Date-Nut Scones

Every year around Thanksgiving, my mom makes loaf after loaf of her Date-Nut bread.  Its a wonderfully unique bread that seems to perfectly span Thanksgiving and Christmas flavors - its full of autumn's cinnamon and chewy dates, paired with Christmasey ginger and walnuts.  She wraps these loaves in simple white paper and delivers them to everyone - family, friends, neighbors, coworkers...everyone.  Just her way of saying, thanks.  No matter where I was living, she always made sure I got one too.

I finally asked her for the recipe because I wanted to bake something with Townes and start getting in the Thanksgiving spirit.  With planning the school fundraiser the last few months, I'm a little behind on my seasonal spirit.  I was just going to ask my mom for the Date Nut Bread recipe and make that with Townes, but then I felt like shaking things up a little.  I knew we would be getting our own loaves, so why not borrow the flavors, but make them in scone form. 

It took a decent amount of tweaking, and was perfected with a Maple Glaze that just compliments the flavors perfectly.  I'm trying to convince my mom to start adding the Maple Glaze to the loaves too, that would send them over the edge!

Date-Nut Scones

for the scones:

• 8 oz pitted dates
• 1/2 cup boiling (not just hot) water
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

for the maple glaze:

• 4 tbs. butter
• 4 tbs. maple syrup (the real stuff)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1-2 cups of powdered sugar

Preheat your oven to 400° and position a rack in the middle of the oven.  Put your butter in the freezer.

Prepare your dates by chopping them into small pieces.  My mom and I have both found it is easiest to use a pair of kitchen shears, cut them in quarters lengthwise and then cut the resulting strips into small pieces.  The scissors will get sticky but they will wash easily.  Once they are all cut, put them in a small bowl and sprinkle the 1/2 tsp. baking SODA over them.  Bring your water to a boil and pour over the dates, stir to coat them all in water and mix the baking soda in.  Let them sit for 15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, salt and baking POWDER. Set aside.

Prepare two baking sheets with either a silicon baking mat or parchment paper, sprinkle with flour. Set aside.

Using a plane grater or box grater (on the finest side) grate your frozen stick of butter over the dry ingredients and then mix it together with a rubber spatula. Do NOT use your hands - the warmth from your hands will soften the butter and you want it to be as cold as possible. Mix together just enough that it looks like gravel - it doesn't need to blend.

In a small bowl, whisk together your egg and cream.  Pour in the cooled dates and stir together. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and work together with a spatula. Stir until just holding together.

Flour your work surface and your hands, turn out the dough and work into a large ball with your hands.  The dough will be sticky and won't always blend well together, don't force it too much, remember your hands will soften the butter.

Using a sharp knife, divide the dough in two and place each half on its own baking sheet.  Place one of the baking sheets and dough in the fridge while you work with the other.  Form the piece of dough into a ball and then flatten into a disk no more than an inch thick.  Using a sharp knife, cut your disk into 8 equal wedges. Separate the wedges so there is at least an inch in between each one, they will puff up when they bake.

Bake the prepared scones for 5 minutes, then rotate the tray and bake for another 5 minutes.  Keep an eye on them while they bake, they go from done to burnt quickly.

While the first tray is baking, prepare the second set of scones, repeating the whole process. Let the scones cool on their trays while you prepare the glaze.

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter over low heat, whisking in the syrup and vanilla until well blended and completely melted. Add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, whisking all the lumps out after each addition. Add sugar to desired thickness.  If it becomes too thick, add a teaspoon of water at a time to thin it out.

Drizzle the glaze over the cooled scones and allow to set before serving.  Scones are best fresh, but will keep in an airtight container for 3 days.  They also freeze well (but before they are glazed).

