I love chilaquiles.  In fact, I crave them so often that I drag myself out of bed early on a Saturday morning at least once a month to feast on one of my favorite versions from Primavera at the San Francisco Ferry Terminal Farmers Market.  That’s what you have to do if you’re going to try to beat the hordes of people that line up for this delicious Mexican breakfast dish every weekend.

We’ve all had huevos rancheros at one crappy diner or another at some point in our lives, but for those that have never tried authentic chilaquiles, it’s understandable how the concept could sound a bit bizarre.  Admittedly, the idea of crispy tortilla chips drowned in a sea of flavorful red chile sauce seems a bit unorthodox.  I mean who likes soggy nachos anyways? But for those that simply can’t wrap their head around the idea of a somewhat soggy nacho, I’d encourage you to think outside of Latin American cuisine to another ethnic group that also marries sauce and carbohydrates so beautifully — the Italians.

I an effort to convey the craveable aspects of this dish, I’d encourage you think of chilaquiles as you would the perfect bowl of pasta.  Here, the thick-cut (preferably homemade) tortilla chips play the role of al dente pasta that has a bit of soft crunch and resiliency left to it, but has also absorbed some of the delicious sauce that surrounds it.  Topped with spicy chorizo, tangy Mexican crema, crumbled cotija cheese and ripe avocado and you have a breakfast dish that will set you up for a whole days worth of activities…or an early afternoon nap.

RED CHILE & CHORIZO CHILAQUILES

Adapted from a Rick Bayless & Saveur Magazine Recipe

Making chilaquiles at home, likes eggs Benedict, can be a bit of an undertaking for the average home cook.  It’s for this very reason that good preparation and organization is a must.  Do yourself a favor and make the chile sauce the night before.  If you opt to make your own tortilla chips (which I highly recommend), this too can be accomplished ahead of time to alleviate the work load on the day of service. For me, chorizo and breakfast are synonymous, but if pork isn’t your thing or you find it too greasy you can always use shredded chicken or keep it vegetarian for an equally delicious plate of food.  Here I present a version with a sunny-side up egg, but serving these chilaquiles alongside some fluffy scrambled eggs is delicious (that’s how Primavera does it).  Finally, if you’re interested in making this dish but are planning on only serving two, refrigerate or freeze half of the sauce and warm the remainder in a skillet along with half of the amount of chips.

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 medium (2 ounces total) dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded and torn into flat pieces
• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice (preferably fire-roasted), drained
• 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil (divided use)
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1⁄4 teaspoon sugar, or more to taste
• Salt
• 8 ounces (8 to 12 loosely packed cups, depending on thickness) thick homemade-style corn tortilla chips (such as the ones you buy at a Mexican grocery)
• 1/2 pound fresh Mexican chorizo, sauteed until just cooked and broken up with the back of a wooden spoon
• 4 eggs
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• About 1/3 Mexican crema or sour cream
• 1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese
• 4 radishes, very thinly sliced
• 2 avocados, peeled, pitted and diced
• Chopped cilantro for garnish

METHOD:

1. Toast the chile pieces a few at a time in a dry heavy skillet or on a griddle heated over medium, pressing them flat against the hot surface with a metal spatula until they are aromatic, about 19 seconds per side.  In a bowl, rehydrate the chiles for 20 minutes in hot tap water to cover; place a small plate on the top to keep the chiles submerged.
2. Using a pair of tongs, transfer the rehydrated chiles to a food processor or blender. Measure in 1 cup of water, add the tomatoes and garlic and process to a smooth puree. Press through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl.
3. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium pot or Dutch oven or a large (12-inch) deep skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the chile puree and stir until reduced to the consistency of tomato paste, anywhere from 7-12 minutes.  Add the broth, partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Season with sugar and about 1 scant teaspoon. You should have about a generous 4 cups of brothy sauce.
4. Just before finishing the chilaquiles, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the eggs and cook on one side just until set, sunny-side up.
5. Raise the heat under the seasoned sauce to medium-high. Stir in the chips, turning to coat all of them well. Let the sauce return to a simmer, cover and turn off the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes (no longer).
6. Uncover the pot and check that the chips have softened nicely—they should be a little chewy, but not mushy. Spoon onto warm plates. Transfer an egg to each portion, crumble on the warm chorizo and drizzle each portion with the crema.  Scatter on some thinly sliced red onion, crumbled cotija cheese, sliced radishes, diced avocado and garnish with chopped cilantro.  Serve immediately.

