food Processor

Oxo Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

Silicone Pastry Dough Rolling Mat

Boiled Cider – I absolutely love this stuff! It really intensifies that fresh apple flavor in recipes. I also use it in baked oatmeal and have been known to drizzle a bit over ice cream. Highly recommended!

Popovers with Boozy Orange Cranberry Butter

Oh my gosh, Thanksgiving is nearly upon us. And that being said – the full blown holiday season is ready to step full into the spotlight on the very day following…but we won’t think about that today… Back to Thanksgiving … And like many of you, I’ve been stationed in the kitchen a whole lot . It’s weird right? Days of preparation and cooking and BAM! It is all over in about an hour. Well, the eating that is. Then there is the clean up – which is pretty substantial. And then there is the figuring out how to fit all of the leftovers into your fridge. And speaking of leftovers, I do have a great Thanksgiving feast leftover recommendation for you today… That is assuming you have some leftover cranberry sauce on hand. What I’m going to share with you is a wonderful day after Thanksgiving Treat, A Black Friday pastry if you will – Popovers with Boozy Orange Cranberry Butter.

Hopefully you are planning to make my Boozy Orange Cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving this year. That stuff is like cranberry crack – I’m telling you! It’s so delicious, it shouldn’t just be reserved for one meal out of the year. And it is very easy to make.

And although today is the day before the big day and the supermarkets are full of scenes from Dante’s Inferno…Seriously – if you head out to grocery shop today – you better steel your nerves because you will be wondering what fresh hell you have arrived in! But, you’ve got this. Take a deep breath. There is still have time to not only plan your feast, if you haven’t already done so, but to go out and hunt and gather your ingredients. So in attempt to inspire you, let me take a moment to give you a bit of a Thanksgiving recipe roundup of delicious recipes which I have shared with you in the past. One of my all time favorite recipes, which I am indeed making this year is Smoky Bacon Cream Biscuit Dressing. The Husband has actually declared Thanksgiving would be ruined if this dish wasn’t on the table. It is so decadent, chock full of homemade Cream Biscuits, mushrooms and one whole pound of bacon (can’t go wrong with bacon!).

Another Thanksgiving staple at our house are Heavenly West Virginia Dinner Rolls. These moist, tender and slightly sweet yeast rolls are a must for us.

But we really LOVE bread around here, so I’ve also made these lovely Amish Dinner Rolls. Yes – that is in addition to the West Virginia Rolls. Told you we love bread. I’ll do a few extra revs in the gym – it will be totally worth it!

And talking about hitting the gym – how about some dessert? Like these Inside Out Pumpkin Muffins filled with Cider Cinnamon Cream Cheese.

Or this ahhhh-mazing Thanksgiving Pie – Toffee Blonde Pie with Cinnamon Toast Crunch Crumb Crust, Pumpkin Ganache & Boozy Cranberry Sauce topping.

And if you do have any leftovers, I shared Holiday Leftover Pies recipe with you.

But wait! Now that I mention leftovers, I’ve realized that I’m getting completely carried away with all this food! Lets get back to the recipe at hand today, which does indeed involve leftovers – those Popovers with Boozy Orange Cranberry Butter.  So what you’ll need is some leftover Boozy Orange Cranberry Sauce. You whip up some butter and then add that cranberry sauce to it. Bake up a batch of Popovers. Popovers might seem a bit intimidating but I’m telling you they are easy peasy. The recipe I’ve included will yield up a dozen sugar dusted, absolutely divine little treats.

Make sure to serve them hot out of the oven

slathered with that magical Cranberry butter. Folks will lose their minds! Now you can spread this luscious Cranberry Butter over anything you want – toast, bagels, biscuits, oatmeal….but hot, crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, popovers are pretty impressive you’ve gotta admit. We have enjoyed ours in the past on Black Friday. You know, we had to make sure we’d be fueled up for the take-no-prisoners day of serious shopping. But these popovers would turn any meal into a special occasion and  they elevate that Cranberry Sauce to an even higher level. Hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Popovers with Cranberry Butter

• Servings: 12 popovers
• Difficulty: easy
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recipe adapted slightly from: King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

For the Popovers:

• 2 teaspoons bacon grease, butter, or lard
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 241 grams All purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 454 grams whole milk, at room temperature

For the Cranberry Butter:

• 170 grams unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 57 grams (1/4 cup) Boozy Orange Cranberry Sauce ( Or you can use whatever leftover cranberry sauce you have on hand – though I’m not sure that stuff that slides out of a can will work…)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Use the bacon grease, butter, or lard to grease a 12-cup muffin pan or a large, 6-well popover pan. Lightly sprinkle the insides of the wells with the 1 tablespoon sugar.