Overnight Cranberry-Orange Cinnamon Rolls

Yeah, I just gained five pounds just looking at this picture too - blame Chanel.  This is yet another realization of one of her cravings.  When brainstorming over dinner one day, she said "oh my god, I really want a cinnamon roll so bad....with like cranberry...and orange" and I said, "yeah sure, let me pull out the left over cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving and throw that together for you...weirdo.  Oh, and I can't feed that to my kids for dinner...so, maybe another time."

I based the dough for the rolls on an overnight cinnamon roll recipe from Williams Sonoma that I used years ago, but I felt that it was a little too dense so I made some adjustments - well and then reworked it for the cranberry-orange thing too.

On that note, this recipe would work with any kind of preserves or jam that you like.  I was picking up food for dinner and came across this "too perfect for the moment" organic Superfruit spread (it has cranberries, blueberries, and cherries), so I used that.  However, you could use any jam or preserve you like including jellied-cranberry sauce. I still added a layer of cinnamon sugar, of course, and then topped these with a decadent whipped cream, orange and cream cheese glaze. 

These are as pretty as they are insanely tasty - you will not be sorry.  Well, your diet might, but your taste buds sure won't.  I think I am gonna make these a holiday staple, they may make it to the Christmas morning table next year.

Overnight Cranberry-Orange Cinnamon Rolls

Makes 12 Rolls

For the Dough:

• 1 (1/4 oz) packet active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water (100°+)
• 1 tsp. + 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 1/2 cups of flour
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 2 tsp. salt
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk

For the Filling:

• 5 oz. of jam of choice (I used a Cranberry, Blueberry, Cherry mix)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbs. ground cinnamon
• 1 stick butter, melted

For the Icing:

• 1/3 cup cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Juice of 1 orange
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• Pinch of salt
• Zest of 1 orange, for garnish (optional)

In a small bowl, combine the yeast and 1 tsp. of sugar.  Add the 1/2 cup of water and let stand for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to bloom.  Once it is foamy, whisk it until smooth and then whisk in 1/2 cup of the flour.  Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes (it will be the consistency of a pancake batter, so it will pouf more than rise).

In the mean time, in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter until creamy. Add the salt and the eggs, beat until combined.  Add 1 cup of the flour and beat well.  Switch the paddle for the dough hook.  After the yeast mixture has risen, pour that into the stand mixer and mix well.  1 cup at a time, add the remaining 3 cups of flour.  Knead on low speed until smooth (about 8-10 minutes), adding a little of the milk at a time if the dough is too dry. You want it to be smooth and slightly elastic but not sticky.

When the dough is done, remove it from the bowl and knead by hand for a few minutes more.  Roll it into a ball and return to the mixing bowl.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow it to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours, in a warm place.

Butter a 9 x 12 rectangluar or large oval baking dish, set aside.

After the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out on a floured work surface into a 16 x 12 inch rectangle.  I like the dough to be a perfect rectangle, so I use a knife or pizza cutter to cut it into a rectangle and then place the trimmings back on top of the rectangle and then roll it smooth just a bit more, I think it adds extra flaky layers, or you can just toss the trimmed dough.

Using half of the melted butter, brush the rectangle, leaving a 2-inch wide strip on a long side bare.  Then, using a small rubber spatula, spread the jam or preserves on top of the buttered dough. It should be just a thin layer, if you put too much it will squeeze out everywhere, just a little.  Then sprinkle the preserves with the cinnamon sugar, pretty liberally, but to your taste.

Starting at the long side covered with sugar, roll up the dough towards the bare side snugly, pinching the seam together gently.  Seam-side down, slice the dough into 1-inch thick slices, placing the slices, cut-side down in the baking dish.  Brush the tops of the rolls with the remaining melted butter.

Cover the dish lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night. The next morning, remove from the refrigerator and allow to rise until the rolls have doubled in size, about an hour. Preheat the oven to 350°.  Once the rolls have risen, bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.  Allow to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes.

While the rolls are baking, make the glaze. With a hand mixer, beat together the sugar and cream cheese until smooth.  Add the cream, juice, vanilla and salt.  Beat until smooth.  If you prefer a thicker or thinner glaze adjust accordingly - add more sugar and cream cheese for thicker paste, add more cream or milk for a thinner glaze.

