Hot!!! Buns!!!

In San Diego, it's surprisingly warm. There's so much sun that I got a tan at the dog park yesterday (or so I'd like to think). But by dinnertime, a chill creeps up through the canyon and into my kitchen, and a heavy fog blankets Robinson Ave. Even though I crave a fresh salad all day, I just want something hot from the oven once the sun sets.

Thanks to the latest Gourmet magazine (Feb 2009), hot rolls have been on my mind. (Though, I admit, not much else has been on my mind despite a rather tumultuous last few weeks.) And last night, I thought I'd have my cake and eat it too...well, sort of.


Parmesan Pull-Aparts + Pan-Seared Tilapia + Spring Salad (string beans, pears, cucumber, green onions, avocado and Trader Joe's yummy Champagne Pear Vinaigrette). Yes, it was perfect. Absolutely perfect. Warm and fresh. The bite from the parmesan is perfect with a light, flaky fish seasoned with salt, garlic and lemon. And the slight sweetness of the salad is the nicest spring balance. AAaaahhhhhh...I really want to relive that meal right now...aaahhhh....

Okay, now for the recipe...

PARMESAN PULL-APARTS
Makes 1 dozen rolls

2 tsp active dry yeast (one 1/4-oz package)
1 tsp honey
2/3 cup warm milk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour + 2 Tbsp for sprinkling (and then some more for your work surface)
1 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
3 large eggs
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into Tbsp pieces and softened a bit
1 Tbsp water
Also! You'll need a standing mixer with a paddle/dough attachment

1. Stir together yeast, honey, and 1/3 cup warm milk in mixer bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If it doesn't get foamy, start over with new yeast.)
2. Whisk together flour (the 2 1/2 cups), cheese, and salt, and then mix into yeast mixture along with remaining 1/3 cup warm milk at low speed. Increase speed to medium and beat 2 eggs, one at a time. Make sure to scrape down sides of the bowl, and continue to mix until a very soft dough forms, about 3 minutes.
3. Beat in butter, 1 Tbsp at a time, until dough is elastic, about 2 minutes.
4. Scrape dough into the center of the bowl and sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp flour. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and kitchen towel and let it rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
5. Punch down dough (don't knead) and turn out onto a floured surface. Cut dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each in a ball by cupping your hand and pushing it against the work surface.
6. Arrange rolls 1 inch apart in a buttered 9- by 2-inch round cake pan and cover with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth). Let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled and dough fills pan, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
7. Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack in the middle.
8. Whisk together remaining egg with water and brush on tops of rolls. (There will be leftover egg wash.) Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
9. Loosen edges of rolls from pan with a knife and invert rolls onto a rack, and then reinvert and cool 20 minutes. Serve with butter!!

Overall, this takes about 4 1/2 hours but only requires 35 minutes of actual active time. It's a good thing to make when you're just hanging around the house, kinda doing stuff but not really. You know those days.

Note: With over 12 buns in the pan, you can easily save the leftovers for another chilly, I-<3-being-at-home kinda night by putting a few (maybe 2-4) in a ziplock bag, freeze them, and then defrost/warm them up at 350 for, like, 5 minutes or so. They can be in your freezer for about a month.

Friday Night = Roasted Tomato Pasta Sauce

On a Friday night, I want something special. I mean, after 50-plus hours of work, we all need a little celebration. But with this economy and blah blah blah, going out to eat every Friday is just not a possibility. If I'm going to cook at home...well, it's gotta stand up to any great meal out on the town. Otherwise, I'm stuck eating the same ol' veggies and chicken and rice, and feeling like it's just any other day. In other words, the worst way start the weekend. So what to have, what to have?

