Un altro giorno un altro pezzo di pane. This time with Raisins, almonds, oatmeal  with a honey & marscapone spread.

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon yeast

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1-1/2 cups water

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup oatmeal

1/4 cup almonds

8 oz marscapone

1/8 cup honey

2 tablespoons brown sugar (one for top of bread and one for marscapone)

1/4 tsp almond extract

Directions:

Prepare 12 hours in advance. Mix together flour, salt, yeast, cinnamon, nutmeg, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and water until just blended.  Dough will be sticky.  Stir in raisins and almonds. Let sit in a covered bowl for at least 12 hours.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees for approximately 30 minutes. Place covered dutch oven in oven while it is heating.  Carefully remove from oven, take off lid and drop dough into the hot pot.  Sprinkle with oatmeal and brown sugar.  Cover and cook for 30 minutes.  Take off lid and cook for approximately 15 minutes more until top is evenly browned.

Take out of dutch oven and let cool on wire rack.  While cooling, mix marscapone, honey, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and almond extract until well blended.  Spread on sliced bread.

Melktert means “milk tart” in Afrikaans.  Sweet pastry crust with creamy filing and topped with cinnamon. I made this for my new South African friend, Matt because everyone deserves a little taste of home.

INGREDIENTS

This is the original recipe.

Cherry, Fig, and Almond Bread with Maple Syrup Cream Cheese.

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon yeast

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1-1/2 cups water

1 cup dried cherries chopped

5 dried figs chopped

8 oz cream cheese

1/4 cup maple syrup

Directions:

Prepare 12 hours in advance. Mix together flour, salt, yeast, and water until just blended.  Dough will be sticky.  Stir in chopped figs and cherries and let sit in a covered bowl for at least 12 hours.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees for approximately 30 minutes. Place covered dutch oven in oven while it is heating.  Carefully remove from oven, take off lid and drop dough into the hot pot.  Sprinkle with almonds.  Cover and cook for 30 minutes.  Take off lid and cook for approximately 15 minutes more until top is evenly browned.

Take out of dutch oven and let cool on wire rack.  While cooling whip together cream cheese and maple syrup.  Slice bread and enjoy.

This is a famous bread recipe that I change up all the time.  Enjoy.

 

This one reminds me of Sunday mornings down the shore.

Ingredients

1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast

¼ cup warm water (110° to 115°)

3 tablespoons sugar

½ cup butter, softened

2 eggs

½ cup sour cream

¼ teaspoon salt

3 cups all-purpose flour

Filling

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

½ cup sugar

½ cup sour cream

2 egg yolks

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Confectioners’ sugar

1/2 cup almonds (optional)

Directions

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the sugar, butter, eggs and sour cream. Gradually add salt and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in remaining flour (the dough will be soft and sticky). Place in a greased bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead 2-3 times. Divide in half. Roll each half into a 16-in. x 10-in. oval; place on greased baking sheets.

For filling, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolks, sour cream and vanilla until smooth. Spread 1-1/4 cups filling over each oval to within 1 in. of edges. Fold longest side over filling; pinch edges to seal. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Sprinkle almonds over before putting in the oven (optional).

Bake at 375° for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Dust with confectioners’ sugar or drizzle with icing. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 2 loaves (12 slices each).

A dozen apple rose tarts for when you really need some forgiveness.  I apologize for the pre-made puff pastry but homemade puff pastry is for the weekend.

Ingredients: to make 6 roses

• 2 frozen puff pastry sheet, thawed
• 4 red organic apples (I used red delicious)
• juice of one lemon
• 2 tablespoon of flour, to sprinkle the counter
• 3 tablespoons of cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons of sugar
• powder sugar for decorating (optional)

Directions:

1. Thaw the puff pastry if you haven’t done so yet. It should take about 20-30 minutes.

2. Prepare a bowl with some water and the lemon juice. Cut the apples in half, remove the core and cut the apples in paper thin slices, as shown in my picture. Leave the peel so it will give the red color to your roses. Right away, place the sliced apples in the bowl with lemon and water, so that they won’t change color.

3. Microwave the apples in the bowl, for about 3 minutes, to make them slightly softer. If you prefer, you can also simmer the apple slices in the water in a small pan (on the stove).

4. Unwrap the puff pastry over a clean and lightly floured counter. Using a rolling pin stretch the dough a little, trying to keep it in a rectangular shape. Cut the dough in 6 strips. These are about 2 in x 9 in (5 cm x 22 cm). Repeat so you have a dozen.

5. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon on the rolled out dough.  6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Drain the apples.

7. Place the apples on the dough, as shown in the video tutorial. Sprinkle with more cinnamon if so desired.

I used this fabulous recipe.  Follow this youtube tutorial for technique.