While the rolls are still hot, ice the rolls in the pan, sprinkle with orange zest - serve immediately.

Jalapeno Chedder-Jack Grits

Grits are not something I grew up with in New England, but I sure am glad I found them when I moved down here.  There are endless opinions and ways to make grits - lots of people think they know the "right way" but the way I look at it, there isn't one right way, but there is the right now.  When I made these, I was serving them with some delicious garlic baked shrimp and thought these flavors would be a perfect compliment.  That's whats so great about grits, they are a total blank canvas for flavor.  These come out creamy, lightly cheesy and with a hint of heat.

Jalapeno Cheddar-Jack Grits

Ingredients:

• 2 tbs. butter
  
• 3 tsp. minced garlic
  
• 1/2 medium white onion, diced very small
  
• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced very small
  
• 4-5 cups of chicken broth
  
• 1 1/2 cups of stone ground grits
  
• 3/4 cup half and half
  
• 1 1/2 cup shredded mild cheddar
  
• 1 1/2 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese
  
•  Salt and pepper
  

In a medium-large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat, melt the butter.  Add the garlic and saute for just a minute or two, until fragrant.  Add the onion and jalapeno, and saute for five minutes more. 

Add 3 cups of chicken broth and bring to a boil, add the grits and stir, lowering the heat to a simmer.  Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.  After half of the liquid is absorbed, add another cup of chicken broth and the half and half. Cook until thickened, if the grits are still not soft enough, add a little more chicken broth until it is to your liking. Total cooking time should be about 15-20 minutes.

Turn the heat very low and add the cheeses, handfuls at a time, stirring to incorporate between additions. Once all the cheese is added, turn off the heat and continue to stir until all the cheese is melted and mixed smooth. Serve immediately.

Homemade English Muffins

I can't believe I haven't posted in almost two weeks!  Things have been so crazy around this place lately.  Fall hit and man it hit this house hard.  With two kiddos in preschool we got wiped out with a series of stomach bugs and a bout with food poisoning for the hubby from some take-out.  I am just reemerging and feeling like my brain is back in order!

I have been wanting to share this recipe with y'all for over a month.  I made these amazing English muffins in mini form for Hondo's first birthday brunch.  I sliced them, stuck a fresh sausage patty and some cheese in between the halves and made delightful, kid-friendly "breakfast burgers" as part of his party menu.  (I know, I know, I haven't shared his birthday party with you, but I WILL I PROMISE).

They were such a hit at his party that a few weeks later when we hosted a handful of friends for a brunch I made them again (in full size form this time) and they were perfect toasted with butter or with eggs on top or sliced and filled with cheese and bacon and eggs and sausage and all kinds of deliciousness.

You might be thinking, those all sound great, can't I just use some store-bought Thomas's ones?  Um, of course.  Those are delicious and have been my favorite, until I made these. Its like making the bagels (though much easier and quicker), for me, there is something so wonderful about knowing exactly what ingredients went into them, the quality of the ingredients I choose, and really, almost everything tastes better fresh.  Especially bread.  There is nothing like fresh, hot bread, broken open and covered with butter.  Or maybe that's just me...

In any case, these are worth giving a shot, don't be intimidated.  Plus, no one thinks about how English muffins are made and it can give you some serious kitchen-cred when you just drop into conversation that you made your English muffins from scratch.  Fun-fact y'all, they are cooked on a skillet, not in an oven.

English Muffins

Makes about a dozen

Ingredients:

• 1 cup hot water (around 110° - I run my water until its as hot as I can get it)
• 1 tsp. granulated sugar
• 1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp approximately)
• 2 cups flour
• 3 tbs. butter, melted
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• Yellow cornmeal, for dusting

In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast and sugar.  Pour in the warm water (and give one stir to make sure its all off the bottom and edges of the bowl) and let stand for 5 minutes until frothy.

