cook like james

This "perfect" recipe is from the December / January 2009 issue of Cook’s Country magazine, and they really are spectacular. I’ve added an easy recipe for strawberry butter, because if you’ve had had the popovers at Neiman Marcus, you know that is how they are always served. The batter is easy to throw together, and they are great for a Sunday brunch.

Download Perfect Popovers Strawberry Butter recipe

Vegetable shortening, as needed

3 large eggs

2 cups low-fat milk, heated to 110 degrees

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

2 cups bread flour (all-purpose will also work)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

Strawberry Butter

1 stick butter, softened

1/3 cup best quality strawberry preserves

*Note: Greasing the pans with shortening ensures the best release, but cooking spray may be substituted; do not use butter. To gauge the popovers’ progress without opening the oven door, use the oven light during baking. Bread flour makes for the highest and sturdiest popovers, but an equal amount of all-purpose flour may be substituted.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Grease interior of 6-cup popover pan with shortening, then dust lightly with flour. Whisk eggs until light and foamy in medium bowl. Slowly whisk in milk and butter until incorporated.
3. Combine flour, salt, and sugar in large bowl. Whisk three-quarters of milk mixture into flour mixture until no lumps remain, then whisk in remaining milk mixture. Transfer batter to large measuring cup, cover with plastic, and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour. (Alternatively, batter can be refrigerated for 1 day. Bring to room temperature before proceeding with recipe.)
4. After batter has rested, whisk to recombine, then pour into prepared popover pan (batter will not quite reach top of cups). Bake until just beginning to brown, about 20 minutes. Without opening oven door, decrease oven temperature to 300 degrees and continue to bake until popovers are golden brown all over, 35 to 40 minutes longer. Poke small hole in top of each popover with skewer and continue to bake until deep golden brown, about 10 minutes longer. Transfer popover pan to wire rack. Poke again with skewer and let cool 2 minutes. Turn out popovers. Serve.
5. Make Ahead: Once popovers have cooled completely, they can be stored at room temperature in zipper-lock bag for 2 days. To serve, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat popovers on rimmed baking sheet until crisp and heated through, 5 to 8 minutes.

For the Strawberry Butter

1. Beat the butter with electric mixer for 1 minute until fluffy, add strawberry preserves and beat until combined. Serve at room temperature, refrigerate leftovers.

For the best banana flavor, make sure to use very dark, very ripe bananas. This bread is super moist and is great toasted and spread with a little cream cheese or almond butter.

Makes 2 loaves

Download Whole Wheat Banana Bread recipe

2 ½ cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups (4 large, about 1 pound) mashed ripe bananas

4 eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup walnuts, toasted, cooled and then chopped coarsely

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and adjust rack to middle position. Butter and flour 2 medium bread pans or spray with non stick baking spray, set aside
2. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, soda and salt, set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, a hand-held mixer is helpful for this step.
4. Beat in banana, then beat in the eggs. Mixture may look curdled, but don’t worry. Stir in the nuts. Add dry ingredients and stir just until blended, do not overmix.
5. Spread evenly into prepared pans. Bake 55-60 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes and then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely

March is the perfect time to bake a traditional Irish Soda Bread and after trying several versions, this one from Cooks Illustrated is a favorite. For a more traditional soda bread, reduce the sugar by half and omit the raisins. If you're in the mood for more Irish fare for St Patrick's Day - try making a Guiness Beef Stew or some Colcannon (Irish Mashed Potatoes) or take a trip to Dublin and stay at one of my favorite hotels,The Merrion, which I wrote about in an article for Huffington Post - A Visit to the Merrion Hotel

Download St Patricks Day Irish Soda Bread recipe

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

1 cup cake flour 

1/4 cup granulated sugar 

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar 

1 1/2 teaspoons table salt 

4 tablespoons softened unsalted butter 

1 1/4 cups buttermilk 

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup raisins, golden raisins, or currants (or combo of dark and golden raisins)

1.    Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk flours, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in large bowl. Work softened butter into dry ingredients with fork or fingertips until texture resembles coarse crumbs.

2.    Add buttermilk, egg, raisins,  and stir with a fork just until dough begins to come together. Turn out onto flour-coated work surface; knead until dough just becomes cohesive and bumpy, 12 to 14 turns. (Do not knead until dough is smooth, or bread will be tough.)

