Parker House Dinner Rolls

I love dinner rolls. There is just something about a soft, white, warm chunk of bread, spread with softened butter, melting as you spread it....mmmm. I have a couple recipes for this type of dinner roll and vary them by event or holiday. For my eldest, it has to be the potato rolls, my husband loves the rolls I make from the cinnamon roll dough. I like them both but these are perfect to accompany soup, a roast, or a big salad, this might be my new "fall back" recipe.
My grandmother used to buy Parker House rolls for Thanksgiving but there is nothing like pulling them from the oven, piping hot and made with love.

I know you want them so here is the recipe, go make them!
3/4 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 eggs, smallish or 1 extra large
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour, all purpose or white spelt
I am including a few photos but to print this (or any of my recipes) just click the "print friendly" button at the bottom and print without the pics.
Begin by warming the milk in a small saucepan, stir in the butter and sugar, set aside to cool.
Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large mixing bowl, allow to rest for 10 minutes while the yeast becomes frothy.
Add the milk mixture, eggs, and salt to the yeast.

Mix until combined and you can't see the eggs looking back at you. Add the flour, one cup at a time. Beat well to build the gluten.

Cover and let rise for 45 minutes.

By the way, you do not need a stand mixer for this, just a strong arm or a teenage boy who feels the need to prove he is stronger than Mom and will beat the dough to prove it.
After the first rise, knead the dough a few more times to knock it back down to size. Place on work space and cut into 12 - 18 pieces.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or grease well. Roll into balls and place on paper.

Cover with a clean towel to rise again, about 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Melt 3 tablespoons butter and brush the tops of rolls, set the remaining butter aside.
Bake for 20 minutes or until a rich golden brown.
Brush with the remaining butter.

Lift the rolls out of the pan by the parchment paper.

Place on a cooling rack or tear them apart and put in a basket to serve while warm.

Mmm. Needs soup? Check this blog for some or make your favorite.

Savory White Bean Soup, Perfect for a Chilly Evening

I love soup, I may have mentioned this a time or two. It doesn't matter to me if it is cold outside or not, soup is always good.

1 large onion, diced
2 large cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
2 -15oz. cans Great Northern beans or Cannellini beans
2 tablespoons olive oil plus a couple more for the broth
1 quart vegetable broth or chicken broth
1 teaspoon each of parsley, marjoram, oregano
salt and pepper to taste
freshly grated parmesan cheese, optional
Saute the onion in the olive oil

until just beginning to brown. Add the garlic, stir and remove from heat.

I did this in a small fry pan but would have started in the soup pot had I engaged my brain first. So, despite the photo, use a 4 quart pot, or what ever you have so you don't have more pans to wash than necessary.
Into the pot put all the ingredients except the cheese. I added a couple tablespoons of the olive oil to the broth to increase flavor and make the texture smoother, it made a big difference.

 Give it a stir and allow to simmer for 10-20 minutes.

Serve with a sprinkle of cheese and some rolls, a salad or cut veggies.

Cinnamon Muffins with a Kick of Apple Cider

These tender little muffins are good with or without the addition of apple cider syrup but I love to experiment with recipes we have used for a while and this recipe always produces a tender, delicious muffin, so playing around with complimentary flavors just adds to the fun.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose or white spelt flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon nutmeg, divided

1/3 cup softened butter

1 cup granulated sugar, divided

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons boiled cider syrup

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg together, set aside. 

Lightly grease muffin pan or use paper liners. 

Preheat oven to 350F. 

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and 1/2 cup granulated sugar, add egg and vanilla. 

Put cider syrup(if you are using it) into a glass measuring cup, add milk to make 1/2 cup.

Add alternately with flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. 

Spoon into 12 muffin cups. 

Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden. While baking, stir together the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon.

While still warm, brush with the melted butter

Roll tops in the cinnamon sugar. 

Serve warm or allow to cool before storing.

 Almost perfect, but wait...

Ahhh, now...

Definitely, with coffee!

Boiled Apple Cider

This humble little bowl of brown liquid is an exquisitely powerful, flavor packed element to be used liberally in a multitude of baked goods or drizzled over pancakes, biscuits or whatever you come up with.
I took a 1/2 gallon of fresh cider from the orchard up the road and boiled it down to 1 1/2 cups making it syrupy and pungent. Boiling it down to syrup gives you the flavor with such a small amount you don't have to compensate for additional liquid.

I added 4 tablespoons of this to a batch of muffins then sprinkled the tops with cinnamon sugar. It really increased the flavor.
A few days later I tried it in a cheesecake, both the batter and the apple topping.
I would love to hear what you try it in.
Store in the refrigerator for a week or two if it lasts that long.

Apple Cider Cheese Cake--Perfect for Fall

Fall means apples here and the orchard up the road makes the best cider.
A week ago I boiled down 1/2 gallon of cider into 1 1/2 cups of cider syrup. I used this in some muffins giving them a wonderfully rich cider flavor but today a cheesecake was in order because my friend just had a baby and cheesecake is one of her favorite desserts. There will be no "finished", plated photo because the whole thing went for her family to enjoy despite the cries of protest from my own dear children, one would think they never had dessert!
The crust:
 3/4 of a bag of Archway Gingersnaps
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
8 tablespoons melted butter
Pulverize to crumbs in a food processor, the gingersnaps

 add sugar, pulse a few times to mix in,

 add butter, pulse.

Press into a 9x13" baking dish. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 450F.
Filling:
3  8oz. cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons cider syrup, optional ( you can substitute regular cider )
Beat cream cheese until smooth,

Add sugar and mix thoroughly. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and cider.

Pour into the crust and set aside.
Topping:
3-4 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Toss together.

Sprinkle on top of the cheese filling.

Bake at 450F for 10 minutes then (without opening the door) turn down to 250F for another 30-35 minutes. It will still be soft when nudged but not jiggly or wet, it will solidify when cool.

 I always make a cheesecake a day ahead because it needs some time to cool completely and the flavors to build. This will freeze well, wrap when completely cool and freeze up to a couple months.
I am enjoying experimenting with the cider syrup, if you make it let me know what you try with it!