Mouth Watering Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

There is nothing like biting into a freshly baked homemade cinnamon roll. Soft pillowy clouds of buttery and cinnamony deliciousness that melt in your mouth. So, why wouldn't you make them at home from scratch every time? Simply put time. If you want to make these for breakfast you need to be up at 3am or serve them for dinner instead. Neither are good options for me.

A week or so ago my good friend and co conspirator in culinary mischief posted Alton Brown's recipe for overnight cinnamon rolls on my wall on Facebook. I was super stoked to see it and excited to get started. This has become my go to recipe it is so simple and epically delicious. You will look like a rockstar serving these at brunch.

I added strawberries to the rolls because I had them on hand and of course yum. Some other variations you might consider: pears, apples, peaches, pecans, berries and etc..etc..etc.. The sky is the limit. I recommend thinly slicing the fruit and in this case less is more as you want to be able to roll the dough tightly.

Baker's note: it is really worth the effort to use a scale to measure out the ingredients. Baking is a science and precision matters.  

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls 

FOR THE DOUGH

1. 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
2. 1 large whole egg, room temperature
3. 2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/4 cup
4. 6 tablespoons butter, melted
5. 1 teaspoon cold butter for lubricating baking dish
6. 3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature
7. 15 ounces all-purpose flour divided into 10 ounces, 4 ounces and 1 ounce batches
8. 1 package rapid rise yeast, approximately 1/4 ounce ( if you don't have a packet you can weigh out 0.25oz it worked fine for me)
9. 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

FOR THE FILLING

1. 8 ounces light brown sugar
2. 1 tablespoon cinnamon, ground
3. 1 teaspoon ground cardamon
4. 1 pint strawberries (washed, hulled and sliced) in a bowl and set aside
5. Pinch kosher salt
6. 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE FROSTING

1. 8oz cream cheese, cold
2. ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3. 1 cup powdered sugar
4. 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
5. 2 sliced strawberries (or use what is left over from the filling)

FOR THE DOUGH

1. Combine the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter and buttermilk in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk at medium speed.
2. As the mixture comes together add 10 ounces of the flour, along with the yeast and salt and continue whisking until combined.
3. Remove the whisk attachment and replace it with a dough hook. Add another 4 ounces of the remaining flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes. At this point the dough should feel soft and moist but not sticky. If it is sticky, add a bit more flour (one ounce at a time). Knead on low for another 5 minutes or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; and form dough into a smooth ball. Transfer to a large bowl that has been lightly lubed with the vegetable oil. Rotate the bowl so that the dough ball is evenly covered. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside until the dough doubles in volume, about 3 hours. (Exact times will vary depending on the temperature of the room and the temperature of the ingredients.)

FOR THE FILLING

1. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

TO ASSEMBLE

1. Butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish with the cold butter.
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently shape into a rectangle with the long side nearest you. Then use a rolling pin to shape into 18 by 12-inch rectangle.
3. Brush the dough with the the melted butter, leaving a 1-inch border along the top edge.
4. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the dough, also avoiding the top border.
5. Gently press the filling into the dough. (If you tend to have hot hands, you may want to cover the filling with a layer of plastic wrap first.)
6. Place the strawberries on top of the filling in a single layer
7. Beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough away from you into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down. Very gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness.
8. Using a serrated knife, gently cut the cylinder into 2-inch rolls; yielding 8 pieces.
9. Arrange rolls cut side down in the baking dish; cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight, or up to 16 hours.

TO BAKE

1. Heat the oven to 200 degrees F.
2. When the oven has reached 200 degrees F, turn it off and place the rolls in the turned-off oven. Let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy, about 30 minutes.
3. Without taking the rolls out of the oven, increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and let the rolls continue to bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F. Remove the rolls and let cool while you make the icing.

FOR THE FROSTING

1. Place the cream cheese in a mixing bowl.
2. Using a hand mixer, beat until smooth.
3. Gradually add the butter 2 Tablespoons at a time, and continue beating until smooth and well blended.
4. Add strawberries, powdered sugar and vanilla all at once. Blend until just combined.