3.    Pat dough into a round about 6 inches in diameter and 2 inches high; place on greased or parchment-lined baking sheet or in a cast-iron skillet. Cut a cross shape into the top.

4.    Bake until golden brown and a skewer inserted into center of loaf comes out clean or internal temperature reaches 170 degrees, 40 to 45 minutes, covering bread with aluminum foil if it is browning too much. Remove from oven and brush with some melted butter; cool to room temperature, 30 to 40 minutes

There are many stories regarding the history of Hot Cross Buns. One interesting one comes from Alan Davidson's "The Oxford Companion to Food". He says that the Saxon invaders in Britain chomped on buns adorned with impressions of crosses in honor of the pagan goddess of light, Eostre, from whom the name Easter is derived. Today they are traditionally served at Easter and there is a superstition that Hot Cross Buns baked on Good Friday never became moldy and in the past, one Hot Cross Bun would be saved as a good luck charm until the next year's buns were made. Whatever the history, these sweet tender buttery buns are a delicious treat and should be enjoyed all year long. This is adapted from a Cook’s Country recipe for Sweet Dough.

Download Hot Cross Buns Recipe

3/4 cup buttermilk, warmed (around 110 degrees)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 stick), melted and cooled until warm 

3 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten 

4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour  

2 teaspoons ground spices, optional (if using, try this mixture - 1/2 teaspoon cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg)

1/4 cup sugar  

1 envelope instant yeast or rapid-rise yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons) 

1 1/4 teaspoons table salt   

Extra flour for the counter 

1 large egg, lightly beaten 

1 tablespoon water  

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar  

1 tablespoon milk  

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract  

1.    Whisk the butter, buttermilk, and eggs together in a large liquid measuring cup. Mix 4 cups of the flour, the sugar, yeast, spices (if using) and salt in a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook. With the mixer on low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and mix until the dough comes together, about 1 minute.

2.    Increase the speed to medium-low and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. (If, after five minutes, more flour is needed, add the remaining 1/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough clears the side of the bowl but sticks to the bottom.

3.    Turn the dough out onto a clean counter and knead by hand to form a smooth, round ball, about 1 minute. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

4.     Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and divide into 12 even pieces. Roll the pieces of dough into tight balls. Arrange the balls in a greased 9 by 13-inch metal baking dish and wrap tightly in greased plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until the rolls have nearly doubled in size and are pressed against one another, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

5.    Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a sharp knife, cut an X through the top 1/4 inch of each bun. Whisk the egg and water together and brush over the buns. Bake until golden and puffed, 25 to 30 minutes.

6.    Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Whisk the sugar, milk, and vanilla together and drizzle in an X into the cut grooves of the buns. Serve warm or let cool completely.

This is a delicious moist, dark, spicy pumpkin bread. The whole wheat flour not only makes it a healthier choice, but also lends great flavor to the spices. It’s perfect on its own, or you can make “sandwiches” with cream cheese and thinly sliced apples. The cornmeal gives the bread a great texture.

Download Best Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread recipe

2 ¼ cups (10 ounces/300g) whole wheat flour

½ cup (2 ounces/60g) corn meal

1 ½ tsp. soda

½ tsp. baking powder

1 ½ tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. cloves

½ tsp. nutmeg

¾ tsp. salt

2/3 cup (5 ounces/155g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups (14 ounces/400g) sugar

2 cups ( 15 ounces/500g) mashed or canned pumpkin

4 eggs, at room temperature

2/3 (5 ounces/160mL) cup water

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup (5 ounces/155g) raisins (or currants, dried cranberries or dried cherries)

½ ( 2ounces/60g) cup pecans or walnuts, lightly toasted, cooled. and then chopped

Pepitas or sanding sugar for top garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two medium sized load pans (8.5x4”)

2. In a medium bowl stir together flour, cornmeal, soda, powder, spices and salt; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugars until blended, by hand or with a hand held mixer.

4. With large spoon, beat in pumpkin, eggs, water, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix together just until blended. Stir in raisins and walnuts.

5. Pour into the 2 prepared pans, sprinkle batter with pepitas or sanding sugar, and bake until wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about an hour. Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.

