Keeping Warm in the Kitchen

I imagine that if you have read this blog at all that it is obvious by now that I enjoy cooking and baking, however, you probably also know that there are certain aspects of it that I especially love. One of those is a lazy, long weekend with no real plans and plenty of time to cook and bake. This weekend Russ, Cash, and I went up to Mentone with Allen and Gil. The boys were planning to take advantage of it being one of the last weekends in deer season and I was planning on taking advantage of the cold weather and staying inside either in the kitchen or curled up by the fire with a book. I pretty much accomplished my goal considering I didn’t leave the house, tried out three new recipes, repeated one old recipe (in addition to the Santa Fe Soup in the previous post), read the new issue of Fine Cooking cover to cover, and started a new book. Top it off with good friends, Cash curled up on his blanket and it was a wonderful, long, winter weekend!

To start the cold morning off right I decided to try out the Fastest Cinnamon Buns from the November issue of Fine Cooking. I actually wanted to make these for Christmas morning to go with the Cinnamon Bread… because apparently I didn’t think one cinnamon bread would be enough for just Russ and me…. but I ran out of time to make it and have had it on the top of my bread list to try ever since. The reason these are called the Fastest is that there is no rising involved and the dough comes together very quickly. To make the dough you toss the wet ingredients in the food processor and until it is smooth. You then add the dry ingredients and pulse until the dough just comes together. You then take it out and put it on a floured surface and knead it until it is smooth. Then roll is out into a rectangle and brush it with melted butter. Then mix the filling ingredients together. I left out the pecans as Russ is not big on nuts in his breads and apparently neither is Gil or Allen. I also used Vietnamese cinnamon that Russ gave me for Christmas which is stronger than regular grocery store cinnamon. Spread the topping evenly over the dough and roll it up. Then cut it into 12 pieces and place them cut side up in a pan that has been sprayed with Pam. The recipe calls for you to use a springform pan, however, we didn’t have one in Mentone so I used a round cake pan that worked perfectly. Then bake them at 400 F for about 20 to 28 minutes (ours took around the 28 minute mark). While they bake mix together the confectioner’s sugar, milk, and vanilla extract for the glaze. I used more confectioners’ sugar than it called for because it seemed too runny to me. You want a thick, but pourable glaze, so you will just need to add more confectioners’ sugar if it too runny or more milk if it is too thick. Once the cinnamon buns came out I poured some of the glaze over them and served the rest on the side (which was a hit with the boys).

The cinnamon buns were delicious! They are sweet with a great balance of dough and filling. This was my first time using the Vietnamese cinnamon and it was fantastic! While the buns have good balance the cinnamon really does shine and Russ even commented on how good the flavor of the Vietnamese cinnamon was – potent, fragrant, and fresh. I am generally not a fan of icing on cinnamon rolls as I find it too thick, too much, and too sweet; however, the glaze on these is just the perfect amount of extra sweetness and the gooey texture really works well with the baked buns. I think that these buns would be lacking if you left it off. Russ rates the cinnamon buns a 10!

Side note on Vietnamese Cinnamon: Usually when you use a stronger cinnamon you are encouraged to cut back on the amount called for in a recipe, but since it was my first time and I am just a baking rebel I wanted to try it with the full amount to see how it tasted. I think there are definitely recipes where I might cut back on the cinnamon if I use the Vietnamese so that it won’t overwhelm the other flavors, but I liked the strong flavor of it in this recipe. Call me a baking snob, but I am not sure I can go back to using the grocery store cinnamon… especially when Penzey’s has so many different ones I need to try!

For dinner I decided to make one of Russ’ favorite dishes, Chicken Marsala. This is a recipe of Giada’s that is for Veal Marsala and I just substituted chicken for the veal (either works great). To make this dish you start by sprinkling the chicken with salt and pepper. Then heat a skillet and add a little butter and olive oil. In batches cook the chicken for a couple minutes on each side. It will cook a little more once you pull it out and later in the recipe, so don’t cook it all the way through or you might over cook it in the end. Set the chicken to the side and add a little more oil to the pan and then add the shallot and garlic. Once this has sautéed for a couple minutes add the mushrooms. I increase the amount of mushrooms because I love them and I used a mix of white and baby bella this time. Any combination of mushrooms will do, so pick what looks best and what you like. Once the mushrooms are tender and the juice has evaporated add the remaining ingredients. I increased the amount of shallots, garlic, Marsala, rosemary, chicken broth, and rosemary sprigs since I increased the amount of mushrooms. Once this has cooked down then add a little more butter, salt, and pepper. Lastly add the chicken back in until everything is heated through. I served it over linguine with a side of spinach salad.

If you love mushrooms and rosemary then you will really enjoy this dish! The woodsy flavor of the mushrooms and rosemary is brought out and complemented by the Marsala for a delicious combination. I like to serve this over pasta to help soak up some of the extra sauce. I chopped and prepped everything ahead of time which made it come together very quickly and easily when I prepared it. Russ rates it a 9.

Fastest Cinnamon Buns, November 2007 Fine Cooking
Yields, 12 buns

Cooking Spray for the pan

For the Dough:
¾ cup cottage cheese (4% milk fat)
1/3 cup buttermilk
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 oz. (4 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached flour; more for rolling
1 Tbs. baking powder
½ tsp table salt
¼ tsp baking soda

For the Filling:
¾ oz (1 and ½ Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1 and ½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp ground cloves
1 cup (4 oz) chopped pecans

For the Glaze:
2 and ½ oz (scant 2/3 cup) confectioners’ sugar
2 to 3 Tbs. cold whole or low-fat milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Heat oven to 400 F. Grease the sides and bottom of a 9 or 10 inch springform pan with cooking spray.

Make the dough: In a food processor, combine the cottage cheese, buttermilk, sugar, melted butter, and vanilla. Process until smooth, about 10 seconds. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and pulse in short bursts just until the dough clumps together (don’t overprocess). The dough will be soft and moist.

Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it with floured hands 4 or 5 times until smooth. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12x15 inch rectangle.

Make the filling: Brush the dough with the melted butter, leaving a ½ inch border unbuttered around the edges. In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Sprinkle the mixture over the buttered area of the dough and pat gently into the surface. Sprinkle the nuts over the sugar mixture.

Starting at a long edge, roll up the dough jelly-roll style. Pinch the seam to seal, and leave the ends open.

With a sharp knife, cut the roll into 12 equal pieces. Set the pieces, cut side up, in the prepared pan; they should fill the pan and touch slightly, but don’t worry if there are small gaps.

Bake until golden brown and firm to the touch, 20 to 28 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Run a spatula around the inside edge of the pan and remove the springform ring. Transfer the rolls to a serving plate.

Make the glaze: in a small bowl, mix the confectioners’ sugar, 2 Tbs. milk, and vanilla to make a smooth glaze. It should have a thick but pourable consistency, so add up to 1 Tbs. more milk if necessary. Drizzle the glaze over the rolls. Let stand 15 minutes and serve.