To make the cranberry butter: Beat the butter and salt at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the leftover boozy orange cranberry sauce and mix at low speed until well blended. Set aside.

To make the popovers: In a blender or food processor, combine the flour, salt, eggs, and milk until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, filling the cups halfway.

Bake the popovers for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tops are deep brown. Remove them from the oven and pierce the tops with a paring knife to allow steam to escape. Cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a warm serving dish. Dust with confectioners’ sugar if desired; serve warm, slathered with cranberry butter.

Enjoy!

Popovers with Boozy Orange Cranberry Butter brought to you by Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

Useful links for Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Popovers with Boozy Orange Cranberry Butter:

OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer

Cuisinart Pro-Classic Food Processor

Nordicware Grand Popover Pan

 

Amish Dinner Rolls

Hold on a second…you mean I have actually been able to get a Thanksgiving recipe all done and dusted and on my blog BEFORE Thanksgiving?!!! Good Lord in Heaven above – I must be super organized for once. Finally got my act together and all of that… As much as I’d like to say that is what is happening here, I must confess, things might not be as impressive as they seem at first glance. I actually made these rolls last year. Yup – last Thanksgiving and I still had a hard time getting this blog post ready to go with all of the holiday preparations and well…life…going on around here. Oh well, the important thing is here they are – delicious, soft buttery Amish Dinner Rolls – just in time for your Thanksgiving feast.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I have shared some great Thanksgiving recipes with you in the past. Like who doesn’t love my Boozy Orange Cranberry Sauce?

Or my Smoky Bacon Cream Biscuit Dressing?

Those adorable little Inside Out Pumpkin Muffins filled with Cider Cinnamon Cream Cheese

And who can forget that Thanksgiving Pie – Toffee Blonde Pie with Cinnamon Toast Crumb Crust with Pumpkin Ganache!

And I’ve even given you a few tips on what you can do with all of your leftovers – like making these little Pirozhkis into Holiday Leftover Pies:

But I freely admit, I’ve often had a hard time sharing these gems with you in a timely fashion. Someone actually took me to task for it last year. I will point out that all of these recipes will work for other meals, like say Christmas. It will be here before you know it! But let me get back to my very timely post that I have published today – two whole days in advance! I love a lot of things about these Amish Dinner Rolls. The fact that they are indeed delicious is high up on my list. But these rolls are very easy to transport. I baked mine in a 9″x13″ baking tin that has one of those plastic lids. So when it was time to head out to Mom’s, I just popped those rolls back into that pan, snapped the lid on top and off I went. The pan protected them somewhat from getting squished in the journey and when I arrived, I just slid them right into the oven again to warm. Easy peasy!

Another great thing about these rolls, which is really awesome is that you can make them up a day or two before the big holiday event. They stay fresh-tasting at room temperature for several days. So maybe you won’t have to actually get up at 3 am to sit through two rises of the dough and baking time to have these fresh on your holiday table. And I’ve managed to get this post published two whole days ahead of time, so you could technically make these today or tomorrow and you’re golden!

And back to their taste – Folks will go wild for these tender, moist Amish Dinner Rolls! I would say they would be great for sandwiches the next day, but I’m betting there won’t be one crumb of them left! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

• Servings: 16 -24 rolls
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recipe from: King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup (67 grams) sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 6 Tablespoons (85 grams) softened butter
• 1 Cup (213 grams) unseasoned mashed potatoes, lightly packed ( 1 large potato should yield enough mash for this recipe)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 3/4 cup lukewarm water (water in which the potatoes were boiled is preferable)
• 4 1/4 Cups (510 grams) unbleached all – purpose flour

Directions:

Mix and knead all of the ingredients together to make a smooth soft dough. You can do this by hand, bread machine or stand mixer. I used my stand mixer.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled. This should take 1 1/2 – 2 hours.

Turn the dough out onto a flour dusted work surface and gently deflate. Divide the dough into 16 large balls or 24 smaller ones. Round each ball into a smooth roll.

