Gooey Pecan Topped Cinnamon Buns

Can't make these too often, they are way too good.  These will go down in the special occasion only menu box.  They were amazing out of the oven...Peter ate three. 

The only thing with these is that they are very time consuming.  Not difficult, they just require a lot of patience. 

Here is the link:

http://www.cbc.ca/bestrecipes/2012/10/gooey-pecan-topped-cinnamon-buns.html

and here is the recipe:

These cinnamon buns are an irresistible combination of feathery light dough, gooey caramelized coating, crunchy pecans and lots of cinnamon. Delicious and popular with guests, this is one recipe you will always want on hand.

Servings: 15

1/4 cup (60 mL) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (125 mL) warm water
1 pkg active dry yeast, (or 1 tbsp)
1/2 cup (125 mL) milk
1/4 cup (60 mL) butter
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
2 eggs, beaten
4 cups (1 L) all-purpose flour, (approx)
Filling:
1-1/2 cups (375 mL) packed brown sugar
1 cup (250 mL) butter
1 cup (250 mL) coarsely chopped pecans
1 tbsp (15 mL) cinnamon

In large bowl, dissolve 1 tsp of the sugar in warm water. Sprinkle in yeast; let stand until frothy, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in saucepan, heat together remaining sugar, milk, butter and salt until butter is melted; let cool to lukewarm. Sir into yeast mixture along with eggs.
With electric mixer, gradually beat in 1-1/2 cups of the flour; beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. With wooden spoon, gradually stir in enough of the remaining flour to make soft, slightly sticky dough that comes away from side of bowl.
Turn out onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 7 to 10 minutes, adding remaining flour as necessary. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease all over. Cover and let rise in warm draft-free place for 1 to 1-1/2 hours (or in refrigerator for 8 hours) until doubled in bulk and impression remains when fingertips are pressed into dough.
Filling: In saucepan, whisk 3/4 cup of the sugar with 3/4 cup of the butter over medium heat until melted. Pour into greased 13- x 9-inch (3 L) baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the pecans; set aside.
Melt remaining butter; set aside. Combine remaining sugar, pecans and cinnamon; set aside.
Punch down dough. Turn out onto lightly floured surface; roll out into 18- x 14-inch (45 x 35 cm) rectangle. Brush with all but 2 tbsp of the melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch (1 cm) border uncovered; sprinkle with sugar mixture.
Starting at long side, tightly roll up, pinching seam to seal. Brush with remaining butter. With serrated knife, cut into 15 pieces; place, cut side down, in dish. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Bake in 375°F (190°C) oven until golden and tops sound hollow when tapped, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand in dish for 3 minutes. Invert onto serving platter, scraping off remaining filling in dish to drizzle over buns.

Wouldn't change a thing here.  Peter would like me to add cream cheese icing, but it could then become too much of a good thing.  These are drool worthy.

Chicken pot pie with homemade crust

Yum.  I needed to find a way to use up the left overs from the roast chicken, and I am so glad I came across this recipe.  I only followed it loosely, I added the leftover potatoes and onions to the mix as well, and I was so happy with the results.  I decided to hunt down a recipe for homemade crust as well, glad I did because I think it makes the pie!

For the filling I loosely followed this recipe, here is the link:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-pot-pie-ix/

and here is the recipe:

Ingredients

Original recipe makes 1 - 9 inch pie Change Servings

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 2/3 cup milk
•  
• 2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

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Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
2. In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
3. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

 I stuck to the measurements for butter, chicken stock (that I made from the roast chicken) and milk.  I just winged it for everything else, and it worked out swimmingly.

Here is the link for the crust:

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/perfect_pie_crust/

and here is the recipe:

Perfect Pie Crust Recipe

• Prep time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

One of the secrets to a flaky pie crust is to work with very cold butter. Cut the butter into cubes and freeze, at least 15 minutes, best over an hour or even overnight. The minute I even think I might want to make a pie, the first thing I do is cut some butter into cubes and put it in the freezer.

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Ingredients

All Butter Crust for Sweet and Savory Pies (Pâte Brisée)

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
• 1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 6 to 8 Tbsp ice water

Method

1 Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add ice water 1 Tbsp at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready. If the dough doesn't hold together, add a little more water and pulse again. Note that too much water will make the crust tough.


2 Remove dough from machine and place in a mound on a clean surface. If you want an extra flaky crust, shmoosh the dough mixture into the table top with the heel of the palm of your hand a few times. This will help flatten the butter into layers between the flour which will help the resulting crust be flaky. You can easily skip this step if you want. Gently shape the dough mixture into two disks. Work the dough just enough to form the disks, do not over-knead. You should be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. These small chunks of butter are what will allow the resulting crust to be flaky. Sprinkle a little flour around the disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days.
3 Remove one crust disk from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes in order to soften just enough to make rolling out a bit easier. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. If necessary, add a few sprinkles of flour under the dough to keep the dough from sticking. Carefully place onto a 9-inch pie plate. Gently press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the pie dish.
4 Add filling to the pie.
5 Roll out second disk of dough, as before. Gently place onto the top of the filling in the pie. Pinch top and bottom of dough rounds firmly together. Trim excess dough with kitchen shears, leaving a 3/4 inch overhang. Fold the edge of the top piece of dough over and under the edge of the bottom piece of dough, pressing together. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with a fork. Score the top of the pie with four 2-inch long cuts, so that steam from the cooking pie can escape. 

