Holidays

Cardamom Easter Bread

Right now as I write this post I am snacking on some of this bread warm from the toaster with my afternoon coffee.  It’s such a treat and I want you to experience the same pleasure.  So do yourself a favor and go make this bread for the weekend!

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Sometimes I hit a wall when I’m writing a blog post.  I am having that experience now with this post.  Big time.  My mind is just a big foggy mess and when I sit down at the computer my hands freeze.  For some reason I feel like I should have something to say other than, “I made this.  It was delicious.  Here is the recipe.”  But that’s all I have!

So.

I made this.

Easter Bread

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It was delicious.

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Here is the recipe.

Hope you all have a very Happy Easter celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ!

Cardamom Easter Bread

Makes 2 loaves, 1 loaf and 4 buns, or 8 buns

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) melted butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 envelopes (4 1/2 teaspoons) dry active yeast
  • 8-9 cups all purpose flour
  • eggs, one for each bun you plan to make (colored with egg coloring and RAW) and one for the egg wash
  • sprinkles

Directions

  1. Heat milk over medium-low heat until bubbles form on the edges of the pan and the milk is steaming.  Turn off the heat. Stir in melted butter, sugar, salt, ground cardamom and nutmeg.  Let mixture cool until lukewarm, 100-110°F. Stir in the yeast and let sit for about 10 minutes until foamy. Pour mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer.
  2. Add 2 cups of flour and mix on low with the dough hook until flour is mixed in.  Add 2 more cups, mix, and repeat until you’ve added 8 cups total.  Turn the mixer up to medium and mix for 3-4 minutes.  If the dough does not pull away from the sides of the bowl add more flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until it does.
  3. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead a bit, then place in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about an hour.
  4. Punch dough down and place on a floured surface.  Divide in half.  For Bread: Divide a half into thirds and roll each third into a rope about 14 inches long.  Pinch ends together and then braid the ropes together, pinch the ends together and tuck the ends under.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover and let rise for an hour.  For Buns: Divide the half into 4 pieces, then each piece in half.  Take those pieces and roll them into ropes about 10 inches long.  Pinch the ends together and twist the pieces together, then pinch the ends and connect the ends by pinching them together.  Repeat with the rest and place all 4 buns on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover and let rise for about an hour.
  5. Preheat oven to 375°F.  Beat an egg and brush onto buns or loaves.  Sprinkle with colored sprinkles if desired.  Place egg in the center of each bun.  Bake for 20-25 minutes for buns and 25-30 minutes for bread.

 

Haricots Vert Salad with Blue Cheese, Pecans and Cranberries

There is a special place in my heart for creamy green bean casserole.  The kind with the canned crunchy fried onions, and the canned cream of mushroom soup.  You know what I’m talking about, and if you don’t you should try it at least once.  But sometimes that Thanksgiving meal can be a little heavy on the creamy casseroles and you want (and likely need) something light and refreshing in the mix to balance things out.  This salad is a delicious way to provide some balance in your meal while still keeping is special.

Haricots Verts Salad with Blue Cheese, Pecans and Cranberries | Hottie Biscotti

Something about the combination of warm toasted pecans, tangy sweet cranberries and robust blue cheese just sings of the season we’re entering.  The weather is cooler and richer flavors are in order.  Although, I’d eat this salad in the summertime with no problem.

Haricots Verts Salad with Blue Cheese, Pecans and Cranberries | Hottie Biscotti

You can serve these as lovely first course salads on individual salad plates, or arrange them on a large platter and allow guests to serve themselves.  The bibb lettuce leaves hold up well, so there’s little need to worry about them tearing, unless they’ve been sitting too long so don’t prepare them all the way too far in advance.  If you’re really needing this to be a quick and painless salad you can tear up a bunch of bibb lettuce, toss in the dressed beans, cranberries, blue cheese and pecans and serve this as a large serve-yourself salad.  You might want to double the dressing if you plan to serve it that way, though.

Haricots Verts Salad with Blue Cheese, Pecans and Cranberries | Hottie Biscotti

You can cook the beans up to 2 days ahead and keep them in the fridge.  The beans also hold up well in the fridge after being dressed, so you can prepare them up to that point hours ahead of time, but not longer than a day.  Mix in the cranberries, but not the blue cheese or pecans, they’ll get soggy if they sit too long.  Sprinkle on the blue cheese and pecans right before serving.

I tend to under-dress salads when serving them to a group.  I hesitated to add all the dressing to the beans, but it was the perfect amount.  There’s just enough that drips off onto the lettuce.