Place the rolls in a lightly greased 9″x13″ baking tin. The rolls will be a bit crowded and will be very like pull-apart rolls with a golden top and unbrowned sides. If you prefer, you can place them further apart and they will brown all over. Cover with plastic wrap and let them rise for 1 1/2 – 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bake the rolls for 20 -25 minutes or until they’re golden brown. Remove them from the oven and turn them out of the pan onto a wire rack to cool. Brush with melted butter.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Store the rolls wrapped in plastic for several days at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Amish Dinner Rolls brought to you today by: Runcible Eats (www. leaandjay.com)

Links for helpful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Amish Dinner Rolls:

OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

6 Quart Dough Rising Bucket

Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer

SAF Instant Yeast

 

Boozy Orange Cranberry Sauce

Woah! Here it is Thanksgiving already and no doubt Christmas will be hot on its heels. Before we blink it will be upon us! I can’t believe I’m actually able to get this post off today because the Husband and I have been craaaa-zeee busy lately. But here you go – Boozy Orange Cranberry Sauce, just in time for the holiday. Yes…as I previously mentioned…I do know that Thanksgiving is today. I also would wager there are quite a few of you stuck in the kitchen right now saying ” Oh no! I’ve still gotta do the cranberry sauce”. Don’t reach for that can of cranberry jelly. You can have some lovely homemade cranberry goodness all made up in about 20 minutes or so! Easy peasy! And like a lot of things I make, this Cranberry sauce has a kick…namely Bourbon. Bet no one would notice if you took a wee nip or two while you were preparing this dish. I’m sure you need it about now if you’re cooking for the family. Consider it medicinal.

Now I will admit, this is a bit of a cheat because I have published this recipe before but it was hidden within other recipes. Like this Thanksgiving Pie -Toffee Blonde Pie with Cinnamon Toast Crumb Crust, Pumpkin Ganache and Boozy Cranberry Sauce for example:

This year, I decided it should get the limelight. (And I did mention that things have been nuts around here right…). Sweet, tangy and a bit boozy, it is the perfect complement to items on your Thanksgiving menu. Not to mention, it is wonderful to have around when you dig into all those Thanksgiving leftovers! What would the Thanksgiving leftover sandwich be without it? Or maybe you could make up these Holiday Leftover Pirozhkis that I told you about last year?

It is also wonderful stirred into yogurt or as an oatmeal topping. This Boozy Orange Cranberry Sauce it so fantastic and easy to make – which is very important since preparing holiday meals can be somewhat frantic to say the least – I bet it’ll show up on your Christmas table. There is no reason it should be relegated to Thanksgiving alone.

This sauce can actually be made up several days before your holiday event as well and does just fine chilling in the fridge. So there you have it, a quick, easy and tasty Thanksgiving side dish, just in the nick of time. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

• Servings: 2 1/2 cups yield, about 8 - 10 folks depending on their appetites...
• Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients:

• 12 ounces, weight Fresh Cranberries
• 3/4 cups Granulated Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Loosely Packed Orange Zest
• 1/2 cup Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 stick Cinnamon
• 1/4 cup quality Bourbon

Directions:

Pick through the cranberries, removing any stems or berries that don’t look plump and ripe. Rinse the remaining cranberries well, then place them in a heavy bottomed medium saucepan with the sugar, orange zest, orange juice, water and cinnamon stick. Stir to combine, then place the pan over medium heat. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so.

After 15 minutes, the cranberries should all have burst. Remove the pan from the heat. The sauce will look very liquidy, but will thicken as it cools. After the sauce has cooled completely, stir in the bourbon. Remove the cinnamon stick and serve the cranberry sauce at room temperature or chilled.

Cranberry sauce can be made 2–3 days ahead of time.

Enjoy!

Holiday Leftover Pies!

Who out there has leftovers? I bet one or two of you do if your Thanksgiving feasts looked anything like ours did. Well boy oh boy do I have an awesome recipe for you today… Holiday Leftover Pies! Now I will admit, this might be a bit of a replay on my part, but I got the idea from those delicious Pirozhki’s that I blogged about a couple of weeks ago. Pirozhkis are little Russian yeast buns which have been stuffed with ground beef, leeks and cheddar. Quite yummy as you can imagine. So I was thinking about them. Well, them and the fact that the Husband loves the day-after Thanksgiving sandwich. You know – the Thanksgiving dinner -turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy – squished between two slices of bread. Yeah, well he loves it…quite possibly more than he likes the original Thanksgiving Day feast. So, combining the two thoughts, I stuffed these little Thanksgiving Pirozhkis with leftover turkey and all the trimmings, baked ’em up and let me tell you…They were Awesome! Dare I say even better than the sandwich version.

And the fact that you are working with a filling that has spent at least one day in the fridge is a big benefit as well. I mean cutting off a slice of gravy to add to the filling rather than working with a hot liquid version when stuffing dough is a far superior experience. Just take a few moments to dice up any meat into bite sized cubes and the rest is easy-peasy. The total amount of filling, whatever leftovers you might have on hand, should be about 2 – 2 1/2 Tablespoons per bun. And I will say that when you pinch the folded over dough together to seal the bun, don’t hold back! Give it quite a pinch or use a fork like you would in making a pie crust to ensure that the bun edges stick together and don’t pop open in the oven. But if they do, no worries. I assure you, it won’t effect the taste one little bit!