Sticky Buns can often be a challenging and time consuming recipe. Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry makes this recipe fast and easy to throw together. I like the combination of dried cranberries and golden raisins, but currants would also work well. The recipe easy doubles to make a full dozen. (Make Ahead: Up to 1 day ahead, prepare the rolls, but don’t bake. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator until ready to bake)

Download Easy Christmas Sticky Buns recipe

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 ½ tablespoons light brown sugar

¼ cup pecans, coarsely chopped

1 sheet Pepperidge Farm puff pastry from 17.3 ounce package, defrosted

For the filling:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon cloves

Pinch of salt

¼ cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

¼ cup golden raisins, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and adjust rack to middle position. Place a 6-cup muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 6 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of the mixture in each of the 6 muffin cups.

3. Distribute the chopped pecans evenly among the 6 muffin cups on top of the butter and sugar mixture; set aside.

4. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in small bowl and mix until thoroughly combined, using fingers to break up sugar lumps; set aside.

5. Lightly flour a wooden board or stone surface. Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry with the folds going left to right. Brush the whole sheet with the melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the puff pastry, sprinkle the sheet with brown sugar mixture, and then the cranberries and raisins. Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place each piece, spiral side up, in 6 of the muffin cups.

6. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Be careful – the filling is very hot! Allow to cool for 5 minutes only, invert the buns onto the parchment paper (ease the filling and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon) and cool completely.

Homemade Cinnamon-Sugared Buttermilk Doughnuts

Doughnuts were a Sunday tradition in my house. Everyone sitting around the kitchen table, sipping coffee, reading various sections of the paper, (I usually opted for Parade Magazine) and reaching for a doughnut. Sometimes my sister would arrive with a variety box of Dunkin Donuts, other times it would be store bought Freihofer’s mixed dozen – plain, powdered, and cinnamon sugar (my favorite). This recipe from ‘The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook’ delivers a near perfect old fashioned country doughnut - crunchy on the outside, moist nutmeg spiced cake on the inside. I rolled mine in cinnamon sugar, but they’re great plain, with powdered sugar, or even a chocolate glaze. Make them when you’ve got plenty of friends and family around to enjoy them while they’re warm – they do not store well. A note from the cookbook: One of the secrets to the best buttermilk doughnut recipe was the right frying medium. Vegetable shortening in the form of Crisco produced a much less greasy doughnut than vegetable oil or peanut oil. Temperature is important, too - at 350 degrees, the dough absorbed too much oil; at 385 degrees the outside started to burn before the inside could cook through. Best results are achieved by bringing the oil up to 375 degrees before adding the doughnuts; it falls back to 360-365 degrees once the doughnuts are dropped in.

Download Homemade Cinnamon Sugared Buttermilk Doughnuts

Doughnuts:

3 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for surfaces

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2       teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1teaspoon table salt

1 ½ teaspoons fresh grated nutmeg

¾ cup buttermilk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs

1 egg yolk

6 cups vegetable shortening for frying

Topping:

1 cup granulated sugar

1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon

1. Mix 1 cup flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment.

2. Mix buttermilk, butter, and eggs in 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup. Add wet ingredients to the dry; beat on medium speed (number 4 setting on a KitchenAid) until smooth, about 30 seconds. Decrease speed to low (number 2 setting on a KitchenAid); add remaining flour and mix until just combined, about 30 seconds. Stir batter once or twice with wooden spoon or rubber spatula to ensure that all liquid is incorporated. (The dough will be moist and tacky, a cross between cake batter and cookie dough.)

3. Fit candy thermometer to side of cast-iron kettle or large, heavy-bottomed soup kettle; gradually heat shortening over medium-high heat to 375 degrees (or use a deep fryer if you have one). Meanwhile, turn dough onto floured work surface. Roll with heavily floured rolling pin to 1/2-inch thick. Stamp out dough rings with heavily floured doughnut cutter, reflouring between cuts. Transfer dough rounds to jelly roll pan or large wire rack. Gather scraps and gently press into disk; repeat rolling and stamping process until all dough is used. (Cut doughnuts can be covered with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature up to 2 hours.)

