Tag: recipes

Quick Plum Sticky Buns

Yes, I said quick.  Really quick.  Is 30 minutes from start to finish quick enough for you?  The secret is refrigerated crescent dough, which I hardly ever buy, but sometimes it just fits the bill perfectly.  I salvaged my self respect by using really good jam, my homemade vanilla bean pluot jam from yesterday

The jam is tart, so it balances the sticky sweetness of these rolls.  I’s bright flavor and chunks of fresh fruit make you (almost) forget that you’ve used packaged dough.

Quick Plum Sticky Buns
oven to 375F
1 8 oz package of crescent roll dough
plum jam
for the frosting:
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
several tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • Spray the bottom of a pie plate (or cake pan) with cooking oil and line it with a round of parchment paper.
  • Unroll the crescent dough onto a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet.  Lightly pinch together the dividing lines.  Gently straighten the dough into a rectangle if it is askew.
  • Spread an even layer of jam across the entire surface of the dough.
  • Starting at one end, carefully roll up the dough into a log.  
  • At this point I put the whole tray in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up and make cutting easier.  This step is optional.
  • Use a sharp, serrated knife to gently cut the log into 6 slices.  Arrange them in the pie plate, with one in the center and the others around it.
  • Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until the rolls are golden brown.
  • Cool slightly before frosting.
  • Make the frosting by mixing the confectioner’s sugar, vanilla bean paste, and just enough cream to make a spreadable consistency.  It should be somewhat thick because the heat of the rolls will cause it to melt down.
  • Spread it on the warm rolls.
  • Eat asap!

 Notes:  Work with cold dough, don’t let it sit out on the counter before you use it or it will get sticky.  Eat the rolls right after making, refrigerated dough does not keep very well, and it is best hot out of the oven.

If you make any homemade jam this summer, reward yourself with a batch of these.  I can just imagine them with strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, peach…

So what do you think, is it a sin to use pre-packaged dough?

One year ago today—

Provencal Tomatoes

The Best of the Best: Favorite Recipes from 2013

Happy Friday, everyone!  Today I’m doing a little retrospecting, with some of my favorite recipes from 2013.  Maybe you’ve made some of them, maybe you have other ideas, I’d love to hear what you think.  Choosing favorites is always hard, but  I can vividly remember my first bite (or sip) of each and every one of these Best of the Bests.  They run the gamut from hot and spicy, to cold and crunchy, with every taste sensation in between.  But I didn’t chose them just because they taste great.  These are also recipes that were fun and easy to make.  That’s half the battle, right?  If you don’t love making it, it’s never going to get into your mouth in the first place.

Like my Beautiful Breakfast Tart, I had such fun laying out the mosaic of fruit over the creamy layer of yogurt.  It just happened organically, starting on the outside with the bright red strawberries and working my way inward.  This tart can be made all year round with whatever fruit happens to be in season.

And I knew the minute I stuck my spreading knife into the Nutella Buttercream and started swirling it onto the banana cake that I had a winner.  This one has been at the top of my desserts list all year.  Nothing can beat it.  While I’m usually pretty good at controlling myself during photo shoots, I lost it that day.  It was kind of scary, actually.  I’ll admit it, the Banana Cake with Nutella Buttercream has special powers.

Other recipes made the cut because they are just so unique, such instant conversation starters… the ‘party in your mouth’ kind of stuff. The Trinidad Sour and my Pink Grapefruit Habanero Jam are good examples.  They’re not to be missed.

You’ll just have to check out the slideshow below to get the full roster of Bests.  I hope you make it a New Year’s resolution to try at least one of them!

*This post was part of a sponsored opportunity with Foodie.com.

Red Onion Gratin

I love all members of the onion family, from shallots and green onions, to leeks, Vidalias, Maui, and just plain old reds.  I’m always looking for ways to cast them in the leading role, rather than burying them in the first few steps of a recipe.  Onions are cheap and healthy, and so good tasting, they deserve better.  Red Onion Gratin is a simple side dish that’s fancy enough for company, and goes with just about any meat, chicken or fish.  I’d say it’s absolutely made to have with a good steak.

This gratin looks nice and rustic in a skillet, but you can use any gratin or baking dish you have.  Allow two or three  slices of onion per person.  I used all red onions, but you can easily use white, or a mix.  Sweet onions like Vidalia or Maui would be great, too.

Giving the onions a quick grilling not only gives them extra smokey flavor, but it softens them a little so they don’t need too much time in the oven.   The beautiful grilled slices get laid out over a basic sherry laced bechamel cream sauce, and then covered with Gruyere and fresh breadcrumbs.

What You Will Need

  • 2 red onions
  • olive oil for brushing
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
  • 1 Tbsp all purpose flour
  • 2/3 cups heavy cream
  • 3 Tbsp dry sherry
  • salt and fresh cracked black pepper
  • dash of nutmeg (I grate mine fresh)
  • handful of fresh thyme
  • 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
  • 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs

Instructions

  1. Set oven to 400F
  2. Peel and thickly slice the onions.
  3. Heat a grill pan until quite hot, and brush the onion slices lightly with olive oil. Grill the slices for a minute or two on each side so that they get slightly softened and have nice grill marks. Set them aside.
  4. In a saucepan, heat 1 Tbsp of the butter over medium heat, and stir in the flour. Cook for a minute, stirring constantly. Pour in the cream and sherry and whisk until smooth. Stir constantly while the mixture comes up to a simmer and is thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste and the dash of nutmeg.
  5. Pour the sauce into a cast iron skillet or gratin dish. Arrange the onion slices over the sauce.
  6. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over all.
  7. Stir the breadcrumbs together with the last tablespoon of melted butter, and a little salt, pepper, and a few thyme leaves. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the cheese,
  8. Bake for about 20 minutes until browned and bubbling. You can run the gratin under the broiler at the last minute if you want extra browning,

Notes

2.2

http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/2013/12/red-onion-gratin.html

*Recipe from [The View from Great Island|http://theviewfromgreatisland.com] All images and content are copyright protected. If you want to use this recipe, please link back to this page.

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