These Day-After Leftover Pies will be a tradition after every holiday feast from this day forward, I can assure you. We’re already thinking ahead to Christmas when we’ll have leftover prime rib, mushrooms, mashed potatoes and gravy. Drool, drool, drool! So I just had to share this with everyone. If you’ve already gobbled down all your Thanksgiving leftovers, keep these in mind for Christmas. You, and whomever you decide to share with, will be delighted!

• Servings: 16 pies
• Difficulty: easy
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Holiday Leftover Pie dough recipe from: King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

For the Dough:

• 4 cups (17 oz /482 grams) All Purpose Flour
• 1/4 cup (1 oz./28 grams) Vermont Cheese Powder (don’t have cheese powder? you can substitute grated parmesan or leave it out altogether.)
• 1/2 cup (4 oz./113grams) sour cream
• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons, 2 oz./57grams) soft unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup (4 oz./113grams) warm water
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons (7/8 oz./25grams) sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast

For the filling:

• Whatever leftovers you have, such as: diced turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy & cranberry sauce

Directions:

To make the dough: Combine all the dough ingredients and mix and knead — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — until a soft, smooth dough forms.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and allow to rest for about 90 minutes, until puffy but not necessarily doubled in bulk.

Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces; if you have a scale they’ll weigh about 2 ounces each. 

Shape the pieces into balls, and place them on lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving about an inch between them. 

Cover the dough balls, and allow them to rest for about 15 minutes.

Ready your leftovers. Don’t reheat them, leave them cold. They will be much easier to work with.Chop any large pieces of meat into a smaller dice.

Shape each ball into a flattened round about 5″ in diameter, brush the surface with some of the egg/water wash, and place 2 tablespoons of filling onto the center of each round. 

Pull the dough over the filling, pinching two opposite edges together tightly, to seal in the filling; it should look like a dumpling. 

Place the buns on two lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheets. Cover the buns, and allow them to rise for 1 hour, or until puffy.

Towards the end of the rising time preheat the oven to 400°F.

Brush the buns with the remaining egg wash. Bake the buns for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. It’s OK if some of the seams have come undone and the filling is visible; they can be prettier that way!

Remove the buns from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Store any leftover buns in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Holiday Leftover Pies brought to you by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

Useful Links for Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Holiday Leftover Pies:

6 Quart Dough Rising Bucket

Norpro 2 Tablespoon Cookie Scoop

SAF Instant Yeast

Vermont Cheese Powder

 

Thanksgiving Pie – Toffee Blonde Pie with Cinnamon Toast Crumb Crust, Pumpkin Ganache & Boozy Cranberry Sauce

I’m sure you already know this but…Thanksgiving is upon us! It is time to get all your menus for the big day finalized and you just might want to start cooking! But before you make that final shopping run, I wanted to share a great dessert recipe with you. I call it “Thanksgiving Pie”. Now I’m sure there are a lot of folks out there who consider Pumpkin Pie or even Sweet Potato Pie to be their “Thanksgiving Pie”. I get that. But they haven’t tasted this Thanksgiving Pie. In fact, I’d wager that with one little forkful, this pie would be able to wrest that title away from any other contender. You see my Thanksgiving Pie is actually a Toffee Blonde Pie with Cinnamon Toast Crumb Crust, and a Pumpkin Ganache topping. And as if that wasn’t enough, I serve it with a garnish of Boozy Cranberry Sauce drizzled over the top. You see….that title is ridiculously long winded. Hence, Thanksgiving Pie. Or maybe you could call it “Special Thanksgiving Pie”.

It has got all of those iconic Thanksgiving flavors going on, the pumpkin, the cinnamon, the cranberry. Yum, yum yum! I got the idea for this amazing pie from Chef Christina Tosi in her Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook. If you look, you won’t see a recipe for this actual pie there. I cobbled it together from various recipes listed there. The cookbook is designed around “mother recipes” and then lists variations you can take to build on that recipe. There are definitely some tried and true Momufuku Milk Bar favorites listed there, but you can also get creative with the flavor profiles and come up with your own favorites.

Now keep in mind, there are a few steps involved here in making this masterpiece. You definitely must plan ahead because I know things tend to get really hectic this time of year. But there is still plenty of time, no worries whatsoever. And you can make the Blonde Pie Filling and Pumpkin Ganache ahead of time and then just make the crust and assemble when you are ready. It can all be done the day before the big day and just be chilling somewhere.