Serves 4

This past Sunday, I set out to put together the mother of all Mother’s Day brunches for the woman who is largely responsible for my undying passion for food.  In an effort to pull out all the stops for this year’s celebration, I decided to cure my own gravlax for an over-the-top meal that would show my appreciation for all that she has done for me. Convinced my offering would exhibit a bit of advanced culinary know-how and finesse, I was certain that such a meal would surely outdo any boring old Benedict.

Having never cured salmon before, I was completely caught off guard by how simple and hands-off the whole curing process was going to be.  Here I was planning an elaborate, intricate and involved meal, and I was nearly done with all of the “advanced” prep work three days before the big event.  Flash forward to Sunday and a few careful, paper-thin slices later and we were sitting down to an elegant brunch that went down as “one of the best in years.”  Placed atop a toasted bagel with rich cream cheese, crisp red onions, juicy tomato and briny capers, the lox stood out as a true hero with its subtle essence of dill and lemon on a delicate backdrop of sweet, salty salmon.   There might not have been pillowy poached eggs and velvety hollandaise this time around, but served alongside fresh seasonal fruit, soft scrambled eggs and refreshing mimosas, it was as elegant a meal as any.

GRAVLAX

When making gravlax at home, it is of the utmost importance that you purchase salmon at it’s peak of freshness.  Check with your fishmonger to make sure that the salmon hasn’t been previously frozen and thawed.  For easy cleanup, I like to wrap the fillet itself with a thin layer of the excess cheesecloth and apply the salt/sugar cure directly on top — the flavor will be just as pronounced and you’ll save yourself the task of picking off stray bits of pepper or dill.  Slicing gravlax thinly enough can be a challenge even for the most accomplished home cook.  Use a very sharp knife with a long, thin blade and try to slice the flesh in one direction (pulling the knife toward you) in an effort to attain paper-thin slices — cutting the fillet while it is cold with a warm knife helps significantly.  It takes a bit of practice, but don’t worry if you can’t get perfect slices each time — the ugly ones taste just as good.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 to 1-1/4 lb. skin-on salmon fillet, preferably center-cut, pin bones removed
• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 small bunch fresh dill fronds
• 2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
• 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  
• 2 teaspoons vodka

METHOD:

1. Line a flat-bottomed strainer or perforated sheet pan with a large piece of cheesecloth, allowing the edges to drape over the sides.
2. Place the salmon fillet skin-side down on the layer of cheesecloth and drape the overhanging edges loosely around the fillet.
   
3. In a small bowl mix together the kosher salt, granulated sugar and pepper until well-combined. Pack the cure mixture on top of the wrapped salmon in a thick, even layer.  Scatter the dill fronds on top of the cure mixture and drizzle evenly with the lemon juice and vodka.
4. Cover the sheet pan/strainer with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 days.
5. When ready to serve, brush off the and discard the cure.  Using a very sharp knife, slice thinly at a sharp angle to make wide, paper-thin slices.
6. Serve piled atop a lightly toasted bagel with cream cheese, capers, ripe tomato, thinly sliced red onion, a few turns of coarsely ground black pepper and a lemon wedge or two.

Makes enough for 4 generous portions

As much as I would love to start out each day with a couple of cheesy scrambled eggs, salty bacon and a nice big piece of toast, the reality is that I wait until the absolute last minute to get out of bed and shower each morning, thus leaving me with no time to ever really cook anything of substance.  Sadly, my late-to-rise routine usually results in me dashing out the door each morning with a hastily toasted bagel in one hand and my computer in the other.  Of course, I love a good cream cheese slathered bagel, but sometimes I’m looking for something a bit sweeter to start my day with that still fits within the hand-held morning model.  While donuts and pancakes can be far too sweet for a quick breakfast and since cereal isn’t meant to be taken on the go, I’ve found that a nice thick slice of moist quick bread is the best compromise.

