Saturday, May 13, 2006
Mom's Sticky Buns
For years, these sticky buns have been my top choice for my birthday breakfast. As long as Mom didn't make them with raisins... I only make them occasionally these days, since they do take a bit of work--but it's worth it. Comments from devoted eaters have included: "We should have these in the house all the time." and "These are the best cinnamon buns ever--and believe me, I know cinnamon buns."
Ingredients:
3/4 c. whole milk
1/4 c. warm water
1 pkg. active dry yeast
3/4 c. sugar, divided
1 t. salt
1 egg
1/4 c. + 2 T. margarine, softened and divided
3-1/2 to 3-3/4 c. flour
2 t. cinnamon
For Glaze:
2/3 c. margarine
1 c. brown sugar
2 T. corn syrup
2 c. pecan halves (or more, if desired)
Step-by-step:
1. In a small saucepan, scald the milk. Set aside and cool to lukewarm.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water, with about a teaspoon of the sugar. Allow yeast to bloom, about 5 minutes.
3. When yeast looks bubbly, add the lukewarm milk, 1/4 cup of the sugar, salt, egg, 1/4 cup of margarine, and 2 cups of the flour. Blend until smooth. Add enough of the remaining flour to make the dough easy to handle.
4. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 5-10 minutes.
5. Put the dough in a greased bowl an cover it with a cloth. Let rise until doubled in volume, about 1-1/2 hours.
6. Punch the dough down and let rise again until doubled, about 30 minutes.
7. During this last 30 minutes, prepare the glaze by melting the 2/3 cup of margarine in a saucepan on low. Add brown sugar and corn syrup, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Divide the mixture between two greased round cake pans. Sprinkle one cup of pecans in each pan. Set aside.
8. Roll out the dough on a floured surface into an oblong strip, 15 by 9 inches, and 1/2 inch high. Spread with 2 T. soft margarine, leaving a 1-inch border of unbuttered dough on the long side. Mix the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle mixture evenly on top of buttered dough.
9. Roll up tightly, beginning at the long, buttered edge and working toward the unbuttered edge. Seal long side by pinching tightly. Cut roll into 1-inch slices.
10. Place cut sides of rolls on top of the pecans in the prepared pans. Cover with a towl and let rise again, about 40 minutes.
11. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
12. Remove from oven and carefully turn upside down onto plates Be careful--sugar syrup will be very hot.
13. Cool to warm and wrap in foil until ready to eat. Reheat in oven as necessary before eating.
Labels: breakfasts
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Pork and Ginger Pot Stickers
This is a fantastic recipe from Ming Tsai's cookbook, Blue Ginger. The pot stickers are a must at every party we have, and quite sought after by some of the men in our crowd of friends. To make these pot stickers vegetarian, simply replace the pork with a package of firm tofu, crumbled (make sure to drain well). For vegan pot stickers, also leave out the egg. Look for the gyoza wrappers by the refrigerated tofu in your grocery store.
Ingredients:
Filling:
4 c. finely chopped napa cabbage
1 T. salt, divided
1/2 lb. ground pork (not too lean)
2 T. finely chopped fresh ginger
1-1/2 T. finely chopped garlic
2 T. soy sauce
3 T. toasted sesame oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 package round gyoza/pot sticker wrappers
Dipping Sauce:
1/3 c. soy sauce
1/3 c. rice wine vinegar
1/3 c. green onions, green parts only, sliced 1/8-inch thick
1 T. toasted sesame oil
1 T. sambal oelek
Step-by-step:
1. Combine the cabbage and 1-1/2 t. of the salt and toss together; set aside for 30 minutes.
2. Transfer the cabbage to a cheesecloth and twist to squeeze as much water as possible from the cabbage. This will make the filling more cohesive.
3. Combine the cabbage wiht the pork, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, the remaining 1-1/2 t. of salt, and egg. Mix thoroughly.
4. Set a small bowl of cold water next to your work station. To fill the pot stickers, place about 1/2 T. of the filling in the center of each wrapper. Smooth a small dab of water around the outside of one half of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half and seal each dumpling by making three pleats from the top to the bottom right. Repeat, working from the top to the bottom left. Press the dumplings down gently on a work surface to flatten the bottoms.
5. Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat. When the oil is very hot and shimmers, add the potstickers, flattened bottoms down, and cook in batches without disturbing until brown, about 6 minutes.
6. Add about 1/2 c. of water and cover. Steam the pot stickers until puffy and firm, and the water has evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. If the water evaporates before the pot stickers are done, add more in 1/4-cup increments.
7. Remove cover and cook over high heat to allow pot stickers to recrisp on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer pot stickers to a platter.
8. Stir together dipping sauce ingredients and serve alongside the pot stickers.
Labels: appetizers