Once folks are just starting to slip into their Turkey Comas but still want a little dessert before completely losing consciousness, voila! You will be ready with the Thanksgiving Pie of their dreams!

• Servings: 1 Ten inch pie 8-10 slices
• Difficulty: moderate - a lot of steps and recipes within recipes
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recipe cobbled together from various Christina Tosi recipes found in the Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook

Ingredients:

For the Cinnamon Toast Crumb Crust:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 cups diced crusts and end pieces from 1 loaf of packaged white bread (10 ounces of crusts)

For the Blonde Pie filling:

• 160 grams (5 1/2 oz.) white chocolate
• 55 grams (4 Tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 2 egg yolks
• 40 grams (3 Tablespoons) sugar
• 105 grams (1/2 cup) heavy cream
• 52 grams (1/3 cup) flour
• 1 cup toffee chips
• 4 grams (1 teaspoon) kosher salt

For the pumpkin ganache:

• 150 grams (5 1/4 oz.) white chocolate
• 25 grams (2 tablespoons) butter
• 50 grams (2 tablespoons) glucose ( no glucose? substitute 18 grams (1 Tablespoon) corn syrup
• 55 grams (1/4 cup) cold heavy cream
• 75 grams (1/3 cup) Libby’s pumpkin puree
• 4 grams (1 teaspoon) salt
• 1 gram (1/2 teaspoon) cinnamon

For the garnish:

• Fresh cranberry sauce (optional. You can use store-bought cranberry sauce or if you aren’t already spending enough time on this pie and you can’t bear to leave the kitchen yet – see Cranberry Sauce recipe below)

Directions:

Make the Crust:

Preheat the oven to 325° F. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the butter is golden brown, about 8 minutes; strain into a glass measuring cup.

Pour half of the melted butter into a bowl. Add the sugar, salt, cinnamon and chopped bread, and toss. Spread the mixture on a baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes, stirring once or twice, until golden. Let cool.

Rewarm the remaining butter. Place Cinnamon Crunch croutons in a food processor. Pour the remaining butter over the croutons. Pulse until fine crumbs form. Place the crumbs into a 10-inch pie plate. Refrigerate for 5 minutes. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Refrigerate the crust until chilled, 15 minutes.

Make the Toffee Blonde Pie Filling:

Combine the white chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and gently melt them on medium, in 30 second increments, stirring between blasts. Once melted, whisk the mixture until smooth.

Put the egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl and whisk together until smooth. Pour in the white chocolate mixture and whisk to combine. Slowly drizzle in the heavy cream and whisk to combine.

Stir the flour, toffee chips, and salt together in a small bowl, then carefully fold them into the filling. Use immediately, or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Make the Pumpkin Ganache:

Combine the white chocolate and butter in a microwave safe dish and gently melt them in the microwave in 15 second bursts, stirring between blasts. The result should be barely warm to the touch and totally homogeneous.

Transfer the chocolate mixture to a container that can accommodate and immersion blender (yes, it must be an immersion blender, Chef Tosi insists!) – something tall and narrow. Warm the glucose in the microwave for 15 seconds, then immediately add to the chocolate mixture and buzz with the hand blender. After a minute, stream in the heavy cream, with the hand blender running – the mixture will come together into something silky, shiny and smooth.

Blend in the pumpkin puree, salt and cinnamon. Put the ganache in the fridge to firm up before using, at least 4 hours, or ideally, overnight. Stored in an airtight container, pumpkin ganache will keep fresh in the fridge for 1 week.

Assemble the pie:

Once your Cinnamon Toast Crumb Crust has chilled, fill it with the cooled Toffee Blonde Pie filling. Use a spatula to smooth top. Place cooled Pumpkin Ganache in a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe ganache over the top of the pie. If you would rather, you can simply use a spatula to smooth the ganache over the top of the Toffee Blonde Pie filling. Serve with a side of Boozy Cranberry Sauce if you desire. (and why wouldn’t you….)

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Pie brought to you by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

Boozy Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces, weight Fresh Cranberries
• 3/4 cups Granulated Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Loosely Packed Orange Zest
• 1/2 cup Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
• 1 stick Cinnamon
• 1/2 cup quality Bourbon

Directions:

Pick through the cranberries, removing any stems or berries that don’t look plump and ripe. Rinse the remaining cranberries well, then place them in a heavy bottomed saucepan with the sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and cinnamon stick. Stir to combine, then place the pan over medium heat. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so.