The mix of spices and ginger make this quick bread exceptionally delicious and the perfect way to use leftover carrots you probably have wilting away in your crisper. With a small, even crumb and dark, caramelized exterior, this bread is best with a pad of butter and your morning coffee. It may not satisfy the urge for a savory, cheese and egg-laden breakfast, but I doubt anyone will be complaining.

SPICED BROWN SUGAR CARROT BREAD

Adapted from from Beth Hensperger, Food & Wine Magazine

Don’t be afraid to play around with the spices and the ginger; I’ve included what I like best, but if you’d rather use dry ginger or more cinnamon don’t hesitate to give it try. If I’m looking for extra fiber, I sometimes swap out a bit of the flour with ground flax seed — it adds texture and a slight nutty flavor. As the method states, make sure to take your time when pouring in the oil. Also, the bread will get moister and more flavorful as it sits. I like to make it a day in advance. Of course, feel free to freeze the second loaf; it should thaw beautifully.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon crushed ground cardamom
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  
• Grated zest of 1 orange
  
• 2 1/2 cups shredded carrots (about 14 ounces)

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Coat two 8-by-4-inch loaf pans with cooking spray or grease and lightly flour the pans.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom and salt.
3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the light brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth. Add the oil in a thin stream, beating at high speed until the batter has doubled in volume, about 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, orange zest and ginger. Fold in the shredded carrots. Beat in the dry ingredients at low speed in 3 batches, mixing well between additions.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pans, filling them two-thirds full. Bake in the middle of the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the loaves comes out clean. Let the loaves cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning them out onto a rack to cool completely.

Makes 2 8-by-4-inch loaves

To me, there’s no item in the pastry case sexier than the sticky bun.  Cloaked in a caramel and studded with candied pecans, the cinnamon bun seems downright dowdy when compared with these breakfast beauties.  Like I said in my post for Ham and Cheese Breakfast Sandwiches, I’m not big on sweet starts to my morning.  But there is something I find irresistible about the chewy-crisp texture and sweet cinnamon aroma of a good sticky bun.  And man are these things sweet!

The perfect treat for a large breakfast gathering, few can turn down such a stunning and decadent offering.  With Christmas just around the corner, I can’t imagine a more ideal match than a cup of coffee and one of these warm-from-the-oven buns while opening up presents by the tree.

PECAN HONEY STICKY BUNS

From Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan

Thanks to the expert tutelage of Dorie Greenspan, I didn’t find making brioche dough very difficult at all.  It is indeed a time-consuming process and requires a period of overnight resting, but once you have the hard part out of the way, you’ll be left with enough dough to make two large batches of sticky buns. The dough freezes very well and can even be filled, rolled and stored in the freezer for a future occasion.  Rolling out the dough can be a bit difficult due to its sticky nature, so make sure to work with it on a well-floured surface.  I found that a tightly rolled log produces a more picturesque bun with a consistent texture, so don’t forget to take your time during this seemingly inconsequential step.  Finally, this recipe can be halved very easily.  Simply reduce the glaze by half and bake the buns in a smaller pan.  The results are just as delicious.

GOLDEN BRIOCHE DOUGH

Ingredients:

• 2 packets active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup barely warm water
• 1/3 cup barely warm milk
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. salt
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
  
• 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature but still slightly firm

Method:

