Sticky Buns

Ingredients 

Dough

1/3 Cup Milk

Tb Butter

Pinch Salt

2 Heaping Tb of Sugar

3 Cups Flour

Egg

2/3 Pack of Yeast + 1 Tb Sugar + ¼ Cup Warm Water

Filling

1.5 Tb Melted Butter

3 Tb Sugar

1.5 Ts Cinnamon

Topping

2 Tb Melted Butter

1.5 Tb Sugar

1 Cup Soaked Raisins

1.5 Tb Brown Sugar

Directions

Make sure that you have your yeast prepped and ready to go with this recipe.  So, firstly, add the yeast sugar and warm water together.  It will take about 5 to 10 minutes to bloom.

In a small frying pan heat the milk to a simmer.  Add the tb butter, pinch of salt and 2 (heaping) tb of sugar to the milk.  Stir on medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar has dissolved.  After the butter melt and the sugar dissolves, turn off the heat and allow the liquid to cool.  When the milk/butter/sugar mixture has reached room temperature, combine it with the yeast in a Cuisinart.  Also at this time, add an egg to the other two liquids in the Cuisinart.

Note: for the Cuisinart, you want to use the plastic dough blade.

Turn the Cuisinart on low and add the flour a few tablespoons at a time making sure that it is blended before adding more. 

After all of the flour has been added, allow the dough to "knead" in the Cuisinart for another minute or two.  When you remove the dough from the cuisinart it should be slightly sticky and have a good elasticity. 

Now, place the dough in a large bowl, covered by a towel.  The dough is going to rise in the bowl and thus the bowl should be put in a warm, dry place.  The rising process will probably take a few hours as the dough will rise to a size that is approximately 3 times its original size. 

After the dough has risen, roll it out onto a floured surface and create a reactance of dough that is 18 inches in length and 12 inches in height.  Then, evenly spread the melted butter, sugar and cinnamon.  On the on the long side closest to you, I would recommend leaving about a 1 inch lip, which does not receive butter, sugar or cinnamon.  After applying the filling, roll your dough.  You are rolling along the shorter side so that you are left, after rolling, with a 18 inch roll. 

Now, slice your rolls.  Slices should be made about 2 inches apart so that you get 9 or 10 rolls.  Now, place the rolls off to the side for just a moment.

In a 10 inch baking dish, place the topping ingredients evenly at the bottom (sugar, butter, brown sugar and raisins).  Then, evenly distribute your cinnamon rolls onto the baking dish.

You now need to let the baking dish sit for about an hour as the rolls' dough will rise a second time. 

After an hour, cook the rolls in the oven at 180 degrees C for approximately 25 minutes. 

After the sticky buns have cooked through, invert the pan on a clean surface.  You will now have the "sticky" part on the top.

Allow the buns to cool to room temperature and you are now ready to eat!

Baked Apple Fritters

Makes about ten fritters

3 apples peeled, sliced, and pureed in blender
1.5 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 ts baking powder
1 egg
35 g butter softened

Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. You will have a relatively loose batter.













Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F. Spoon 1 tbs size amounts of batter evenly throughout a greased baking sheet.














Cook for about 10 minutes until the fritters retain their shape. You may want to finish them off with a quick broil on the top and bottom of the fritters to make them a little crispier.

Tarte Flambee

Creates 1 Tarte Flambee for 1 to 2 people

Ingredients
1 2.5 Inch diameter ball pizza dough (see earlier post for pizza dough recipe)
2 tbsp cream cheese, labne or creme faiche
1 small onion sliced
2/3 cup cheese (Mozzarella or Gruyere)
4 Slices bacon cut into little lardons (if you can get real lardons, use them)
1 ts butter

Directions

Place dough on a floured surface and roll to about 7" in diameter












It will be a rather thin dough.












Once the the dough is rolled out, spread a teaspoon of softened (but not melted) butter on the top.












Then, after spreading the butter, fold the entire dough into a quarter size. (As shown below)








Complete this step of folding 4 to 5 times, but only add the butter the first time around. This will create a crust that will be flakier that pizza for the Tarte flambee as the butter will steam when the dough is baked creating fine layers in the crust.

Next, roll the dough back out to about 7" inches in diameter and bake on a greased baking sheet on the bottom rung of the oven at 450 degrees F until the bottom of the dough begins to brown. The top does not need to brown.














Remove the dough from the oven and spread 2 tbs of labne, cream cheese, or creme fraiche on the top of the dough.













Also add your bacon. (before I added my bacon I tossed it in this bowl with a little bit of sugar)













And add your caramelized onions (mine were browned and then simmered off with about 1/4 cup of water and a ts of balsamic vinegar before being put on the Tarte Flambee. This makes them softer and more flavorful)













Lastly, add your cheese over the top.













The Tarte then goes into the top rack of the oven at 450 degrees until the cheese is melted and brown. It will probable take about 7 minutes. You may prefer to turn the broiler on at the very end.


Once you remove the Tarte Flambee from the oven, you are ready to eat!

Franco American Salad Dressing

Serves 2 to 3 People

Ingredients in Dressing

3 tb Olive Oil
1 tb Lemon Juice
1 tb Apple Vinegar
1/4 ts Mustard
1 ts Soy Sauce
1 ts Sugar
1/2 ts Garlic Powder
Dash Pepper
1 tb Mayonnaise

Mix ingredients in a salad bowl until emulsified. The consistency will still be rather thin. This is not a creamy dressing.

Add 2 to 3 dinner portions (dinner bowls) of lettuce, veggies, etc. into the salad bowl and toss with the dressing.

This dressing can also be stored for a long time in the fridge if you want to make it ahead of time. Just give the dressing a quick stir or shake before using.

Bananas Foster French Toast

Ingredients
Sauce

• 100 g butter
• 3 Bananas
• 1/4 Cup Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 to 2 shots vodka

French Toast

10 to 12 Slices of bread, preferrably stale and about 3/4 inch thick

Batter ingredients:

• 5 Eggs
• Splash of milk
• Few Tbsp of confectioners sugar
• tsp of Cinnamon

Directions
Sauce
Peel the bananas and slice them into 1/4 inch coins. Then, place them aside.













Melt the butter on a high temp in a medium sauce pot.













When the butter is melted and bubbling, add the bananas and let them cook down.














Add the sugars, vodka and lemon. When the sugar is dissolved and the bananas are totally soft, you are ready to serve.














French Toast














Soak each slice of bread in the batter for 60 seconds on each side. Pan fry in a greased skillet until brown on each side. Once out of the skillet, top liberally with your sauce.