After 15 minutes, the cranberries should all have burst. Remove the pan from the heat. The sauce will look very liquidy, but will thicken as it cools. After the sauce has cooled completely, stir in the bourbon. Remove the cinnamon stick and serve the cranberry sauce at room temperature or chilled.

Cranberry sauce can be made 2–3 days ahead of time.

Links to Useful Kitchen tools and Ingredients for Thanksgiving Pie:

Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook

OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

Cuisinart Pro-Classic Food Processor

Kitchen Aid Hand Blender

Heath Bits O’Brickle Toffee Bits

Libby’s Pumpkin Puree (This link is for 6 -15 oz. cans. Way more than you need for this recipe. However, you can at least see what it looks like here and then maybe find it in your local market or heck, get all 6 and be ready anytime a pumpkin need arises)

Glucose

 

Halloween Cookies & Cream Owl Cupcakes

Happy Halloween! And just look what I’ve got here…h’OWL’oween Cupcakes! Or I guess you could call them OreOwls! Sorry, I couldn’t resist. But really, aren’t these Cookies & Cream Owl Cupcakes adorable!

Almost too cute to eat…but who am I kidding?!! I love cupcakes. So believe me they only got a very short pass before I gobbled them up! Last Halloween I baked up a batch of Mini Mummy Brownie Bite Cupcakes that were pretty fantastic. Just look at these tiny terrors!

But back to these little owls… They are so easy to make that you could still get a batch done before this evenings festivities. Or maybe you could make them for Thanksgiving. They definitely have an autumn vibe.

 

I give you a recipe for some very moist and chocolatey Cookies & Cream Cupcakes, but if you’re in a rush you could just make a box mix and fold some crushed Oreo cookies into the batter before baking. The chocolate ganache frosting is super easy to make. I dipped the cupcakes rather than actually frosting them. To be honest, the most difficult part of these cupcakes were trying to separate the cookies so that all of the white frosting cream remained on one cookie. Cutting the frosting-less Oreo to make the owl’s tufts was a bit challenging as well, but a few choice words later and Voila! Owl nirvana achieved! Happy Hauntings!

• Servings: 14 -16 cupcakes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe slightly adapted from: Once Upon a Chef (cupcakes) and Arctic Garden Studio (ganache)

Ingredients:

• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, broken into small pieces
• 1 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
• 1/2 tablespoon instant coffee granules (optional, to enhance chocolate flavor)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup chopped Oreos
• 28 -32 Oreo cookies for decorating
• 28 – 32 brown, blue or green plain chocolate M&M’s (I used Mega M&M’s but regular sized are fine)
• 14 – 16 yellow or orange white chocolate M&M’s (or plain chocolate M&M’s if you prefer)

For the Frosting:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1-2 tablespoons corn syrup

Directions:

Prep Work: Count out 28 -32 Oreo cookies. Divide these cookies in half and attempt to keep all of the cream on one of the cookies. Using a small icing spatula helps. If you end up crack a few cookies, don’t despair – you can crumble them even further and use them in the cupcakes. Once you have the cookies successfully separated, cut 14 -16 of the non-icing side Oreos in half to make the owl tufts. 

Preheat oven to 350° F and line two 12-cup muffin tins.

Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and cook in the microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring in between, until about 3/4 of the way melted. Stir, allowing the residual heat in the bowl to melt the remaining chocolate completely. (If necessary, place the chocolate back in microwave for a few seconds.) Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, instant coffee (if using), baking soda and salt until well combined.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl and beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and lukewarm chocolate.

Add the dry ingredients in three separate additions, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the crushed Oreo cookies.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups until about 3/4 full (I think it’s easiest to use an ice cream scooper with a wire scraper). Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops look dry and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

For the frosting: Heat heavy cream and chocolate over medium low heat stirring constantly until chocolate has melted. Stir in corn syrup. Let ganache cool for about 10 minutes before assembling cupcakes.

Cupcake Assembly:

First complete the owl “ore-eyes” (the Oreo halves with the icing). Place brown, green or blue M&M’s into the inner edge of the white part of each owl eye. Press down gently (if you push too hard you will crack the cookie) to stick M&M to the cream filling. Or if it seems like it doesn’t want to stick, a little bit of ganache to the bottom of the M&M to “glue” it in place.

Now for the cupcakes. Dip each cupcake in the ganache so that the top is frosted. Place eyes just slightly below the center of the cupcake, this will make sure you have enough room for the tufts. Then place the tufts above the eyes. Add a sideways orange or yellow M&M for the nose. Repeat with each cupcake until complete.

Enjoy!

