Quicker Cinnamon Buns

 December 2024

Recipe from Cook's Country, October 2013

Our tradition is to have fresh-baked cinnamon buns for breakfast on Christmas morning. A downside is that someone needs to spend time in the kitchen to make the buns and it takes time for yeast buns to rise. Thus this recipe, which promises that it will take just two hours, including the rising time, was appealing.

The oven was turned on to warm the kitchen for dough rising and prepare for baking. Butter was melted and set aside and a round cake pan was prepared. The filling was prepared by mixing light brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, melted butter, and vanilla. One-quarter cup of milk was warmed to 100° in the microwave, yeast and sugar were added, and the mixture set aside until bubbly. All-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt were whisked together. Two tablespoons of melted butter, the yeast mixture, and 1 cup of room-temperature milk were stirred into the flour mixture. The sticky dough was kneaded on a well-floured counter. It was then rolled into a rectangle, brushed with melted butter, and sprinkled with the filling which was pressed into the dough. The dough was rolled into a tight log and the seams were pinched. The log was divided into 8 slices which were placed in the cake pan. The buns were brushed with melted butter, covered, and allowed to rise for about 30 minutes. (The rising started about 50 minutes after starting the whole process.) The risen buns were baked for 25 minutes and removed from the cake pan to cool for 5 minutes. A glaze–made by whisking together cream cheese, melted butter, milk, vanilla extract, salt, and confectioners' sugar–was brushed on top. Total time was 110 minutes.

The cinnamon buns were good, light and fluffy with a good proportion of filling, though they were not as rich as buns made without chemical leavening and taking more time. For yeast buns they were quick to make but it still took an hour or so of kitchen time to make them. Making buns a day ahead or with a brown-and-serve approach would save Christmas morning kitchen time. They kept reasonably well to be eaten as leftovers after re-warming.

One-pot Weeknight Pasta Bolognese

December 2024

Recipe from America's Test Kitchen

I recently saw this recipe on the ATK TV show. I remembered making a Bolognese several years ago, though long enough ago that I don't recall many details. I am happy to try new recipes, especially if they are promoted as being easy weeknight recipes. 

Ground beef (90% lean, close enough to the recipe's 93% lean) was mixed with a solution of baking soda and pepper in water which helps to tenderize the beef. Pancetta (4 ounces, the size of the package I could purchase, though the recipe specified 6 ounces) was pulsed in food processor until finally chopped. Coarsely chopped onion, carrot, and celery were added to the pancetta and pulsed until they were finely chopped and the mixture had a paste-like consistency. This mixture was cooked in a mixture of butter and olive oil in a Dutch oven until the liquid evaporated. It continued to cook until a very dark fond formed in the bottom of the pot. Tomato paste was added and cooked until it became rust colored. The beef mixture was added and cooked until no longer pink, breaking the beef into small pieces with a spatula. Dry red wine was added and cooked until the wine had evaporated and the sauce had thickened. Beef broth, water, and grated Parmesan cheese were stirred in, the pot was covered, and cooked over low heat for about 20 minutes. One pound of pappardelle pasta was added and cooked until tender. The sauce was a little thin so it was cooked with the lid off. Total time was 1 hour 45 minutes.

We enjoyed this dish and we had for four meals. It is a very beefy combination of pasta, which cooked in the sauce, and finely textured, tender meat. It was better leftover, partly because the strips of pasta were shorter after being dished up from the container where the pasta had been stored. Whether or not you consider this suitable for a weeknight depends on your weeknight schedule. I'm retired yet it seemed to me more suitable for a weekend effort, though producing plentiful, easily reheated, leftovers.

It was only when writing this post that I went back and read my notes from the other time I made a Bolognese some seven years ago. Only then did I see that this recipe is essentially the same as the Cook's Illustrated recipe I had used previously. It has been updated to use just one pot but the ingredients and preparation are almost the same.

One-Pot Simple Pot Roast with Root Vegetables

 December 2024

Recipe from America's Test Kitchen

Every now and then I try a new recipe for pot roast. None so far have measured up to my memories of the pot roast that my mom made. I don't know how closely my memories match the reality.  But my memories are my memories so I am still looking. This recipe recently appeared in the ATK TV show and so I gave it a shot. 

I bought a 3.1-pound chuck roast, a little smaller than what the recipe specified. The recipe instructed this to be split into two pieces along a natural fat seam, but in my roast the seam was close to one edge of the roast so I skipped this step and tied up the whole roast. The beef was browned in a Dutch oven then removed to a plate. Diced onion and celery were cooked until softened then garlic, sugar, and thyme were added. After a brief cook beef broth, chicken broth, and water were added. The roast was returned to the Dutch oven, covered, and cooked in a 300° oven for 2 hours. The pot was removed from the oven so carrots, red potatoes, and parsnips could be added. The covered pot was returned to the oven and cooked until the vegetables were tender. The pot was removed from the oven and the roasts and vegetables were removed from the pot. Fat was skimmed from the braising liquid then some red wine was added. The sauce was simmered for 15 minutes or so. Total time was about 5 hours.

My initial impressions are probably too negative. I thought the meat and vegetables were bland and the meat was on the dry side. However, these are faults that might be due to errors on my part. I forgot to add salt to the sauce and to the vegetables. At the table I also could have used more sauce on the meat than I chose which should have helped with the dryness. When serving this meal as leftovers I was able to fix some of these errors. I did like this being a one-pot meal which helped with clean-up and the vegetables are good. So the jury might be out and I should try this again but pay closer attention to some of the finishing details. For the two of us we should get 4 or 5 meals from this roast with vegetables and sauce.

Weeknight Roast Chicken

December 2024

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, September 2011

This recipe was described in a podcast I listen to in the context of the 25th anniversary of America's Test Kitchen. Cook's Illustrated has published many recipes for roast chicken. This one appealed to me because of its simplicity.

I bought a 3.8 pound, air-chilled, chicken at Whole Foods, just the right size for this recipe. A 12-inch skillet was put into a 450° oven. The chicken was dried with paper towels, rubbed with olive oil, and seasoned with salt and pepper. The legs were tied together and the wing tips tucked behind its back. The chicken was placed, breast side up, in the hot skillet and returned to the hot oven. After about 30 minutes, when the breast reached 120° and the thighs 135°, the oven was turned off. The chicken was removed after another half hour, when the breast registered 160° and the thighs 175°, and rested for 20 minutes. The chicken was done roasting after 85 minutes and served after 105 minutes. It served the two of us for three meals.

While the chicken roasted ingredients were prepared for a pan sauce: shallot, chicken broth, Dijon mustard, butter, fresh herbs (a mixture of rosemary, sage, and thyme in place of tarragon), and lemon juice. All but 1 tablespoon of fat was poured from the skillet and discarded. Minced shallot was added and cooked over medium-high heat. Chicken broth and mustard were stirred in and simmered for several minutes. Off heat the butter, herbs, and lemon juice were whisked in. 

For such an easy preparation this chicken is very good, juicy and moist. The pan sauce is okay but does provide some extra flavor for the chicken. The thighs were a little underdone so we had them the second night after they were reheated in the sauce. The recipe specified the time as 1¼ hours, I postulate my time was greater because it includes the time needed to preheat the oven.