Culinary Fool

• 4 Tbsp Butter
• 2 Tbsp Olive oil
• 2 Celery stalks, chopped
• 2 Small carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 Medium onion, chopped
• 2 tsp Minced fresh thyme
• 8 cups Chicken or Beef stock or broth
• 22 oz of Chestnut puree (unsweetened)

• ½ cup Whipping cream
• 4 tsp Cognac

Yesterday some friends and I got the New Year off to a great start by meeting in the Washington Park Arboretum, having a sort of "tailgate" party and then taking a walk to an area of the park, Winter Garden, that is filled with winter blooming plants.  I brought these sticky buns, fresh from the oven and still a bit warm, to share. 

Although the recipe uses a bread machine, I think you could pretty easily make the dough the more traditional way. 

The recipe is from,  The Baker’s Bible: Over 350 Recipes for Breads, Tarts, Cakes, Cookies, and Pastries

Cinnamon Sticky Buns

Bread Machine Recipe – Makes 15 rolls

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups bread flour
• 2 tsp. yeast

Filling

• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp. very soft butter

Syrup

• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 30 pecan halves

Put dough ingredients in bread machine in order suggested by your bread manchine instructions.  Set for white or sweet bread, dough stage and press Start.

Remove dough from bread machine, punch it down and let rest for 5 minutes to make it easier to work with.   While dough is resting mix brown sugar and cinnamon for filling.  And make the syrup by combining butter, brown sugar, and water in saucepan.  Heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.  Pour into a 9X13 pan.  Coarsely chop the pecans and sprinkle evenly in the pan. 

Roll dough into a rectangle 8" by 16".  Spread the soft butter over the dough.  Thickly sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture over the surface, spreading to the edges.  Roll dough into a long cylinder.  Slice crosswise into 15 pieces. 

Place rolls in 3 rows in the 9X13 pan.  At this point the rolls can be placed in the fridge overnight. 

Let rolls raise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. 

Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 17 to 22 minutes.  Rolls must be removed from pan immediately or the syrup will harden and the rolls will stick.  Invert the pan over a large plate or baking sheet.  (Some syrup will run off.) Let them cool slightly and then enjoy!

After my big holiday party there are always leftovers of some sort: recipes that made more than I needed; things that didn’t get eaten; or “raw materials” that weren’t used.  This year I barely had anything in the first group – there’s an extra bowl of pate; in the second group there was only cheese and some sliced bread.  Even the third group wasn’t that big but I took a little inventory and made myself a scrumptious breakfast from what there was. 

I toasted a sliced of dill-rye bread, topped it with smoked trout, made up some super fluffy scrambled eggs and piled those on the trout, and then topped the whole thing with creme fraiche mixed with dill and a nice amount of Ikura.  Add a few warmed up potatoes that weren’t used for the party and you have a breakfast that is beautiful and tasty! 

Grammy’s Carmel Corn

• 6 quarts popped corn
• 1 cup margarine or butter
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• ½ cup corn syrup
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla

Melt margarine or butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt over medium heat.  When combined bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Boil moderately for 5 minutes.

Remove pan from heat, add soda and vanilla.  (Mixture will foam up to about double its volume.) Mix thoroughly. 

Pour over popped corn and stir well. 

Spread in pans and bake at 200°F for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. 

Remove from oven and immediately turn onto waxed or parchment paper to cool. 

Notes:

I use air-popped corn but any popped corn will work. 

I divide the popped corn between two roaster pans – the sides come in handy when you are stirring during the baking time. 

Don’t worry if, when you first try to mix the corn and caramel syrup, some of the popcorn seems a bit dry.  As you stir throughout the baking process the caramel will become evenly distributed. 

If you forget to remove the carmelcorn from the pans immediately it will stick, but you can return the pan to the oven for a few minutes and it should loosen up again.