*These cupcakes are best on the day that they are made as far as looks go. The Oreo tufts do get moist on the following day and tend to break off easily if you are trying to transport cupcakes.

Halloween Cookies & Cream Owl Cupcakes brought to you by: Runcible Eats. (www.leaandjay.com)

 

 

Smoky Bacon Cream Biscuit Dressing

Smoky Bacon Cream Biscuit Dressing. That’s right, what I’m talking about is a dressing in which Cream Biscuits are used in place of the run of the mill bread crumbs (croutons). You know, those decadent little gems I just mentioned in my last post? Although they are absolutely delicious on their own, truth be told I baked that batch up solely to use in this dressing.

Now I might have had to have taken up a shotgun to stand guard over them for the two days leading up to Thanksgiving, but it was worth my vigilance to be able to make this essential Holiday dressing! ( By the way – Does anyone else have an issue with the term “dressing”. I really want to call this “stuffing”, but as I understand it, unless you actually stuff it into the bird, it is not stuffing. If it is cooked in a separate dish, it is dressing. Doesn’t sound right to me and I guess no one mentioned it to those folks over at Stove Top. 🙂 )

Now the Cream Biscuits aren’t the only fantastic thing about this dressing.  As you might have guessed from the title, there is also a bunch (1 lbs. worth) of crispy smoky bacon thrown into the mix. Along with some lovely mushrooms and fresh herbs. So savory, so moist… It is, without a doubt, the best dressing I have ever tasted.

At this point, I don’t know what the husband would do were we to have a Thanksgiving without it. Then I got to thinking, dressing isn’t only served at Thanksgiving and this dressing would certainly be welcome at any holiday meal (or any meal full stop for that matter). There are a lot of folks out there that serve turkey or goose for their Christmas Feast, so I thought I should go ahead and share this tasty recipe. Not to mention, Thanksgiving will surely turn up again next year and  you will be ready to go. I assure you, no matter when you happen to make this Smoky Bacon Cream Biscuit stuffing dressing, it will steal the show!

• Servings: 8-10
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe slightly adapted from: Williams Sonoma

Ingredients:

• Twelve 4-inch cream biscuits, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 lb. smoky bacon
• 2 yellow onions, diced
• 5 celery stalks, diced
• 8 oz. white button mushrooms, brushed clean and sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh sage
• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 4 to 4 1/2 cups chicken stock

Directions:

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 350°F.

Spread the biscuits out on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Set aside. Increase the oven temperature to 375°F.

Cook the bacon until crisp, 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Chop or crumble into 1″ pieces.

Pour off all but 3 Tablespoons of the fat from the pan. Set the pan over medium heat and add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, mushrooms, parsley, sage and thyme and cook until the celery is soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl. Add the bacon to the bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the biscuits and 4 cups of the stock and stir gently to combine. (try not to break up the biscuit chunks) Let rest for 5 – 10 minutes or so and then add more stock if you think it looks too dry.

Transfer the dressing to a baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake until the dressing is lightly browned, about 20 minutes more.

Enjoy!

Smoky Bacon Cream Biscuit Dressing brought to you by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

 

Heavenly West Virginia Dinner Rolls

I have a confession to make. I love bread. I LOVE it. When I did that South Beach Diet a few years ago and bread was completely out of the question, I thought I might die. I guess that is when I figured out South Beach was not really sustainable in my world. Nope. In my world there is a lot of fresh baked bread, preferably slathered in lovely salty butter.

I guess I’ll have to hit the gym a little longer to make sure that in my world I can still get my britches buttoned. But if that’s what it takes to chow down on bread, then so be it. And these little dinner rolls that I’m about to talk about, well they are definitely worth undertaking a few extra revs in the gym. Moist, tender and slightly sweet, they are my go-to roll for all dinners. I probably should have let you know about these before Thanksgiving, but hey –  Christmas and New Year’s are right around the corner!

You may wonder why I call them West Virginia Rolls. Well, I originally came across this recipe when I was looking for Pepperoni Roll recipe. The husband and I love to visit West Virginia every chance we get. Especially the town of Fayetteville, which I’ve told you all about in previous blogs. Pepperoni Rolls, soft white yeast roll which are stuffed with pepperoni, cheese and possibly some peppers, are like the State food of West Virginia. You can find them everywhere from bakeries to gas stations. I wanted to recreate them at home and found an absolutely to die for recipe on Martha Miller’s blog. Her recipe yielded up some truly Heavenly Pepperoni Rolls. The bread called for in that recipe, which was from Martha’s grandmother Yie’s dinner roll recipe, is the same bread used in these rolls. I called them Yie’s Rolls for a while, but everyone around here thought I was saying “yeast rolls” and they were wondering which yeast rolls I meant. Now, when I say West Virginia Rolls, everyone knows exactly what I mean and starts drooling immediately!