Haricots Verts Salad with Blue Cheese, Pecans and Cranberries | Hottie Biscotti

Haricots Verts Salad with Blue Cheese, Pecans and Cranberries

From Fine Cooking

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound haricots verts (french green beans) cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
  • 6 large bibb lettuce leaves, washed and dried

Directions

  1. Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil and prepare a large bowl of ice water.  Add the beans and cook until crisp-tender, 3-4 minutes.  Drain the beans, then plunge them into the ice water to stop the cooking.  Drain again, pat dry and move to a bowl.  If making ahead, place beans in an airtight container and put them in the fridge for up to 2 days.
  2. Prepare the dressing by whisking together the vinegar, mustard and olive oil.  Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
  3. Toss beans and cranberries in the dressing to coat evenly.  You can refrigerate the beans at this point for up to 1 day.
  4. To serve: divide beans evenly among the lettuce leaves and sprinkle each with pecans and blue cheese.

Fleur de Sel Caramel and Cream Cheese Apple Galette

We are well into November, which means it’s time to start thinking about your Thanksgiving meal.  Not Christmas yet though, despite the fact that almost every retail store I’ve been to has their trees up already.  Straight from Halloween to Christmas!  It’s crazy.  But Thanksgiving is just a little over 2 weeks away so let’s talk food.  I’ll share a few recipes over the next couple of weeks.

FLEUR DE SEL CARAMEL AND CREAM CHEESE APPLE GALETTE | Hottie Biscotti

The more I cook the more recipes I have stored up either here on the blog or in a ridiculous collection of books and binders that I can turn to.  I come from a family of 4 girls, all of whom enjoy cooking.  So when it comes to holiday meals we all start searching for things we’d like to make.  We almost never make the same thing twice, except for my Grandma June’s dressing which is always on the table, as is her apple pie.  But we like to branch out and try other ways to prepare vegetables, desserts and sides.

This simple apple galette would be a lovely Thanksgiving dessert, but could easily make its way to your table on a weeknight.  It’s simple to prepare and doesn’t require many ingredients or much time.  You can use a scratch pie crust or a store bought one to make it even simpler.

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This caramel sauce takes this simple dessert to a special place and I am so thankful to my good friend who introduced me to it!  Go grab yourself a few jars.  It’s also terrific as a dip for raw apples slices, so whatever you have leftover from this galette you can use as an afternoon snack.  You’re welcome.

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This is different enough from a pie that you could get away with having a traditional apple pie and this galette on the same dessert table.  The thin-ness of this galette makes me feel a little better about eating dessert, even though it’s probably not too much better for me.  The cream cheese is subtle and pairs well with the apples and caramel, but you could easily leave it out if you don’t have any around or if you just don’t care for it.

FLEUR DE SEL CARAMEL AND CREAM CHEESE APPLE GALETTE | Hottie Biscotti FLEUR DE SEL CARAMEL AND CREAM CHEESE APPLE GALETTE | Hottie Biscotti FLEUR DE SEL CARAMEL AND CREAM CHEESE APPLE GALETTE | Hottie Biscotti FLEUR DE SEL CARAMEL AND CREAM CHEESE APPLE GALETTE | Hottie Biscotti

I’m really looking forward to Thanksgiving.  I really enjoy this holiday and this year we get to spend it at the lake with my husband’s family, which will be lovely as always.  What are you planning to make for Thanksgiving?  Do you have any recipes you make every year?

Fleur de Sel Caramel and Cream Cheese Apple Galette

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

  • 1 round pie dough
  • 2 Granny Smith apples
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • salt
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 3-4 tablespoons Fleur de sel Caramel Sauce
  • 1 egg

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Peel and core apples, then slice thinly.
  3. Mix apples with 2 tablespoons of sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt.  Set aside.
  4. Beat cream cheese with 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar until smooth.  Set aside.
  5. Roll dough out on a large piece of parchment paper into a 12 inch circle.
  6. Spread cream cheese onto dough leaving a 1 1/2 inch border.
  7. Arrange apples in 2 concentric circles, overlapping as needed, on top of the cream cheese.
  8. Warm up 4 tablespoons of the caramel sauce in a small bowl in the microwave.  Drizzle 1 1/2 tablespoons of the caramel sauce evenly over the apples.
  9. Fold the dough over the edges of the apples.
  10. Whisk egg in a small bowl with 1 teaspoon of water, then brush onto the dough.
  11. Transfer parchment to a large baking sheet and bake for 25-35 minutes, until crust is golden and apples are tender.
  12. Remove from the oven and drizzle with the rest of the caramel sauce.
  13. Serve warm or room temperature with ice cream or whipped cream and more caramel sauce.