Adventures in brunching a tale of two restaurants

What do you do if you haven't seen your friends for a while and you miss them? You could call them, send a text or e-mail, write a letter (if you have their address) and even send smoke signals. However, if you live in San Francisco, the answer is brunch. Move over Rice A Roni because brunch is the San Francisco treat.

I was lucky enough to go to two brunches last weekend one on Saturday and the other Sunday. I have plans for Sunday brunch this week too! Usually brunch is synonymous with runny eggs, french toast, potatoes and bottomless mimosas. This story is about a completely different kind of brunch. 

Saturday Afternoon Brunch

Barrel Head Brewhouse 

1785 Fulton St. San Francisco, CA 94117

My friend S and I hadn't gotten together in months. We ran into each other at Central Coffee last Sunday and decided to catch up and have brunch on Saturday. We chose the brewhouse because we each ran late. It's in the neighborhood a short walk or stumble for us to get back home. She and I had brunched here over the summer and it was a mixed bag but we felt we could avoid the things we weren't jazzed about.We were pleasantly surprised to see the menu had been updated and there weren't any items we wanted to avoid.

So, S and I arrived at the pub at 4pm we were starving and discovered that the kitchen closes from 3 - 4:30. Our waitress offered to serve us some Poutine or french fries while we waited for the kitchen to open we declined and opted for a Saison instead.   A persimmon saison that was utter delight not too sweet not too sour delicious really worth a try even if you don't drink 'that kind of beer'. The beer menu is extensive, we got half pints so we could try more delicious libations. 

The food menu is succinct. We chose some small plates and a large plate to share. First, a half dozen oysters on the half shell. They were fresh, briny and sweet totally worthy of the investment but at $3 per oyster it's a bit spendy. After having two half pints of the persimmon saison I thought I'd  shake things up a bit and got a half pint of 'Fruitfly Framboise'. It's not your traditional framboise, usually they are super syrupy and sweet. The 'Fruitfly' is crisp and fresh with a hint of sweet and tart.

Next they brought out the pig trotters and crispy Brussels salad. The trotters are like a croquette crispy outside and tender on the inside they serve them with a drizzle of smoked honey, popcorn and pickled red onions. I'll admit the popcorn sounded odd but I was intrigued to see how they would incorporate it and it was a blissful accompaniment. Just a few kernals on the plate but together with the trotter and the onion it was epic. The Brussels salad was also very delicious the crunch from being roasted combined with the creme fraiche and apple cider was perfectly balanced. I am going to try and recreate this salad for Thanksgiving this year. That means lots of Brussels roasting and experimenting. Come over and lend a hand with the cooking or the eating if you can.

We ordered the Texicali brisket for our large plate it was served atop toasted white bread accompanied by BBQ sauce, house made pickles and coleslaw. Besides pickles being super tasty they are also really good for you and have been linked to longevity.  Even though it is pretty simple to pickle things I am always impressed with house made pickles and these pickles were no exception. the perfect bite from this plate consisted of a little piece of bread, a little bit of pickle, a small piece of meat and BBQ sauce. Truly so delicious it was worth writing about. 

There was no need for dessert and we each stumbled to our apartments sated with plans to brunch next Sunday. 

A couple of tips (pretty common sense) If you want traditional brunch fare they only serve it between 11am and 2pm and bottomless mimosas are served until 3pm. They have imaginative cocktails but this a Brew house so try the beer, cidre, saison and barley wine.

Sunday morning brunch

Picaro Tapas Restaurant

3120 16th Street (between Valencia and Guerrero)

My Daughter and I went to meet her Godfather J at Picaro for some good old fashioned catching up. I don't know about you but in my humblest of opinions there is no reason to spend time waiting in line for food. There are just too many great restaurants in this city. The amazing thing about this restaurant is that unlike on a Friday or Saturday night there was no line for brunch it was almost completely empty. It was a gorgeous day so we chose to eat al fresco. Picaro's patio is, without any exaggeration,  perfect. There are trellises with foliage a little bit of statuary and it is bright without the sun beating down on you. 