 

The sticky orange syrup makes this corn muffins finger-licking good.

Ingredients

2 cups cornmeal, to be divided

1 cup flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 ¼ teaspoons salt

1 ¼ cups milk

1 cup sour cream

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

3 tablespoons sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup raspberries

½ cup orange syrup

Directions

Heat oven to 425°F (220°C). Either grease or line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with disposable liners.

Whisk 1 1/2 cups cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. In a large bowl (if you have a microwave) or a medium saucepan (if you do not), combine milk and remaining 1/2 cup cornmeal. In a microwave, cook cornmeal–milk mixture for 1 1/2 minutes, then whisk thoroughly, and continue to microwave in 30-second increments, mixing between them, until it’s thickened to a batter-like consistency, i.e. the whisk will leave a clear line across the bottom of the bowl that slowly fills in. This will take 1 to 3 minutes longer. On the stove, cook cornmeal mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens as described above, then transfer to a large bowl.

Whisk butter, then sugar, then sour cream into cooked cornmeal until combined. At this point, the wet mixture should be cool enough that adding the eggs will not scramble them, but if it still seems too hot, let it cool for 5 minutes longer. Whisk in eggs until combined. Fold in flour mixture until thoroughly combined and the batter is very thick. Fold in raspberries. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups; it will mound slightly above the rim.

Bake until tops are golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 13 to 17 minutes, rotating muffin tin halfway through baking to ensure even cooking. When muffins are done, poke a few holes in the top of the muffin with a toothpick and then spoon over a teaspoon of orange syrup. Let muffins cool in muffin tin on wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove muffins from tin and let cool 5 minutes longer.

I started with this recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

I have a girl crush on Nigella Lawson.  I don’t mess with her recipes.

Cake

• 1 ¾ sticks soft  unsalted butter
• 1 cup superfine sugar
• 2 cups almond meal
• ¾ cup fine  polenta (or cornmeal)
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 3 large eggs
• zest of  2 lemons (save juice for syrup)

Syrup

• juice of  2 lemons
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

 Directions

1. Line the base of a 9inch springform cake tin with baking parchment and grease its sides lightly with butter.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
3. Beat the butter and sugar till pale and whipped, either by hand in a bowl with a wooden spoon, or using a freestanding mixer.
4. Mix together the almonds, polenta and baking powder, and beat some of this into the butter-sugar mixture, followed by 1 egg, then alternate dry ingredients and eggs, beating all the while.
5. Finally, beat in the lemon zest and pour, spoon or scrape the mixture into your prepared tin and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes.
6. It may seem wibbly but, if the cake is cooked, a cake tester should come out cleanish and, most significantly, the edges of the cake will have begun to shrink away from the sides of the tin. remove from the oven to a wire cooling rack, but leave in its tin.
7. Make the syrup by boiling together the lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar in a smallish saucepan.
8. Once the confectioners’ sugar’s dissolved into the juice, you’re done.
9. Prick the top of the cake all over with a cake tester, pour the warm syrup over the cake, and leave to cool before taking it out of its tin.

It took me two years to research this recipe and now I’m giving it to you. Don’t fuck it up.  Oh and you need to make the dough two days in advance and leave it in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

2 cups Cake Flour

1 2/3 cups All-Purpose Flour

2 1/2 sticks butter (room temperature)

1 1/4 cups Brown sugar

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt (extra for sprinkling before baking)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

20 ounces of milk chocolate chips (use good chocolate)

Directions

In a bowl sift together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  Set aside. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs (one at a time) and vanilla. Incorporate flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.  Put in refrigerator for at least 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Scoop out a small ice cream sized amount of dough onto silpat lined cookie sheet  and slightly flatten dough.  Sprinkle a little bit of sea salt on each cookie.  Cook for approximately 12 minutes.  Don’t overcook.

I worked with this recipe mainly. Took me two years of research to find it.

 Deadly and beautiful, just like Foxy Brown.

Ingredients

• 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 chocolate chip

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all 4 sides. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large microwave-safe bowl, microwave the chocolate and butter on high in 30 second bursts, stirring between each burst, until the mixture is melted. Let cool slightly. Stir in the sugar. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the salt and flour until combined. Mix in chocolate chips. Pour into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

I worked with this recipe.

Don’t worry, I can’t pronounce it either. It is Brazilian cheese bread and I make them for Guto.

• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2/3 cup milk
• Scant 1 1/2 cups tapioca flour
• 1/2 cup grated cheese, your preference
• 1 teaspoon of salt (or more to taste)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a mini-muffin tin. Put all of the ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth. You may need to use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the blender so that everything gets blended well. At this point you can store the batter in the refrigerator for up to a week.

I got the recipe here.