*As always, if the yeast doesn't froth after five minutes, its dead.  Toss it and start again with new yeast.

Add 1 cup of the flour and 1 tbs. of the melted butter.  Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir together until combined.  Add the second cup of flour and salt, stir for about five minutes until well mixed.

Using a bit of the melted butter, brush one side of a piece of plastic wrap.  Then place the buttered side down on top of the dough and set it in a warm place until doubled in size (about 30 minutes).

*As always, go for size over time.  Temperature and humidity can affect how long it takes for dough to rise so if its not doubled in size after 30 minutes, wait longer. 

Sprinkle a large baking sheet with some of the cornmeal and then brush an ice cream scoop or large spoon with the melted butter (I just dip mine right into the butter).

Then punch down the dough and scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula if needed, this is a sticky dough.  Then using your greased spoon or scoop, drop 1/4 cup sized dollops of dough directly onto the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.  Try to get them to as round as you can, you can use your fingers (floured) to shape them a bit if you want. Repeat with all the dough and then sprinkle the tops with cornmeal.

Set the baking sheet aside and let the dough rise again for about 20 minutes in a warm place until puffy.  You can cover it with a light, dry dish cloth or waxed paper if you like.

In the meantime, heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat.  Using a pastry brush, grease the griddle with melted butter (careful not to let the griddle get too hot and brown your butter).

Then, using a firm spatula, lift the puffed dough off of the cookie sheet and onto the griddle and allow it to cook like a pancake.  Once the bottom has cooked to a golden brown (5-7 minutes), flip the muffin over and cook the other side to a golden brown.

You can slice them in half, or to get those "nooks and crannies" use a fork to pull the halves apart instead.

The Perfect Bagels

I'm not even a little bit exaggerating when I say that.  When I made these and tasted them, I almost couldn't believe it. They tasted just like the bagels I grew up on in New York.  Then when I ate one the next day, just as good!  I even did you all a huge favor and ate one lightly toasted, medium toasted, heavily toasted.  I ate one fresh out of the oven un-toasted! I made breakfast sandwiches with them.  I made lunch sandwiches with them. 

I wanted to be appropriately thorough before declaring victory on the homemade bagel.  It has been a thorn in my side ever since I moved out of NY when I was 18 and went to California.  The bagels there are okay, the bagels here in Texas are less-okay.   And trust me, we have plenty of "New York Style" bagel shops here.  I have tried them all (I like to be thorough).  It was disappointment after disappointment.

Chanel and I had even been making this recipe from The Sophisticated Gourmet for the last year, yielding pretty decent results.  But something was always off.  They were too light.  The next day they got sticky.  They were too dense.  They were still better than Einsteins, but.. not quite right.

Then last week I was listening to NPR and heard a story on the water-bagel connection that has long been the stuff of legend.  I knew the water was the perfect pH and softness (or hardness, whichever), but thought testing, filtering and treating my water might be pushing the limits of my dedication.  I knew I should be using high-gluten flour.  I knew I was supposed to boil them before baking to get the right crust.

Proofing.  That was what we had been missing.  I didn't know that bagel shops in NY proofed their bagels and then cold retarded them. It was the key.  I am telling you.  As soon as I heard that in the story, I got on the internet and started researching.  I found the two missing keys: I needed to make a sponge then add it to a dough.  THEN I needed to let the bagels rise the second time in the fridge (cold retarding).

Supposedly, the serious guys do this for 36 hours.  I don't have that kind of patience.  So I do it for like 4. I tried to even make it over night the first time, but I couldn't contain my excitement and I cooked them after 4 hours. I can only imagine the potential you could unlock by waiting overnight.  I even used the wine fridge instead of the regular fridge so that the temperature would stay as consistent as possible and food smells wouldn't seep into the dough.