J put me in charge of ordering and I put together quite a feast for us. The oysters had been so good the other day I was craving more and here they are a mere $1. Unfortunately, they were out of oysters but they were certainly not out of their delicious sangria. Every hour at Picaro is a happy hour but, they have happy hour prices for sangria that last almost the whole day, making the hours of 11:30am to 7pm happier than most. During that time you can acquire a cup of sangria for $2.50 and a carafe for $10. We can't live on sangria alone though, paired with their bread and Romesco sauce, we'd be ok for a while.

Picaro's menu is pretty extensive but don't come looking for runny eggs or french toast. In addition to a carafe of sangria, we ordered chorizo salteado (little sausages), Patatas al aioli (roasted potatoes w/garlic mayo), Calamare fritto(fried calamari), Acietunas Rellenas de Anchoa (olives stuffed with anchovies) and Lobster Paella. It might sound like a lot but if A had had her share of paella it would have been perfect for the three of us. We opted for a seafood brunch but they do in fact serve plenty of vegetarian and meat dishes. 

This is a great place for a relaxed brunch and a great place to go with large groups. They have many small plates which are great to get when you have lots of folks to share with. They also have combo plates when you go alone or with a small group (and no one can agree on tapas).  

The moral of this entry is go where you haven't gone before or when you haven't gone before and try different and/or weird stuff. You just might like it. 

Budget friendly meal - Chile Verde Scramble

This is hands down one of my favorite lean times recipe. My mom learned how to make this from her third husband while we were living in Oakland. It was my favorite of the three soupy scrambles we learned to make. Serve this with homemade tortillas (or store bought if you prefer) and it is the very meaning of comfort food.This also makes one heck of a hangover brunch and can be multiplied to serve as many hungry folks as you have.

If you feel inclined you could make the chile verde sauce from scratch. When I am preparing this dish usually it is more important for it to be ready quickly than to be made from scratch. I'll admit it is worth the time if you have it.

What you'll need:

1 Jar salsa verde
5 large eggs
1/4 medium onion (whichever color you prefer)
1 large russet potato
1/2 package of Queso Fresco or Panela
2 TBSP Olive Oil

1. Peel and cube the potato set aside. Slice onion thinly and evely.Cube the queso fresco.

2. Heat the olive oil in a 12" non  stick skillet on high then reduce the heat to medium and add the potato. You want to get the potato golden on all sides this should take a couple of minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure  they brown evenly.

3. In a medium bowl whisk the eggs

4. Once the potato is golden add the onions. Saute until they are golden. Stirring to make sure everything is browned evenly.

5. Turn the heat up to high and just before the oil begins to smoke add the eggs slowly and from high above the  pan. Turn the heat to medium and stir gently. Allow the eggs to finish cooking.

6.  Add queso fresco and salsa verde. Until the salsa is heated through.

7. Turn off the heat and move the pan to a cool burner.

8. Heat tortillas and serve warm.

Serves two and a half

Toasted Coconut, Dark Chocolate, Almond Shortbread

I love baked treats. Nothing says loving like something from the oven and all. These shortbread cookies are awesome and simple. In this version I add toasted coconut, dark chocolate and toasted almonds. I've also tried this recipe with lavender in the dough and then dipped the cookies in chocolate. Some other variations are adding orange zest and cardamon or just plain chocolate chips the mini ones work best. Feel free to experiment with other dry ingredients that you find exciting.

The best part of this recipe is that you can make up the cookie dough and keep it in the fridge for up to two weeks. Then you can make as many or few as you want at a time and have them warm and fresh out of the oven. This shortbread goes well with coffee, tea or milk. A truly delightful bite.

Toasted Coconut, Dark Chocolate, Almond Shortbread

1/2 pound salted butter at room temperature
1/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup slivered toasted almonds
1 cup toasted coconut
4oz chopped Scharffen Berger 70% dark chocolate baking bar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment cream together the butter and sugar until just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl sift together the flour and salt. Add to the butter-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough comes together. Add the almonds, coconut and chocolate. Mix until combined.

Divide the dough in two equal parts. Place each half on a sheet of wax paper and form into a log. Chill for 30 minutes. cut the log into 1/2 inch pieces and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until the edges just begin to brown. Allow them to cool to room temperature. Enjoy!

What to do with a live crab?

Dungeness crab season is in full effect. To celebrate I decided to have a little crab fest at the house, and since we can not live on crabs alone, clams steamed with beer and butter were also on the menu for the evening.