1. Put the yeast, water and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and, using a wooden spoon, stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add the flour and salt, and fit the mixture with the dough hook, if you have one. Toss a towel over the mixer to avoid being showered in flour. Turn the mixer on and off in a few short pulses, just to dampen the flour, then remove the towel, increase the mixer speed to medium-high just until the flour is moistened. You should have a fairly dry, shaggy mass.
2. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula, set the mixer to low and add the eggs, followed by the sugar. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes, until the dough forms a ball. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter in 2-tablespoon size chunks, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding the next. You’ll have a dough that is very soft, almost like a batter. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes.
3. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 40 to 60 minutes.
4. Deflate the dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it fall with a slap into the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. Slap the dough down in the bowl every 30 minutes until it stops rising, about 2 hours, then leave the covered dough in the refrigerator to chill overnight.
5. At this point, you’ll have two loaves worth of dough. Split the dough in two. Set aside one piece for the buns and either freeze the other for another time or bake it in a loaf pan. Butter and flour the loaf pan. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece into a log about 3 1/2 inches long. Arrange the logs crosswise in the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan lightly with wax paper and leave the loaf at room temperature until the dough almost fills the pans, 1 to 2 hours. Brush tops with a mixture of egg and 1 tbsp. water. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes.

PECAN HONEY STICKY BUNS

Ingredients:

For the glaze:

• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 1/2 cups pecans (whole or pieces)

For the filling:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

Method:

1. Generously butter a 9 x 13 inch banking pan.
2. To make the glaze: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the brown sugar, butter and honey to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar. Pour the glaze into the buttered pan, evening it out as best you can by tilting the pan or spreading the glaze with a heatproof spatula. Sprinkle the pecans over it.
3. To make the filling: Mix the sugars and cinnamon together in a bowl. If necessary, in another bowl, work the butter with a spatula until it is soft, smooth and spreadable.
4. To shape the buns: On a flour-dusted work surface, roll the chilled dough into a 16-inch square. Using your fingers or a pastry brush, spread the softened butter over the dough. Sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar, leaving a 1-inch strip bare on the side farthest from you. Starting with the side nearest you, roll the dough into a cylinder, keeping the roll as tight as you can. (At this point you can wrap the dough and freeze it for up to 2 months.) With a chef’s knife, using a gentle sawing motions, trim just a tiny bit from the ends of the roll if they’re very ragged, then cut the log into 1-inch buns. Fit the buns into the pan cut side down, leaving some space between them.
5. Lightly cover the pan with a piece of wax paper and set the pan in a warm place until the buns have doubled in volume, about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
6. When the buns have almost fully risen, preheat the oven the 375 degrees.
7. Remove the sheet of wax paper and put the pan on a baking sheet. Bake the sticky buns for about 30 minutes, or until they are puffed and golden; the glaze will bubble.
8. Pull the pan from the oven. The sticky buns must be unmolded minutes after they come out of the oven. Turn out onto a platter or lined baking sheet.

With a surplus of homemade English muffins lying around just waiting to go stale, I started to wonder if there was another use for them that I’d yet to consider.  Enter the breakfast sandwich.  Like spicy fried chicken sandwiches, I ate my fair-share of these hand-held wonders growing up.  Today, sadly, I don’t make it down to the old Micky-D’s as often as I once did.  Not as keen on eating battery-farmed eggs and sub-par pork products, I’ve been at a loss in my search for a breakfast sandwich made with good, quality ingredients.  Believe me, I’ve checked.  So, armed with a fresh package of organic American cheese slices, a carton of pasture-raised, organic eggs and some preservative-free Canadian bacon, I set out to recreate a more wholesome version of the iconic breakfast sandwich of my youth.

I’m not much of a sweets guy when it comes to breakfast.  In fact, I’ll pass on the french toast, Belgium waffles and pancakes just about any day of the week.  Instead, this is what I crave.  A warm, lightly toasted English muffin slathered with butter, topped with gooey cheese, salty meat and a perfectly seasoned egg.  It might not be brain-food, but with one of these in your belly, I guarantee you’ll be well-equipped to deal with any of the day’s challenges.  So, if you’re like me and love a great breakfast sandwich but are less than inclined to patronize the local fast-food mega-chain, do what I did and make one for yourself.  I think it goes without saying that they were OUTSTANDING.  I’d like to think of them as another perfect example of a fast-food favorite cooked with slow food sensibilities.