4. Carefully drop dough rings into hot fat four or five at a time, depending on kettle size. Turn doughnuts as they rise to surface with tongs, a Chinese skimmer, or a slotted spoon. Fry doughnuts until golden brown, about 50 seconds per side. Drain on paper towel-lined jelly roll pan or wire rack. Repeat frying, returning fat to temperature between each batch.

5. Mix sugar with cinnamon in small bowl. Cool doughnuts about 1 minute and toss with cinnamon sugar to coat.

Makes about 15 doughnuts

Easy Mini Cranberry Orange Bread

Cranberry bread was always a staple in my house around the holidays. The mini loaves make great gifts and they freeze well, so you can make them ahead. Perfect on Christmas morning with some cream cheese and jam.

Download Easy Cranberry Orange Mini Loaves recipe

1/3 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon grated orange zest from 1 large orange

2/3 cup buttermilk

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing pan

1 large egg, beaten lightly

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon table salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ cups cranberries (about 6 ounces), coarsely chopped

½ cup toasted pecans, finely chopped

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (for topping, optional)

1.   Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease bottoms for 4 mini loaf tins. Stir together orange juice, zest, buttermilk, butter, and egg in small bowl. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in large bowl. Stir liquid ingredients into dry with rubber spatula until just moistened. Gently stir in cranberries and pecans. Do not overmix.

2.  Scrape batter into loaf pans and spread with rubber spatula into corners and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees; continue to bake until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes longer. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool at least 1 hour before serving.

Fast and Easy Cinnamon Buns with Cream Cheese Icing

Cinnamon is the star ingredient, so try to use the best possible. I like Vietnamese Cinnamon - the strongest, richest, and sweetest cinnamon around. I get mine from Penzey’s (they have locations around the US or you can order online here - http://www.penzeys.com). This is a clever recipe from Cooks Illustrated that is made without yeast, so they’re quick to throw together on a Sunday morning for brunch. Melted butter is used in both the filling and the dough and to grease the pan; it’s easiest to melt the total amount (8 tablespoons) at once and measure it out as you need it.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, for pan

CINNAMON-SUGAR FILLING

3/4 cup dark brown sugar (packed, 5 1/4 ounces)

1/4 cup granulated sugar (1 3/4 ounces)

2 teaspoons ground Vietnamese cinnamon (or best available)

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon table salt

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

BISCUIT DOUGH

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces), plus more for work surface

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

CREAM CHEESE ICING

2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons buttermilk

1 cup confectioners' sugar (4 ounces)

To make cinnamon-sugar filling:

 1.    Combine sugars, spices, and salt in small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon melted butter and stir with fork or fingers until mixture resembles wet sand; set filling mixture aside.

 2.    Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Pour 1 tablespoon melted butter in 9-inch nonstick cake pan; brush to coat pan. Spray wire rack with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

To make biscuit dough:

 1.    Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Whisk buttermilk and 2 tablespoons melted butter in measuring cup or small bowl. Add liquid to dry ingredients and stir with wooden spoon until liquid is absorbed (dough will look very shaggy), about 30 seconds. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead until just smooth and no longer shaggy.

 2.    Pat dough with hands into 12 by 9-inch rectangle. Brush dough with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle evenly with filling, leaving 1/2-inch border of plain dough around edges. Press filling firmly into dough. Using bench scraper or metal spatula, carefully loosen dough from work surface.

 3.    Starting at long side, roll dough, pressing lightly, to form a tight log. Pinch seam to seal. Roll log seam-side down and cut evenly into eight pieces. With hand, slightly flatten each piece of dough to seal open edges and keep filling in place. Place one roll in center of prepared nonstick pan, then place remaining seven rolls around perimeter of pan.

 4.    Brush with 2 tablespoons remaining melted butter. Bake until edges are golden brown, 23 to 25 minutes. Use offset metal spatula to loosen buns from pan; without separating, slide buns out of pan onto greased cooling rack. Cool about 5 minutes before icing. 

To make icing and finish buns:

 1.    While buns are cooling, line rimmed baking sheet with wax paper (for easy cleanup); set rack with buns over baking sheet.

 2.    Whisk cream cheese and buttermilk in large nonreactive bowl until thick and smooth (mixture will look like cottage cheese at first). Sift confectioners’ sugar over; whisk until smooth glaze forms, about 30 seconds. Spoon glaze evenly over buns; serve immediately.