When they were done I was so glad I had made these adjustments.  It was a total game changer. I highly recommend whipping up an everything bagel topping mix and using that (because its my favorite).  I also think these have tasted the best toasted, and trust me on this, just do it, with butter then cream cheese.  Just trust me, yes its decadent, but it's without a doubt, the best way to eat a bagel.  Aaron takes it up a notch and grills the bagel face-down on the griddle in butter, then tops with cream cheese. Trust me, do it.

New York Bagels

Makes 12 medium or 8 large bagels

Ingredients:

• 2 packets of active dry yeast (4 1/2 tsp)
• 3 tbs. granulated sugar
• 4 cups warm water
• 6 cups bread flour (high-gluten flour)
• 3 tsp. salt
• 1 tbs. baking soda
• Corn meal
• 1 egg
• Everything Topping Mix: 1 tbs. each of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried minced onion, caraway seeds and 2 tsp. coarse salt

MAKE THE SPONGE

In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast and sugar.  Stir together gently so they are evenly distributed.  Pour 1 cup of warm water (100+ degrees, in my opinion, hot) over the yeast and sugar.  Do not stir. 

Let the mix sit for 5 minutes, it should be foamy and frothy.  If its not, your yeast is bad.  Stop and start over.

Stir in 1 cup of bread flour.  Slowly add a second cup of flour, a little at a time, until it is the consistency of a thick batter, but not a dough.  You may not need the whole second cup (I only needed about 2/3).  Put the remaining flour into a separate, large mixing bowl.

MAKE THE DOUGH

In the bowl with the left over flour, add another 3 cups of bread flour and 3 tsp. salt.  Mix together and make a well in the middle.

Pour 1 cup of water into the well, pour the sponge on top and mix it all together with your hands.

When its combined, make another well in the middle of the dough, Add the remaining cup of flour and top with half a cup of water.

Mix it well with your hands. You want your dough to be smooth and elastic without being sticky (a tad bit tacky is okay, but you don't want it clinging to your fingers and coming apart).  You may need to add more flour if it's too sticky, or more water if its not elastic enough.

When smooth and elastic, form into a large ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let it rise until doubled in size, about 90 minutes. This may take more or less time for you, depending on your room temperature and humidity.  Make sure its doubled in size, don't worry about the time.

THE COLD RISE

Once the dough is doubled in size, punch it down and knead it for just a few minutes.  Using a sharp knife, divide the dough into equal portions (8 or 12 depending on the desired size of bagels).  I roll it into a log, then cut it in half, and cut the halves in half, etc.

One at a time, form each portion into a smooth round ball.  Firmly push your finger down through the middle of the ball and then gently pull the dough into a ring with your ringers.  Stretch the ring as wide as you can without tearing the dough.  Place each shaped bagel onto a cookie sheet dusted with cornmeal (I needed two).

Cover the sheets lightly with plastic wrap (you don't want to apply pressure to the dough because it will still be rising, but you don't want it to dry out).  Put the cookie sheets into the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

THE BOIL

Fill a large pot 3/4 of the way full with water.  Add 1 tbs. salt and bring the water to a boil. 

While you wait for the water to boil, preheat your oven to 475 degrees.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and then dust with cornmeal.  In a small bowl, whisk the egg with some water to make an egg wash.  Assemble your desired bagel toppings. Set all aside, close to the stove if you can.

Once its boiling, add the 1 tbs. baking soda. Gently drop two or three bagels, one at a time, into the boiling water.  Don't over crowd or they can stick together.  Boil for 2 minutes, then using a spoon, flip them over and boil for another 2 minutes on that side. 

Remove from the boiling water with a slotted spoon or strainer.  Place onto a prepared baking sheet, brush with egg wash and top with your desired toppings. Repeat with remaining bagels.

THE FINISH

Bake for 10 minutes in the middle of the oven, or until golden.  I rotated mine halfway to make sure they browned evenly, but every oven is different.

Remove from oven and cool on wire racks.