This pie crust is amazing!  I worked very hard to keep everything very cold, I even opened up the deck door to really chill the kitchen while I was working the dough.  I had to go out and buy a pastry blender and blend that flour and butter all by hand.  I have two mini food processors, I think a full size one is on the wish list for christmas!

 

My first roasted chicken

Holy easy is all I can say.  I couldn't believe how easy it was to roast a chicken.  I don't know why, but I thought it was hard.  It tasted amazing as well.  So moist and flavourful.  The only thing that upsets me is that it is really hard to find a decently priced chicken that is in good enough shape to be roasted.  Fresh roasting chickens are between 15 and 20 dollars, and the frozen ones run around 12 bucks.  You can buy one already roasted from most grocery chains for under 10 bucks.  They are nowhere near as good, but still.  Ridiculous.

Here is the link:

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/perfect-roast-chicken

and here is the recipe:

ingredients

• 1 x approximately 1.6kg chicken, preferably free-range, organic or higher welfare
• 2 medium onions
• 2 carrots
• 2 sticks of celery
• 1 bulb of garlic
• olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lemon
a small bunch of fresh thyme, rosemary, bay or sage, or a mixture


Having learnt the things I’ve learnt about chickens over the last few years, of course I’m going to suggest that you buy free-range or organic. But if you’re a little tight for cash, the RSPCA Freedom Food chickens are very good and available in all good supermarkets.

To prepare your chicken
• Take your chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before it goes into the oven
• Preheat your oven to 240°C/475°F/gas 9
• There’s no need to peel the vegetables – just give them a wash and roughly chop them
• Break the garlic bulb into cloves, leaving them unpeeled
• Pile all the veg and garlic into the middle of a large roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil
• Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper, rubbing it all over the bird
• Carefully prick the lemon all over, using the tip of a sharp knife (if you have a microwave, you could pop the lemon in these for 40 seconds at this point as this will really bring out the flavour)
• Put the lemon inside the chicken’s cavity, with the bunch of herbs

To cook your chicken
• Place the chicken on top of the vegetables in the roasting tray and put it into the preheated oven
• Turn the heat down immediately to 200°C/400°F/gas 6 and cook the chicken for 1 hour and 20 minutes
• If you’re doing roast potatoes and veggies, this is the time to crack on with them – get them into the oven for the last 45 minutes of cooking
• Baste the chicken halfway through cooking and if the veg look dry, add a splash of water to the tray to stop them burning
• When cooked, take the tray out of the oven and transfer the chicken to a board to rest for 15 minutes or so
• Cover it with a layer of tinfoil and a tea towel and put aside. Now is the time to make your gravy

To carve your chicken
• Remove any string from the chicken and take off the wings (break them up and add to your gravy for mega flavour)
• Carefully cut down between the leg and the breast
• Cut through the joint and pull the leg off
• Repeat on the other side, then cut each leg between the thigh and the drumstick so you end up with four portions of dark meat
• Place these on a serving platter
• You should now have a clear space to carve the rest of your chicken
• Angle the knife along the breastbone and carve one side off, then the other
• When you get down to the fussy bits, just use your fingers to pull all the meat off, and turn the chicken over to get all the tasty, juicy bits from underneath
• You should be left with a stripped carcass, and a platter full of lovely meat that you can serve with your piping hot gravy and gorgeous roast veg  



So good.  This will get added to the special Sunday menu.

 

Slow cooker butter chicken and naan bread

This has been my favourite new meal by far, and will definitely be added into the regular rotation.  I have made it three times now, and only the third time was a flop.  I blame it on the Lilydale chicken that I used.  That was all they had at the store, so I bought it.  Next time I will pass it up as it was terrible.

here is the link:

http://www.cbc.ca/bestrecipes/2012/09/slow-cooker-butter-chicken.html

and here is the recipe:

This recipe can easily be left to simmer away in a slow cooker for eight hours before adding the chicken. It yields a large quantity of sauce that freezes well if you're feeding a smaller group. Serve over hot steamed basmatti rice.

