Biscuits

PS - I made that coffee mug!!

There are certain recipes every kitchen-savvy person should have in their repertoire for last-minute emergencies. Go-to dishes that can pinch hit and are flexible enough for myriad uses and adaptations. For me, biscuits are it. They can find a place in nearly any meal and once a good basis is established, they can be manipulated to fit a whole host of scenarios. My biscuit recipe is adapted from Baking with Julia, a cookbook I'm not sure I could live without. Seriously... go buy it right now. You won't regret it.

These biscuits can be made in advanced and frozen. Just be sure to keep them in a freezer bag and remove as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn. To reheat, place them in a paper bag in a single layer, close the bag by folding up the open end and bake for 10-15 minutes in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven.

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Biscuits
Makes 8 3.5" Biscuits

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt (preferably Kosher)
2/3 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups milk

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening with two knives or a pastry blade. Stir in milk. Mix until just combined.

2. On a well-floured surface, turn out dough and dust with flour. Pat the dough out with hands until it is 1/2-inch thick. Fold dough in half, then in half again. Pat until the dough is 1/2-inch thick. Do this at least two more times, making sure not to overwork the dough. Folding the dough will help to give it "lift" and layers.

3. Use a 3.5" biscuit cutter to cut-out biscuits. Re-fold scraps and pat the dough out to 1/2-inch thick again (you'll probably end up with a little ball of dough left - pat it down and make it into a mini-biscuit). Brush the tops of the biscuits with an egg wash (one egg mixed with 1 tablespoon of water or milk). Let the biscuits rest for 5 minutes.

4. Place biscuits on a greased cookie sheet (or better yet, on a pizza stone hot from the oven) and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until biscuits have risen and appear golden on top. Place on a cooling rack. Enjoy!

Some more ideas: Serve these biscuits at breakfast with butter and jam or at dinner with herb compound butter (you could even dust the tops with a little herbed salt before baking). These biscuits are a great companion for strawberry shortcake - just sprinkle some sanding or demerara sugar on top of the dough after the egg wash. For a savory kick, try adding 1/2 tablespoon of dill and 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese to the dough, or add 2 teaspoons of Old Bay seasoning and use these biscuits to sop-up melted butter at a seafood bake. Herb fans should try adding sage, a la this guy.

Chicken Tikka Masala and Naan

A week ago, my darling friend Christine discussed her love of Indian food (more specifically, Naan) over on her blog. I too share a deep love for Indian food and have been incredibly lucky to have enjoyed it all over the world (I think my favorite was at Taj Mahal de L'Ouest in Montreal). Dave and I even joke that we have tried so many different versions of our favorite dish, Chicken Tikka Masala, we could probably write a book on the regional differences of the dish.

For those of you not as familiar with Chicken Tikka Masala or Naan, I can describe them as a spicy tomato-based dish with marinated chicken served over rice (the former) and a version of flatbread similar to Pita (the latter). Before I had the kids, I think I made these two recipes every Sunday. So with all that practice, you better believe I've been able to develop what I think is a decent recipe for both Chicken Tikka Masala and Naan. My recipe falls more regionally in-line with what I have had in North America, so for all you Europeans and Asians out there hoping for an authentic representation, you'll find I've bastardized this a bit. I like spicy food, so read the cook's notes at the bottom of the recipe if you prefer a milder version.

So, without further adieu, here are my recipes for Naan and Chicken Tikka Masala.

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Na'an
Makes about 20 pieces

1 (.25oz) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
1/4 cup butter, melted*

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand for about 10 minutes, or until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg and salt, and flour. Knead for six to eight minutes on a lightly floured surface. The dough will become smooth and pliable. Coat a large bowl with olive oil, place the dough inside and coat with oil, and cover with a damp cloth. Allow the dough to rise in a warm area until it has nearly doubled in size.

2. Punch down the dough. Pinch off golfball-sized pieces of dough and roll and tuck to form smooth orbs. Place on an oiled tray and cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise in a warm area for about 30 minutes.

3. Heat a large, flat surface on the stove, and brush with melted butter.** On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball of dough out as thin as possible without tearing (you can also form with your hands, like shaping pizza dough). Place each piece of flattened dough onto the hot surface. Cook for approximately one to two minutes or until brown and air bubbles have formed. Flip the dough, cook for one minute, and remove from heat to cool.

*Technically, you should use ghee, which is a melted clarified butter that can be found in the baking aisle at your grocer, but simple microwave-melted butter does the trick.

**I use a Lodge cast iron griddle, but I think a large skillet or fry pan, or an electric griddle, would work well. You can try to broil and flip in the oven, but the results aren't quite the same.

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Chicken Tikka Masala
Makes 6-8 servings

Marinade and Chicken*
1 cup plain yogurt
Juice of one lemon
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced and seeds removed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground red pepper or chili paste**
2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 long piece of ginger root, minced, or 1 tablespoon ginger paste
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into one-inch cubes

Sauce***
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (28-oz) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream****
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

1. In a large dish or bowl, mix together all of the ingredients for the marinade. Add the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours (and up to overnight).