An old issue of Cook's Illustrated (March, April 2007) features a simple tomato sauce that uses a short list of ingredients, stuff that could even already be in your kitchen, that packs a different flavor...roasted tomatoes! They're smoky and rich, and just the most delightful taste on some angel hair pasta. The simplicity of dropping a pan full of ingredients into the oven, sitting back to enjoy the slowly-getting-later sunset, and then the great finale with the ol' Cuisinart...well, that's my kind of Friday night. From start to finish, it took an hour; less than half that time was actually spent cooking. Serve the sauce + pasta with some grilled chicken or shrimp, or keep it veg with some roasted or steamed vegetables on top.

What's for next Friday? Well, maybe Cook's alternate recipe - Roasted Tomato Sauce with Fennel. Add 1/2 tsp fennel seed to the tomato paste mixture and sub onion for a sliced fennel bulb...an unexpected savory delight for a pseudo springtime meal.

Roasted Tomato Sauce
Makes 3-3 1/2 cups (for about 1 pound of pasta)

2 Tbs tomato paste
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
Table salt and ground black pepper
3 lbs vine-ripened tomatoes (9 to 12 medium), cored and halved pole to pole
*you can use roma tomatoes, but sometimes the sauce comes out too mealy
6 medium garlic cloves, peeled
1 small onion, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
1 tsp red wine vinegar
Granulated sugar to taste
2 Tbs chopped fresh basil leaves

1. Heat the oven to 475 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and then place a cooling rack on top (hopefully it's about the same size as the baking sheet). In the middle, place a 4-inch square of foil. This little setup will prevent the tomatoes from burning and sticking to the pan (don't reference the photo above...that setup will cause sticky tomatoes; only put them straight on the foiled-lined pan if that's your last resort).
2. Combine tomato paste, 1 Tbs oil, thyme, pepper flakes, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper in a large bowl.
3. Toss the tomatoes, garlic, and onion in the tomato paste mixture until evenly coated.
4. Place the tomatoes (cut-side down) on the wire rack, and then place the onions and garlic on the little foil square in the middle.
5. Roast until vegetables are soft and tomato skins are well charred, 35-50 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let it cool 5 minutes.
6. Transfer garlic and onion to food processor; pulse until finely chopped, about five 1-second pulses.
7. Add tomatoes, vinegar, and remaining tablespoon oil to food processor. Pulse until broken down but still chunky, about five 1-second pulses.
8. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula; season with salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Continue to process until slighly chunky, about five 1-second pulses. Stir in basil, then serve.

Herbed Cornbread

It's Saturday night. A cold and stormy one, in fact, where the only thing I want to do is make a really simple meal that can warm up the house. How about some cornbread? Mixed with an abandoned can of beans and some roasted brussell sprouts (who have stayed perfectly fresh even though I've been out of town for a few weeks), it's a cozy meal for a quiet night. The best part is the unique flavor in the cornbread - a savory mix of some holiday herbs. So so yummy and my house smells good too!


For this recipe, I started with a recipe from Bon Appetit called Buttery Cornbread and added the extra flava. Enjoy!

Herbed Cornbread
Makes 1 loaf

1 1/3 cups coarse yellow cornmeal
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar (or if you want it sweeter, 1/2 cup)
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1 cup + 2 Tbs buttermilk (or, instead of buying buttermilk substitute it with this)
9 Tbs (or 1 stick + 1 Tbs) unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, beaten
2 green onions, diced
2 Tbs fresh thyme, minced
1 Tbs fresh sage, minced
2 Tbs fresh rosemary, minced

1. Butter a loaf pan, about 9x5x3 inches.

2. Mix together all the dry ingredients - cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

3. Mix in the remaining ingredients and let it sit for 30 minutes so all the moisture can soak in. Heat the oven to 375.

4. Put the mixture in the loaf pan, drop it in the oven for 40 minutes, and then take it out to rest. After 5 minutes, cool it outside the pan and then serve at room temperature.

The loaf lasts about 2 days. If you want to make the best stuffing, call me; I have the best recipe that involves fruit, white wine, a ton of shallots, basmati rice, and some pinenuts. Ugh, it's to die for.