I usually buy my crabs steamed, cleaned and ready to crack and dip into my herb butter sauce. I get to avoid the whole killing and cleaning part and go straight to enjoying the fruits of my local fish mongers labor. While this is a stress free way to enjoy crab, the price for this ranges anywhere from 2 to4 times the cost of buying a live crab. Given the global economic melt down I decided to be a little frugal and purchase live crabs.

For many reasons, including price, I like to shop for my seafood at Ranch 99 market. The fish mongers are quick and they'll clean, fillet, and even fry your fish for you. Clams are self service in the seafood department so I scooped up 2 pounds of clams and took a number to request my crabs. After a short wait my crabs were given to me in plastic bags with the warning that they would in fact bite and the store was not responsible for any injuries I may incur.

I'd never steamed my own crabs and although I was a bit nervous, it was definitely exciting. I used a giant pasta pot with a strainer to steam the crabs. It was big enough to fit 2 crabs at a time. The crabs were definitely a little feisty I used tongs to get them from the table to the pot. Once in the pot they kept moving for a little bit claws tapping on the glass lid. Thankfully, that part was over fairly quickly.

Cooking time depends on the size of your crab, generally between 10 and 20 minutes, you want to start checking at 10 minutes. Your crab is done when it's a bright orange color and the limbs very easy to remove. Mine were ready at exactly 15 minutes.

Now that your Crab is cooked you'll want to remove it from the pot and let it cool and rest for a bit. Once the crab is cool enough to handle the real fun begins, cleaning!

To clean the crabs you will first tear off all the limbs and place them in a serving bowl. Next you are going to pull off the top shell carefully and remove the brain. The brains are edible but tend to be bitter so I remove them. They are yellow and have the consistency of a dense foam. Also remove all of the exterior features that are inedible. Once that's done you can cut what's left in half and place it in the serving bowl.

I make a simple garlic herb butter to serve with the crab. (recipe to follow)

A word to the wise, you will want to make sure that all traces of crab are removed from your kitchen as soon as you are done with your feast. The shells develop a terrible odor fairly quickly and if left in your kitchen garbage your kitchen will smell foul for days.

I was having 5 adults and 1 child over and I purchased 4 crabs. It was too much 2 would have been more than sufficient. It's important to buy only what you need because crab doesn't keep well or long. If you are in a situation where you have left overs make sure you crack the crabs and remove all the meat from the shells and store that in the fridge. You can use the meat the next day in an omelet or pasta.

Happy Crabbing!

Herbed Garlic Butter
1 stick of butter
1 Tbsp shallot finely minced
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 Tsp fresh Thyme minced
1/2 Tsp fresh rosemary minced
1 Tbsp Italian flat leaf parsley minced
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste

Melt the butter on medium low heat. Add the shallot, garlic, herbs and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook on low heat until the flavors have been infused in the butter without browning it. (approx. 10 mins) Pour mixture into a serving bowl and add the lemon juice.

Beer Steamed Clams
2 lbs Clams
1/2 large red onion minced
3 Tbsp fresh garlic minced
3 Tbsp Italian flat leaf parsley minced
6 oz of beer (whatever you like to drink)
2 Tbsp butter
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (enough to coat the bottom of your pan)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Clean the clams thoroughly. In a large bowl add 1/4 cup of salt and fill half way with cold water. Add the clams and additional water if necessary the clams should be completely submerged. Allow the clams to soak in this water for 20 to 30 minutes. This is important because the clams will release any sand they may have inside while soaking in the salt water.

Coat the bottom of a 12 inch pan with olive oil and heat on medium high. When the oil is hot add the butter. Once the butter is melted add the onions and saute until translucent. season with salt and pepper add the garlic and parsley. Cook until the onions start to get golden around the edges (about 5 mins)

Drain and rinse the clams. Turn the heat on the pan to high and add the clams. stir the clams in the pot and ensure they are well coated with the mixture in the pan. Add the beer and cover immediately. Cook covered for 2-3 minutes and check. Most of the clams should be opened if not cover and continue to cook for another minute or two. Otherwise turn off the heat and pour clams and broth into a large serving bowl. Serve with crusty sourdough bread.