BREAKFAST SANDWICH

If you’re any kind of fan of the classic Egg McMuffin, odds are you don’t need a recipe to put one of these together.  Cheese, egg and Canadian bacon is a pretty straightforward concept, but if you really want to reproduce a sandwich that is true to the original you are going to have to create one of those unnaturally perfect egg discs.  I played around with a couple of different techniques and eventually settled on cooking the egg in a ring mold set inside of a skillet over low heat.  Another option would be to slowly bake the eggs inside the cups of a silicone muffin mold.  That being said, I also made one using soft-scrambled eggs and another with a soft-centered, over-easy egg that were each outstanding, so feel free to break from convention.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 extra-large, organic eggs from pasture raised chickens
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter or nonstick cooking spray
  
• 4 English muffins, fork split
• 4 slices organic American cheese
• 4 slices Canadian bacon
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  

METHOD:

1. Warm 2 tablespoons of the butter in large, nonstick skillet over low heat.  Rub the inside of a 3-inch ring mold or cookie cutter with some butter or spray liberally with nonstick cooking spray.  Repeat with the remaining molds and set them inside of the skillet to heat up slightly.
2. Carefully crack each of the four eggs into their own small bowls or teacups.  Taking your time, and ensuring that each ring mold is sitting squarely on the base of the skillet, pour the eggs from their cups into the ring molds.  Season the eggs to taste with salt and black pepper.  Now is the time to break the yoke if you want.  Cover the skillet and allow the eggs to gently cook until they have set and are no longer runny, about 8-10 minutes.
   
3. Meanwhile, lightly toast the English muffins and warm the Canadian bacon in another small skillet set over medium heat.
4. When the eggs are cooked, carefully remove the molds from the skillet.  If the eggs do not release on their own from the molds, run a small paring knife along the base of the mold to free any stuck edges.
5. Compose the sandwiches by lightly buttering each half of the English muffins then layer a slice of American cheese, then the egg followed by a slice of the warmed Canadian bacon.  Top with the other half of the muffin and serve immediately.
   

Makes 4 sandwiches

Nooks and crannies.  These three words became my mantra as I set out to bake one of my all-time favorite breakfast staples from scratch.  Afterall, it’s an English muffin’s series of nooks and crannies that really sets it apart from the other breads in the breakfast lineup.  If I was going to replicate anything close to my childhood favorite Thomas’, I was going to have to ensure the development of enough peaks and valleys to adequately support my preferred topping of butter and a little of  my mom’s homemade strawberry jam.

You might be wondering why anyone would set out to make their own English muffins at home when there are perfectly fine specimens available at the supermarket.  To be completely honest, I don’t have a very good answer to that question.  You see, my sister just gave me a copy of the new Momofuku cookbook for my birthday, and while all the recipes looks fantastic, it was the recipe and photo for their signature English muffins that first popped out at me.  As I’ve pointed out in previous posts, I by no means consider myself an expert baker, but it has been in the production of this blog that I’ve developed a renewed sense of adventure in the kitchen.  These days I’m eager to go outside of my comfort zone and share my experiences in the cooking of recipes that I might have shied away from in the past.

It took a couple of days, but the oftentimes finicky process was well worth the effort in the end.  After clumsily navigating the pitfalls involved in working with an extremely delicate dough and the laborious task of religiously flipping the puffy, implant-like balloons of dough as they slowly baked on the cast iron griddle, I found that I was left with a new appreciation for the very makeup of these humble muffins.

So, are they worth making at home?  I’d say yes, if only for the personal satisfaction of watching a pad of butter slowly melt and ooze into all those nooks and crannies of your own creation.

HOMEMADE ENGLISH MUFFINS

From the Momofuku Cookbook, by David Chang and Peter Meehan

If you have a stand mixer, putting together the dough for this recipe is a cinch.  That being said, I found that it is in working with the dough that this recipe presents it’s true challenges.  As author David Chang suggests, leaving the fragile, unbaked muffins on a rimmed baking sheet in the refrigerator overnight aids significantly in the handling of the extremely delicate dough balls.  The secret to an airy, nooks and crannies filled interior is in the slow, methodical griddle-baking process.  I used a cast-iron skillet for this recipe and would definitely advise against using any high-sided pan as this can make flipping the muffins even more challenging than it already is.