I used to be intimidated by any recipe that had yeast in it. I was sure it was just too difficult to pull off. Now I know that baking with yeast is not really difficult at all, though it can be a bit persnickity, so it helps if you have a few tools on hand. You definitely need a good thermometer which will give you a fast read. And the type of yeast you use is important. Personally I love the SAF Instant Yeast I keep a canister of it in the freezer at all times. And a dough rising bucket is also nice to have. You could probably get by without these tools, but having them makes things go much more smoothly. So now you’re ready to make some lovely yeast dinner rolls. These flavourful little gems are easy to make, though I will admit they are a bit time-consuming with two separate rise times, so make sure you have plenty of time set aside for them on baking day. Now don’t get discouraged. I know you’re thinking “there is no way I have time for all that nonsense especially around the holidays.” But here is a great secret I am happy to pass along to you. Sometime prior to the big dinner you have planned, when you have some free time on your hands (yeah right, huh?) you can make a bunch of these rolls up and par-bake them. So that means you just bake them for 7 minutes, take them out of the oven to cool and then freeze them in heavy ziplock freezer bags. (They will keep in the freezer for several months.) Then, when the day of the big dinner arrives, you simply take them out of the freezer and pop them frozen right onto the baking tray and bake at 375° F for about 8 -10 minutes. And voila! Lovely dinner rolls, fresh from the oven, melt in your mouth, golden brown and irresistible. You will be amazed how quickly these little devils disappear from your table!

• Servings: 3 dozen
• Difficulty: easy - but time consuming
• Print

recipe from: Martha J Miller

Note: This recipe makes a lot of rolls! My stand mixer is not even big enough to handle the full recipe. I usually make 1/2 of the recipe which yields about 18 -20 rolls.

Ingredients:

For the bread:

• 2 cups milk
• 2/3 cup oil (canola or vegetable)
• 4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 packages instant yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons – a yeast packet contains 2 1/4 tsp. yeast)
• 1 cup warm water (about 110°F)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 9-10 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

Directions:

In a small saucepan, heat the milk over low heat until just before it comes to a boil (heat to about 190 – 195° F). Do not let the milk boil. In a small bowl, combine the warm milk, oil, salt and 3/4 cup sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves and let the mixture cool to lukewarm (98°F).

Meanwhile, in the bowl of stand mixer combine the two packages of yeast, sugar and warm cup of water. Stir gently with a fork to break up any clumps and let stand 5 minutes or until mixture becomes bubbly. Pour the lukewarm milk mixture into the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add the eggs one at a time and beat to combine.

On low speed, begin to slowly add the flour, one cup at a time until a loose dough forms. There is no precise measurement for the flour as it will vary depending on your individual environment’s humidity, elevation, etc. but it will be somewhere between 9 to 10 cups. The finished dough will pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl, be slightly sticky and slack, but still hold together well.

Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface and knead, incorporating more flour to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands and the counter top. Knead by hand for 6 to 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Or you can just switch to your dough hook and let the mixer knead it for about 6 – 8 minutes. To test if the dough is ready, gently poke your finger into the dough and if the indentation remains but slowly comes back, you have kneaded long enough. Place dough in a rising bucket or if you don’t have one, a large lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Place in a warm draft-free place and let rise until dough doubles, about 2 hours.

After the first rise, gently remove the dough and knead lightly 2 or 3 times on a floured surface to remove any large air pockets. Next, divide the dough into 2 ounce pieces preferably using a kitchen scale. If you do not own a kitchen scale the dough should divide out into roughly 3 dozen small pieces and once shaped, be about 1-1.5 inches in diameter.

Shape dough pieces into rolls by pinching two opposite sides of the dough and then pinching together the other two sides to form a ball.

Place shaped rolls on greased sheet pans with enough room for them to rise without touching and lightly cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, approximately 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly beat one large egg with a splash of water and paint egg wash gently over each roll. Bake rolls for 12-20 minutes until golden brown. Cool finished rolls on a rack and re-warm before serving.

To par-bake the rolls simply remove the partially cooked rolls after 7 minutes, let cool, and freeze in heavy duty plastic bags. To finish, place frozen rolls on a greased sheet pan and cook at 375°F for 8-10 minutes. Frozen par-baked rolls will keep in your freezer for several months.

Enjoy!

Heavenly West Virginia Dinner Rolls brought to you by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)