It's Good Though…

Yield: 8 Buns

Lola Hubbell, probably from Cooks Illustrated

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 TBS) at once and measure it out as you need it. The finished buns are best eaten warm, but they hold reasonably well for up to 2 hours.

Cinnamon-sugar filling

• ¾cup dark brown sugar, packed 5¼ oz
• ¼cup granulated sugar (1¾ oz)
• 2tsp cinnamon
• ⅛tsp ground cloves
• ⅛tsp table salt
• 1TBS butter, melted

Biscuit dough

• 2½cups AP flour (12½ oz), plus more for work surface
• 2TBS granulated sugar
• 1¼tsp baking powder
• ½tsp baking soda
• ½tsp table salt
• 1¼cups buttermilk
• 6TBS butter, melted, divided
  

Icing

• 2TBS cream cheese, softened
• 2TBS buttermilk
• 1cup confectioners’ sugar (4 oz)

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425°F. Pour 1 TBS melted butter in 9-inch round pan. Spray wire rack with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

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

Biscuit dough: Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder. baking soda. and salt in large bowl.

Whisk buttermilk and 2 TBS melted butter in measuring cup or small bowl. Add liquid to dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until liquid Is absorbed (dough will look very shaggy), about 30 seconds to lightly floured work surface and knead until just smooth and no longer shaggy.

Make rolls: Pat dough with hands into 12 by 9-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with melted butter, leaving a ½-inch border un-buttered around the edges. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar filling over the buttered area of the dough and pat gently into the surface.

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 8 equal pieces. Set the pieces, cut side up, in buttered cake pan. Brush with 2 TBS remaining melted butter.

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

Yield: 4 Servings

The French Cooking Academy

The chicken hunter style or (poulet sauté chasseur) is a classic French stew made with sautéed pieces of chicken, which are braised using a combination of brown chicken stock, tomato sauce, mushrooms, shallots and fresh herbs (tarragon and parsley). it is best made using a cast iron Dutch oven. Best served with a side of potatoes or quality tagliatelle and a bottle of dry white wine like a Muscadet wine.

• 2lb bone-in chicken thighs
• salt & pepper
• 2½TBS AP flour
• 2TBS butter

Brown chicken stock:

• 1lb chicken bones
• 1carrot
• ½yellow onion
• 2cups veal stock
• 1TBS tomato paste
• 1clove garlic
• 1bouquet garni

Sauce:

• 1medium shallots
• 4oz mushrooms
• 2TBS cognac or brandy
  
• 2oz white wine
• 2cups chicken stock
• 1TBS butter
• 1TBS tarragon
• 1TBS parsley
• 1pinch salt
• 1pinch pepper

Prepare the garnish:
Preheat oven to 400°F.Trim and slice the mushrooms. Peel and chop the shallots. wash the parsley and tarragon and when done, reserve in the fridge.

Start cooking the chicken pieces:

Season each chicken piece with salt and pepper and dredge them in plain flour. Melta TBS of butter in a Dutch oven or sauté pan and wait for the butter to stop foaming. Add the chicken pieces one by one in the pan (skin side down) and cook for a few minutes. When the skin is light brown turn the thighs over and brown the other side. When done cover the pan and continue to cook in the oven at 400°F for 15 minutes

Start the sauce “Chasseur”

Start by quickly washing and chopping the mushrooms. then the pan out of the oven, remove the chicken pieces and place them on a tray to keep them warm and reserve on the side to allow them to rest. Place the pan you used to cook the chicken on the stove on medium heat, add the mushrooms in and sauté them for 1 or 2 minutes. Remove the excess of fat (if any), add the chopped shallots and let them sweat a little bit. Flambe with the cognac, then deglaze with the white wine. Reduce until a TBS worth of wine is left. add in the brown chicken stock, turn the heat back on low and let the stock reduce for a few minutes.

Finish the sauce Chasseur

Chop the tarragon and parsley finely, about two TBS each. Check the sauce for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Take the pan off the heat and incorporate a TBS of butter in the sauce by stirring slowly. add a TBS of tarragon and parsley to the sauce and stir again. Add the chicken pieces in the pan and warm up on a very low heat (the sauce must not boil!!) for a few minutes until the chicken is warm enough to be served.

Plate and serve

Use a large dish (or individual plates) place the chicken pieces in the dish and cover the chicken with the warm sauce. Finish off by sprinkling the last TBS of freshly chopped parsley and tarragon over the meat and serve.

Side dish suggestions:

Servings: 8

https://food.ninahendrick.com/new-england-apple-crisp/

New England Apple Crisp is a regional classic with sweet apples, cinnamon, and a crunchy oatmeal and brown sugar topping. Serve with vanilla ice cream for the perfect finishing touch!

Oatmeal Crumb Topping:

• 1cup quick oats
• ½cup light brown sugar
• ½cup all-purpose flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• ½tsp cinnamon
• ¼tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼tsp ground allspice
• ½cup butter melted

Apple Filling:

• 6Apples peeled, cored, and sliced thinly
• ½cup light brown sugar
• 1TBS lemon juice
• 3TBS butter melted
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 1tsp apple pie spice ½ tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp ground allspice
• 1TBS all-purpose flour use almond flour for gluten-free

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a bowl, combine topping ingredients until crumbs are formed. Set aside.

In a second bowl, combine apple filling ingredients. Using a large spoon, mix until the apples are evenly coated.