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 grams active dry yeast (a little less than the contents of two 1/4-ounce packets)
• 1/4 cup lukewarm water
• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
• 4 cups bread flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• Cornmeal as needed

METHOD:

1. Make the dough: Combine the yeast and warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment.  Stir until the yeast has been sufficiently dissolved.
2. Warm the buttermilk in a small pan over low heat or microwave until it is just lukewarm and no longer cold from the refrigerator.  Stir the buttermilk into the yeast/water mixture.
3. Add the flour, sugar and kosher salt to the wet ingredients in the bowl, turn the mixer on to medium-low speed and process just until a shaggy, loose dough comes together, about 3 to 4 minutes.
4. With the mixer still running, add the room-temperature butter into the bowl one tablespoon at a time until each is almost fully incorporated.  Knead the dough on medium-low speed for 7-8 minutes, or until it is tacky but no longer sticky and holds it’s shape.  The dough will never fully collect from the side of the bowl, but will begin to slowly climb up the hook attachment.
5. Lightly spray a large mixing bowl with vegetable oil and scrape the dough from the mixer into it.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to rest and expand for about 1 hour.
6. After the dough has risen, place the bowl into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour to chill, thus making the dough easier to handle.
7. Shape the muffins: Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and evenly scatter on a 1/4-inch thick layer of cornmeal. Set aside.
8. Scatter your work surface with a very fine dusting of flour and lightly flour your hands as well.  Turn the dough out onto the work surface and knead it a few times to deflate it.  Shape it into a fat, smoothish log.
9. Pinch off a clump of dough slightly larger than a golf ball (about 40-50 grams if you have a kitchen scale) and lightly roll the piece of dough into a neat ball, applying as little pressure as possible.  As you shape each ball, transfer the balls of dough, one by one, to the cornmeal-lined baking sheet, then pat it down gently to adhere some of the cornmeal.
10. Grab the ball very gently by it’s sides and flip it over, gently adhering cornmeal to the other side.  Leave about an inch of space between  each future muffin to allow for rise as they may need.  From here you can proceed with the recipe directly or refrigerate the baking sheet, wrapped in plastic wrap for up to three days.
11. Griddle-bake the muffins: Preheat the oven to 250°.  Warm a cast-iron skillet or griddle over very low heat for 5 minutes.  Sprinkle the skillet with a light, even layer of cornmeal.
12. Grab one of the proofed muffins by it’s uncornmealed sides and dust off any excess cornmeal clinging to their tops and bottoms.  Working in batches, transfer the muffins to the griddle.  Griddle-bake the muffins very slowly, allowing a full 4-5 minutes or until their tops are slightly puffed up.  Using an offset spatula, carefully flip each muffin and allow to griddle-bake on their other side for another 4-5 minutes.  You should notice the muffins beginning to form a noticeable skin.  Flip them again and cook for another 5-6 minutes and then flip them again.  This may seem tedious and unnecessary, but this process aids in the development of a light-as-air interior.  At this point you can slightly bump up the heat and gently toast their tops and bottoms, flipping every 2-3 minutes or until they are patchy brown and uniformly golden.
13. Place the muffins on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake them in the oven for 10-12 minutes to finish cooking.   Remove from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet until cooled to room temperature.
14. To Serve: Using a fork, puncture an equator of tiny holes around the middle of each muffin and then pry apart the two halves.
    

Makes between 1 and 2 dozen depending on size

This coffee cake has been a breakfast/brunch staple in my family for as long as I can remember.  One of my Mom’s ace in the hole recipes, I’ve seen her whip one up in a moment’s notice for unexpected house guests, countless potlucks and even as a last minute housewarming gift.  With an incredibly moist ginger and cinnamon-spiced buttermilk cake base, it’s the crumbly sweet topping of chopped pecans and brown sugar that makes this recipe a true standout.  Having been lucky enough to try the genuine article from Margaret Fox’s, Cafe Beaujolais in Mendocino when I was a kid, I can confirm that the homemade version lives up to it’s legendary roots — not bad for a recipe that can be put together from start to finish in just under an hour.