2. Heat a large skillet pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken (there will be a lot of marinade still on the chicken, this is perfectly fine). Cook chicken until no longer pink. Be sure not to overcook (all chicken should be cooked in less than 10 minutes).

3. Heat a large skillet pan (either remove the chicken from that skillet previously used, or start fresh with a new pan) over medium-high heat. Add butter and garlic. Cook garlic until it becomes soft. Reduce heat to medium. Add coriander, cumin, turmeric, paprika, chili powder, garam masala and salt. Toast all spices and seasonings in the pan with the garlic and butter until they develop a nutty aroma (about two minutes). Reduce heat to medium-low. Add tomato sauce and stir to incorporate all the spices. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add heavy cream and allow to simmer on low heat for five minutes. Add chicken. Allow chicken and sauce to simmer together for an additional five minutes. Serve over basmati or jasmine rice (I like to add peas to the rice) and top with cilantro.

*As mentioned, I like my Chicken Tikka Masala on the spicy side. If you are concerned with the heat, omit the jalapeno pepper and reduce red pepper/chili paste by half.

**I always keep chili paste and ginger paste in the refrigerator. You can buy in tubes in the produce section (with the rest of the herbs) relatively cheaply at your grocer. They are great for spontaneous bouts of Asian cooking.

***Again, if you are concerned with the level of heat of the sauce, omit the chili powder.

****To lighten the sauce, try whole milk in place of heavy cream.

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This recipe is great to serve guests, as it makes a big batch. The sauce can be frozen until needed, and the Naan also freezes well. For those of you with confined cooking spaces and apartment dwellers, I would recommend making the Naan ahead of time and keeping it in a Ziploc bag in the freezer until needed. Simply reheat in the oven on a low setting, and keep an eye on it because it reheats quickly. Also, the sauce and chicken can be kept at a simmer while the rice is cooking to help reduce the amount of pots working on the stove at once.

ENJOY!

Sundays on the Sunporch: Streusel Cupcakes

It's always nice to have one day a week to just bum around, isn't it? I think that is what Sundays are for. Wake up. Maybe change out of your jammies. Read the paper. Spend time with the ones you love. So on Sundays at Silly Goose Farm, Dave and I are hanging out with the kiddos on the kitchen sunporch. And since I have tons of cookbooks to test and recipes to try, I've decided to wake up a little earlier on Sundays and try a new, tasty morsel for us to enjoy.

The first recipe in this series comes from everyone's favorite domestic diva... the one, the only, Marthaaaa Steeewaart! (just say it as if you're the announcer at a professional wrestling match - you'll get the idea). We call her "Marfa" around here. For our anniversary, Dave gave me the Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book. I couldn't wait to try all the delicious (and adoreable!) recipes, and though the Streusel Cupcake option was perfect for Sunday brunch on the sunporch.
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Streusel Cupcakes
(Makes 24)*

2 1/2 cups all-purpse flour
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sour cream
Streusel Topping (see recipe below)
Milk Glaze (see recipe below)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Stir in vanilla by hand. Add flour mixture and sour cream; stir until just combined.

3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups. Sprinkle half the topping over cupcakes, gently pressing it into the batter. Sprinkle evenly with remaining topping. Bake, rotating tins halfway though, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes.** Transfer tins to wire rack to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

4. To finish, place cupcakes on a wire rack set over a baking sheet; drizzle evenly with milk glaze. Glazed cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.
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Streusel Topping
(Makes enough for 24 cupcakes)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

Whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt; cut in the butter using a pastry blender, your fingertips, or two table knives until combined but still crumbly. Refrigerate 30 minutes before using.
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Milk Glaze
(Makes enough for 24 cupcakes)

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted***
3 tablespoons milk

Whisk together ingredients until smooth. Use immediately.

*I used a larger muffin tin, so I ended up with 12 cupcakes. I thought this was the perfect serving size for a light, quick breakfast or brunch option. However, if I was serving this at a more formal brunch, I would stick with the standard cupcake size.

**I ended up baking these little buggers for closer to 30 minutes, since they were the bigger size. BTW - I'm sure Marfa has endless cake testers at her disposal, and I'm sure they're all gold-plated, but I use toothpicks or wooden skewers, and those work just fine.

***I though the glaze was a little thin, so I added 1/4 cup more confectioners' sugar. I think adding a 1 tablespoon of coffee or maple syrup to the glaze would be a really nice addition, in which case reduce the milk by 1 tablespoon.

I can't wait to dig up more recipes and continue this tradition. Of course, dear friends, you are always invited to come join us. We would love to have you!

What do you do on Sunday mornings? Is there another day of the week that is your "relaxation" day? I would love to hear!