Leeky Potato Soup

There are few things more comforting on a cold foggy cold San Francisco night than a bubbling pot of yummy soup.

Recently my mother paid me a visit. She has a variety of dietary restrictions which challenge my cooking skills. One of the many things she's not allowed to eat is tomato. Normally my soups tend to be more on the brothy/stewy side but for me using tomatoes is essential for that kind of production. So that left the problem of finding a delicious comforting soup that didn't involve tomatoes.

I know there are lots out there. Carrot Ginger soup, Butternut Squash soup etc...etc...etc... But I've made those all before. Besides what was I going to do with the parsnips, leeks, potatoes and fresh thyme I had in the fridge. Leeky Potato Soup.

Modifications
I use chicken broth in this recipe but it can very easily be substituted for vegetable broth making this completely vegetarian. if you happen to be vegan you could substitute the butter for olive oil and use extra broth or water in place of the milk.

This recipe will serve 4 generously.

Leeky Potato Soup

3 Tbsps Butter
4 Medium leeks (pale green and white parts only) Halved lengthwise and sliced thinly
3 Medium Russet potatoes (peeled and cubed)
2 Medium parsnips (peeled and cubed)
1 Tbsp fresh Thyme
4 1/2 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth
1 Cup whole milk
2 Tbsps Fresh chives
Salt and Pepper to taste

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks; stir to coat with butter. Cover saucepan; cook until leeks are tender, stirring often to prevent browning, about 10 mins.

Add thyme, potatoes and parsnips. Cover and cook until potatoes and parsnips soften stirring often so they do not brown. About 10 mins.

Add 4 1/2 cups of broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the veggies are very very soft. About 30 mins.

At this point you can either use an immersion blender to puree the veggies or you can use a potato masher to crush them. I like to use the masher because it gives the soup a more rustic texture.

After you've mashed/pureed add the milk. Serve in bowls and garnish with chives. A nice chunk of crusty bread also makes a nice accompaniment to this dish. enjoy!

Baked Swordfish with Citrus Arugula and Toasted Almond Cous Cous

Sounds Pretty fancy huh? It tastes that way to. You'd think it would take hours to create this culinary delight. You'd be wrong. You can have this delicious fresh meal from the fridge / pantry to the table in 30 minutes or less. it all depends on how fast you can prep your veggies. I'm a bit slow on the prep side so I come in right around 30 minutes.

So in order to get everything to the table hot you'll want to heat the oven first. Then prep the fish for baking and set aside. Next start the cous cous. As soon as the oven is heated put the fish in. Finish the cous cous. Lastly you'll want to make the citrus arugula.

Baked Swordfish

1 1/2 pounds swordfish steaks
4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 425

Rinse the steaks in cold water and pat dry. Spray a non reactive baking dish with olive oil. Place steaks in the dish. season with salt and pepper. spread the garlic slices evenly over both steaks. Place 2 sprigs of fresh thyme and 1 sprig of rosemary on each steak. Drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 20 - 25 mins


Toasted Almond Cous Cous

1/2 red bell pepper finely diced
1 medium carrot (grated)
2 cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp minced flatleaf parseley
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup toasted almonds
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 cups cous cous
2 cups water
1tsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
dash of cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a deep 12" skillet. Add butter and brown slightly over medium high heat. Reduce heat. Add onions; saute until translucent. Add parsley, garlic, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook for 2 mins. Add bell pepper. When the bell pepper has softened add carrots, raisins and a dash of cinnamon. Once the carrots have softened add water and increase heat to high. Bring mixture to a boil. To the boiling water add cous cous. Stir to combine, remove from heat and cover. Allow to sit for 10 mins. Fluff with fork and add almonds.


Citrus Arugula

2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 small leeks trimmed (halved lengthwise and sliced)
7oz Arugula
zest of one orange
3 Tbsps orange juice (the juice of half an orange)
2 Tbsps Extra Virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a 12" skillet. Saute Leeks and Garlic until translucent. Season with salt and pepper. Add orange zest. Continue to cook for 4 - 5 minutes.

Add arugula, oj and balsamic. Cook until greens have wilted. Serve warm.