Stromboli!

I have a little secret to impart…

I don’t really like pizza.

There.  I said it.

I blame it on the weekly treks my family would make to a mediocre pizza joint in a nearby town that offered free pop if you brought in their plastic cups, and discounts on their pizza thanks to a never-ending supply of coupons.  Apparently I get my frugality from my mother.

Anyway, while I have HAD pizza that I admitted was ‘good pizza’, it just isn’t really something I’m going to get all emotional over.

This stuff, however, may be a different story.

I blame Food Network for sending me here.  My Sunday morning ritual has become tucking Peanut in bed with me for a little snuggle while watching TV.  We (well, I, actually, since he’s not interested in TV) just happened to catch a show called ‘The Best Thing I Ever Made’, and Scott Conent made a Stromboli that just looked so enticing, I had to try it for myself.

Stromboli, like pizza, are only limited by your imagination.  You can go crazy with the fillings here.  The trick is to keep everything pretty dry and save your sauce to use for dipping.  I went with a really simple oil and balsamic dipping oil, flavored with garlic and herbs.

Oh, and O2, who also is not a fan of pizza, proclaimed it ‘amazing’.

Since I basically used the recipe exactly as written, I’ll just send you there.  The only change I made was to use peppered salami and omit the pepper called for.

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All ready for rolling, and dressed for the oven...

Missing Mom

Easter marked the second holiday spent without my mom.    We opted for a small family dinner since Peanut isn’t old enough to get much out of an Easter basket (although he did enjoy playing with the couple of things he got).  Without the expectation of a traditional meal, we decided to go for surf and turf instead, with me pan grilling steaks and jumbo shrimp and adding a couple of veggie sides.  One was a new recipe for a cauliflower gratin.  Not sure of its origination, but it was tasty.

I did keep somewhat to tradition, however, and made my mom’s dinner rolls, which have been gracing our family meals for ages.  I was happy to find it tucked into a recipe file of hers.  They’re quicker than most yeast roll recipes I’ve run across, needing only 10 minutes of rest time and another 30 minute rise.  So, in just over an hour, you can have hot rolls on your dinner table that are by far better than anything you’d find in a store.

So, we had a little bit of the old combined with a little bit of the new, which seemed just perfect.  Just wish Mom had been there to share.

Cauliflower Gratin with Almonds

¾ cup half and half

½ cup whole roasted almonds with skins on, plus ¼ cup whole almonds
4 Tbs butter
2 Tbs flour
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded Gouda
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
One 2-lb head of cauliflower, cored and cut into 1” thick steaks
2 Tbs olive oil
½ medium onion, finely chopped
¼ tsp paprika

Heat oven to 400°.  Line a baking sheet with foil and spread the cauliflower slices evenly on it, drizzling with the olive oil.  Roast in oven for 15 – 20 minutes, or just until beginning to turn color.  Remove from oven and place in an oblong baking dish.  Reduce oven temperature to 375°.

While cauliflower is roasting, bring half and half to just under a simmer.  Add to a blender or food processor, along with ½ cup of the roasted almonds.  Process until almonds are ground, then allow the mixture to sit.

When cauliflower has finished roasting, add the butter to a medium saucepan and heat over medium.  When butter begins to bubble, add onions and sauté just until translucent.  Transfer the onions to the baking dish with the cauliflower, leaving as much butter in the saucepan as you can.  Return the pan to heat and sprinkle in the flour.  Cook and stir until the roux becomes slightly darker (a ‘blond’ roux).  Add the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.  Slowly stir in milk, stirring briskly so no lumps form.  Continue to cook until mixture begins to thicken, adding more milk if it becomes too thick.  Add the cheese and stir until melted.  Pour the mixture over the cauliflower, moving the vegetables around a bit so that the cheese mixture has a chance to spread throughout.  Sprinkle with paprika and the remaining almonds.

Return to oven and allow to bake for 20 minutes.

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Dinner Rolls

2 to 2 ¼ cups bread flour

1 envelope Rapid Rise yeast
2 Tbs sugar
½ tsp salt
½ cup milk
¼ cup water
2 Tbs butter

Heat the milk, water and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, just until the mixture begins to steam.  Meanwhile, combine ¾ cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Stir to combine.  Slowly pour in the milk mixture and mix thoroughly.  Add 1¼ cups flour to the mixture and mix with a dough hook attachment for 5 minutes.  If dough seems too sticky, add the remaining ¼ cup flour.  Mix an additional 3 minutes.  Cover and allow to rest 10 minutes.

Divide dough into 12 equal pieces.  Shape into balls and place in a greased pan.  Cover and let rise in a warm place about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°.  Place pan in oven and bake until rolls are golden, about 20 minutes.

Patience is a Hot Cinnamon Roll

Ok, don't think you're just going to whip up a batch of these some Saturday before the kiddos get out of bed (although if you have a teen, you have a fighting chance).  This is NOT a quick recipe for cinnamon rolls.  But it is OH SO GOOD.  And I even conquered my short attention span and took pix along the way!

Cinnamon Rolls with Almonds and Cream Cheese Glaze


Dough:

1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 1/2 cups (or more) unbleached all purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 1/4 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast (from 2 envelopes yeast)
1 teaspoon salt
Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Filling:

3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. cloves
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

Glaze:

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ - 1 cup toasted sliced almonds

For dough:

Combine milk and butter in glass measuring cup. Microwave on high until butter melts and mixture is just warmed to 120°F to 130°F, 30 to 45 seconds. Pour into bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add 1 cup flour, sugar, egg, yeast, and salt. Beat on low speed 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add 21/2 cups flour. Beat on low until flour is absorbed and dough is sticky, scraping down sides of bowl. If dough is very sticky, add more flour by tablespoonfuls until dough begins to form ball and pulls away from sides of bowl. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 8 minutes. Form into ball.

Lightly oil large bowl with nonstick spray. Transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

Don't peek!

For filling:

Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl.

Punch down dough. Transfer to floured work surface. Roll out to 15x11-inch rectangle. Spread butter over dough, leaving 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over butter. Starting at 1 long side, roll dough into log, pinching gently to keep it rolled up. With seam side down, cut dough crosswise with thin sharp knife into 18 equal slices (each about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide).

Spray two 9-inch square glass baking dishes with nonstick spray. Divide rolls between baking dishes, arranging cut side up (there will be almost no space between rolls). Cover baking dishes with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, 40 to 45 minutes.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake rolls until tops are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and invert immediately onto rack. Cool 10 minutes. Turn rolls right side up.

For glaze:

Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until smooth. Spread glaze on rolls. Sprinkle tops with toasted almonds. Serve warm or at room temperature.