A definite crowd-pleaser, there are few combinations better than a warm cup of coffee and this extraordinary breakfast treat on a lazy Sunday morning.  With the holidays around the corner, consider foregoing a trip to the bakery for pastries and give this coffee cake recipe a try on your friends and visiting family.

COFFEE CAKE

From Cafe Beaujolais and The San Francisco Chronicle Cookbook

If you’re at all intimidated by baking, this is a great beginner recipe.  The topping can be made with either pecans or walnuts, but a combination of the two is even better.  If you want even more topping, reserve one cup of the flour-nut mixture instead of the recommended 3/4 cup.  As good as this cake is served warm, my family has no problem eating it at room temperature.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cups corn oil
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven 350°. Liberally grease a 9 x 12 x 2-inch baking pan.
2. Combine the flour, salt, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, the ginger, both sugars and the corn oil in a large bowl and mix well.  Remove 3/4 cup of this mixture to a smaller bowl and add to it the nuts and remaining cinnamon; mix well.
3. To the mixture in the large bowl, add the baking soda, baking powder, egg and buttermilk; stir to combine (small lumps in the batter are okay).  Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the flour-nut mixture over the top.
4. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the cake tests done (a cake tester inserted in the middle will come out free of raw batter). Serve warm.

Serves 12

I first experienced these biscuits on a visit home for dinner with my parents.  My mom had just come across the recipe in a New York Times article about buttermilk and thought they might make a good addition to the dinner she was preparing.  I’m sure whatever she made that night was delicious, but all I can really remember from that meal were the biscuits.

I’d never seen or tasted homemade biscuits like this before.  Not dry, uniformly textured and crumbly like your standard baking soda biscuit, these buttermilk beauties were large, tender and extremely flaky.  Served warm out of the oven with a quick brushing of melted butter and you have, what is in my opinion, the perfect biscuit.

Delicious slathered with butter and drizzled with honey or jam, these biscuits are also substantial enough to hold up to more serious fillings like ham and pepper jelly or crispy fried chicken and gravy like the guys at Pine State Biscuits do on their famous Reggie.

This is a solid recipe that produced outstanding results the very first time I tried it out — then again, it doesn’t hurt to have your mom to show you the ropes the first time through.

BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Recipe from chef, Scott Peacock courtesy of The New York Times

Making your own baking powder by combining fresh cream of tartar and baking soda will produce biscuits with the most lift.  Don’t be afraid of the hot oven temperature either as this will allow the heat to get on the biscuits quickly and sufficiently brown their tops.  When forming the dough, mix in the buttermilk until the mixture just holds together.  The last thing you want to do in this recipe is overwork the dough and ruin the biscuits flaky, buttery texture.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 5 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed lard or unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
• 2 cups chilled cultured buttermilk, plus more as needed
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

METHOD:

1. Place a rack in the upper-middle position of the oven and preheat to 500°.
2. Make your own baking powder by sifting together the cream of tartar and baking soda.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the salt, baking powder and salt.  Add the lard or butter and quickly work the pieces into the flour with a pastry cutter or the tips of your fingers.  The pieces should be coarsely blended and resemble large peas.
4. Make a well in the center of the bowl and pour in the buttermilk.  Quickly mix the ingredients until the mixture just comes together and forms a shaggy mass.  Add 1-2 more tablespoons of buttermilk if the mixture seems dry.
5. Immediately turn the dough out onto to a generously floured surface and quickly knead the dough about ten times until a ball forms.  Gently flatted the dough and use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the dough out a thickness of 3/4 inch.
6. With a fork that has been dipped in flour, pierce the dough at half inch intervals before using a fluted, 2 1/2 or 3 inch biscuit cutter to stamp out the biscuits.  When you have run out of room to stamp out more biscuits, carefully reform the dough and press out as many as you can.
   
7. Arrange the biscuits  on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake until golden, about 10-12 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven a brush the tops with the melted butter.  Serve warm with butter, honey and/or jam.

Makes about 10-12 large biscuits