Servings: 8

2 onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp (45 mL) butter
2 tbsp (30 mL) grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp (30 mL) packed brown sugar
2 tsp (10 mL) chili powder
3/4 tsp (4 mL) ground coriander
3/4 tsp (4 mL) ground turmeric
1/2 tsp (2 mL) cinnamon
1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cumin
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) pepper
1 can (28 oz/796 mL) diced tomatoes
1 cup (250 mL) sodium-reduced chicken broth
1/4 cup (60 mL) almond butter or cashew butter
3 lb (1.4 kg) boneless skinless chicken thighs, quartered
1 cup (250 mL) sour cream
2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped fresh cilantro

In slow cooker, combine onions, garlic, butter, ginger, brown sugar, chili powder, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, salt, pepper and tomatoes.
Whisk broth with almond butter; pour into slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low for 5 hours or for up to 8 hours.
With immersion blender, purée sauce until smooth. Add chicken; cook, covered, on high until juices run clear when chicken is pierced, 30 to 40 minutes.
Stir in sour cream. Serve sprinkled with cilantro.

There are only a few small changes I would make to this recipe, it really is very good.  The second time I made it I put a spice rub of curry, tumeric, cumin, chili powder and coriander on the chicken and browned it before I put it into the slow cooker.  I really enjoyed the way it turned out.  The only other change I might make is replacing the sour cream with a plain yogurt.  Really it tastes the same, so if you have one and not the other, go for it.

The naan bread recipe I got from Chuck's Day Off, and it is by far the easiest and most tasty recipe I have come across.  Super simple, and it really does taste pretty close to the real thing.

 Don't skip making the naan, it really makes the meal!

Here is the link:

http://www.foodnetwork.ca/ontv/shows/chucks-day-off/recipe.html?dishID=11949&titleid=229156

and here is the recipe: 

  

Chuck Hughes' golden and puffy naan bread is so simple to make, and yet so delicious.Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Yield: 4

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast (5 ml)
• 1 cup warm water (250 ml)
• 2 tablespoons sugar (30 ml)
• 1 teaspoon salt (5 ml)
• 2 1/2 cups flour (625 ml)
• 1/2 cup butter, clarified or melted (125 ml)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast with salt and sugar in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy.
2. Stir in enough flour to make soft dough, about 2 ½ cups. Knead for about 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a plastic wrap, and set aside to rise. Let it rise for 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
3. Flatten dough with your hands and pinch off 8 small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a plastic wrap, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
4. Roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil a cast iron pan. Place dough on pan, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Turn over and brush cooked side with butter. Continue cooking until browned, another 2 minutes.
5. Remove from pan, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared. Keep warm.

 

Thai coconut shrimp curry

I was really excited when I saw Stefano Faita making this on T.V.  It looked so good, and I had a coconut craving that needed some fixing.  The recipe was fairly easy overall, but in the end it was not my favourite.  With some tweaks I think I could make it into something good though, so this one will remain on the "make it again" list.

Here is the link to the recipe:

http://www.cbc.ca/inthekitchen/2012/10/thai-coconut-shrimp-curry.html

and here is the recipe:

Using a full can of coconut milk makes this quick and easy shrimp curry decadent. Add the Thai curry paste to taste, adding more for a fiery kick!

INGREDIENTS About 20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 to 2 tbsp. coconut oil or vegetable oil
1 red pepper, chopped
1 medium shallot, diced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tsp. fresh chopped ginger
1 to 2 tbsp. Thai red curry paste, or to taste
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro or Thai basil
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut, toasted, to garnish
Steamed jasmine rice, for serving

PREPARATION

Heat skillet over medium heat to medium high heat. Add oil. When oil is hot. Add the red pepper and shallot and cook, stirring, until vegetables start to soften, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, cook until soft, about another 1 minute. Add curry paste, cook, stirring, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer. Let cook until sauce reduces and thickens and flavours start to marry, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Add shrimp and stir. Cook until the shrimp start to turn pink and curl, and just cooked through. About 4 to 5 minutes, depending on size of the shrimp. Do not over cook or shrimp will be rubbery.
Add lime juice and cilantro and stir. Garnish with toasted coconut. Serve with jasmine rice.

Yield: 4 servings. 

I have highlighted a few things in the ingredients list.  First off, the shrimp.  I like shrimp, and even though they are big ones I would want more than just 5 shrimp in my serving.  So I would add more shrimp.  Secondly, 1 to 2 tablespoons of red curry paste.  I have never used this before, and I did some learning here.  One, do not eyeball curry paste.  Try to measure it.  Two, it's really hot.  One tablespoon is plenty, two makes for a hot dish, and two eyeballed makes it authentic.  Like sweat dripping, milk guzzling authentic.

To make this recipe better I would cook the pepper separately, because after adding the tomatoes and coconut milk I would take my immersion blender to the mix and blend it all until smooth.  then I would add the peppers and shrimp.  This dish was missing the creaminess I expected from adding a full can of coconut milk, but I think blending the tomatoes, shallots, garlic, ginger and milk would solve that problem.  

With these changes I'll give this recipe one more go and see how it turns out.