Add a thin layer of oatmeal crumb topping to the bottom of a 9×9″ baking dish or a 10″ cast iron skillet.

Next, spread apple filling ingredients over crumbs evenly. Add the remaining crumb topping to the top.

Bake for 45 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. Serve warm.

For traditionalists, serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. I prefer chilled, straight out of the fridge.

Yield: 4 Servings

Orsara Recipes

On my menu for Monday night.

• 1lb pasta like Campanelle
• 1lb shrimp cleaned, de-veined and shells removed
• 1bunch broccoli rabe trimmed
• 14oz plum tomatoes peeled
• 4garlic cloves chopped
• 2TBS butter
• ½cup white wine dry (chardonnay)
• olive oil extra virgin
• salt and black pepper

Blanch broccoli rabe: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, fill a large bowl with ice and water and set aside. Submerge the broccoli rabe in the boiling water and allow to cook for three minutes. Blanching the broccoli rabe slightly cooks it while releasing some of the bitterness. Drain the broccoli rabe and add into the ice water bowl to stop it from cooking. Set aside.

Bring a separate large pot of salted water to a boil. This will be used to cook the pasta later.

Cook shrimp: Add a large drizzle of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the butter and half of the garlic and sauté for a minute.

Add in the shrimp and cook for two minutes, making sure to flip the shrimp over to cook evenly. Season with salt and black pepper and then add in the white wine. Continue to cook for another minute, allowing the alcohol to evaporate. Pour the shrimp and sauce into a clean bowl and set aside.

Cook tomatoes: In the same sauté pan, add another drizzle of olive oil and the rest of the garlic. Sauté for a minute over medium/high heat and then add in the peeled plum tomatoes. Mix while pressing on the tomatoes to break them apart.

Cook pasta: If the pasta you are using takes ten minutes to cook, add the pasta into the pot of water at this point. If using fresh pasta and the cook time is about five minutes, allow the sauce to cook over medium/low heat for five minutes before you begin cooking the pasta.

Meanwhile, drain the broccoli rabe from the ice water and set aside.

Combine: After the tomato sauce has cooked for five minutes, pour the shrimp and its sauce back into the sauté pan, along with the broccoli rabe. Season with salt and black pepper. Mix and continue to cook over low heat.

At this point, if using fresh pasta that takes five minutes to cook, add it into the boiling pot of water to begin cooking.

Once the pasta is done cooking, use a spider strainer to scoop the pasta out of the pot and into the shrimp and broccoli rabe pan.

Mix the pasta, the shrimp and the broccoli rabe sauce together and enjoy.

Servings: 8

J. Kenji Lopez Alt / Serious Eats

• 4-4½lb Golden Delicious, Braeburn, or other baking apples, peeled cored, and sliced into ¼-inch slices
• 3quarts boiling water
• 10TBS granulated sugar, plus 1 TBS for sprinkling over crust
• ¼tsp cinnamon (or more, to taste)
• ¼tsp salt
• 2TBS cornstarch
• 1recipe Easy Pie Dough
• 1egg white, lightly beaten

Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and place a heavy rimmed baking sheet on it. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place apple slices in a large bowl or pot. Pour boiling water or cider directly over top. Cover and set aside at room temperature for ten minutes. Drain apples well and let sit in a colander in the sink, tossing occasionally until completely dry, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and add 10 TBS sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cornstarch, and toss until apples are evenly coated. Set mixture aside.

Roll one disk of pie dough into a circle roughly 12-inches in diameter. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Add filling. Roll remaining disk of pie dough into a circle roughly 12-inches in diameter. Transfer to top of pie. Using a pair of kitchen shears, trim the edges of both pie crusts until they overhang the edge of the pie plate by ½ an inch all the way around. Fold edges of both pie crusts down together, tucking them in between the bottom crust and the pie plate and working your way all the way around the pie plate until everything is well tucked. Use the forefinger on your left hand and the thumb and forefinger on your right hand to crimp the edges. Cut 5 slits in the top with a sharp knife for ventilation.

Use a pastry brush to brush an even coat of lightly beaten egg white all over the top surface of the pie. Sprinkle evenly with a TBS of sugar. Transfer pie to sheet tray in the oven and bake until light golden-brown, about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F and continue baking until deep golden-brown, about 25 minutes longer. Remove from oven and allow to cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving.

For Meghan

• 1whole chicken, cut up into 10 pieces
• kosher salt
• fresh ground pepper
• BBQ sauce

Preheat grill. One side should be on low, the other on high.

10 piece cut means that you cut the breast in half to make them smaller and help them cook faster. Trim the chicken to remove large pieces of yellow fat and extra skin. Remove and freeze wing tips, fat and back for stock.

Rinse and pat chicken dry. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Place skin side down on low section of grill. Cover grill and cook for 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the grill if there is a lot of smoke, carefully open grill and spray with water to extinguish flames.

Flip chicken over, still on low section of grill. Cover grill and cook for another 10 minutes.

Flip chicken to skin side down again and move to hot side of grill. A lot of the grease should have rendered off, so chance of flare-ups is reduced. Doesn’t mean they won’t happen though. You can also turn the high side down to medium if necessary.

Check temperature of chicken pieces. Breast pieces and wings can be 165°F, dark meat should be 180°F.

Brush BBQ sauce on chicken and flip. Cook for 5 minutes.

Brush BBQ sauce on plain side of chicken and flip. Cook for 5 minutes.