Apple Cinnamon Twists

For many years, I have dreamed of owning a B&B. The best time of the day for me is in the morning, and I love the thought of serving all of those delicious breakfasts. There would be fresh, warm scones every morning (see past recipes for Maple-Oatmeal/July '07, Cheddar Dill/June '07, and Triple Ginger/March '08), homemade granola, and almost certainly, these Apple Cinnamon Twists. They can be made up the day before and baked just before breakfast. I love the apple pieces, and I use either pecans or walnuts. I also really like the way these are twisted, rather than the traditional style of cinnamon buns (with that said, I would never turn a traditional cinnamon bun away, just for being too conventional!).

I was recently informed that a new B&B has opened up in Vancouver; the "Cherry Blossom Bed and Breakfast". After checking out the website, I think I have a very good reason for making a trip to the west coast! They don't call it the "Cherry Blossom" for nothing. Take a peek at www.cherryblossombb.com

I have been thinking about a special recipe that I could do for Alison, the owner and a loyal friend of "The Good Egg", without sounding like a broken record (scones, scones, scones...). Inspiration hit this afternoon when I noticed this old recipe card sticking out of my file box. I cut this recipe out of a magazine many years ago and I have made it more times than I can remember. This recipe was actually the catalyst for my wanting to sell baked goods at the market. I wanted to make these buns and have them freshly baked, as well as unbaked, for those people who might want to take them home and bake them just before serving. They are very good, fairly easy (if you enjoy baking), and people go bananas for them.

Good luck, Alison. If your guests wake up to the smell of Apple Cinnamon Twists in the morning, I predict that you will have the happiest breakfast table in Vancouver!

Apple Cinnamon Twists

4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t. kosher salt
2 pkgs. active dry yeast
1 c. milk
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. honey
2 eggs
1 c. raisins
Filling:
1 1/2 c. white sugar
1 1/2 to 2 1/2 t. cinnamon
1 c. finely chopped, peeled apples
1/4 c. butter, melted
1 to 1 1/2 c. finely chopped nuts, toasted

1. Generously grease two 9 or 8-inch square pans. Lightly measure flour into a large bowl. In bowl of a Kitchenaid mixer, combine 2 cups flour, salt, and dry yeast; blend well with paddle attachment. In small saucepan, heat milk, water, 1/4 c. butter and honey to very warm (120-130 degrees on your candy thermometer). Add warm liquid and eggs to flour mixture. Blend at low speed until moistened; beat 3 minutes at medium speed.
2. By hand, stir in raisins and 2 1/2 c. flour to form a stiff dough. On floured surface, knead in up to 1 cup of flour until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and cloth towel; allow to rest for 20 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, combine 1 1/2 c. sugar, cinnamon and apples. Punch down dough. Divide dough into 2 parts. Roll out half the dough to 12-inches square; brush with 2 T. melted butter. Sprinkle with 1/4 of apple mixture on center third of dough; sprinkle with 1/4 of nuts. Fold 1/3 of dough over nuts. Sprinkle with 1/4 of apple mixture; sprinkle with 1/4 of nuts. Fold remaining third of dough over nuts. Cut crosswise into 1-inch strips. You will have about 24 rolls in total.
4. Twist each strip in opposite direction. Place in prepared pan. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Refrigerate anywhere from 2 to 24 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove plastic wrap and rolls; let stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until deep golden brown and rolls sound hollow inside when lightly tapped. (If rolls become too brown, cover with foil the last 10 minutes)
6. Remove from pans immediately by covering a the rolls with a large dinner plate. Flip the plate and rolls over and the yummy gooey side will be right side up.

*Optional Glaze - 1 c. icing sugar, sifted and 4-6 t. water. Combine and drizzle over warm rolls.
*Read the directions carefully when you are doing the filling and cutting of the twists. Think of your dough as being the Canadian flag. Cover the white area and the leaf with the first amount of apple & nuts. Then fold over one side of red. Repeat.

Baked Custard

I am recuperating from a fabulous "girl's weekend". Many G&T's, lots of great food, poker... and then a stomach bug hits me. I am still getting back to normal.

Last night, I was really wanting something comforting and sweet. This form of custard is what is known as "nursery food". So soft, warm, and delicious. Of course, the quality of the ingredients goes a long way to creating this simple dessert. I used eggs from Farmer Jones' hens, organic milk, and regular old, white sugar. A dusting of fresh nutmeg on top of the custard, before it goes in the oven, is great as well. However, in my delicate state, I wasn't taking any risks.

This baked custard was also on my list of "must-haves" when I was having my babies. Just as I catered to my sister's every whim during the birth of the ridiculously-cute Hugh, my sister was an unbelievable personal chef during those challenging hours for me. Here is a recipe that can get you through the tough times!

Baked Custard

3 large eggs
1/2 c. white sugar
3 c. milk

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Gather your pans together. You will need an 8x8 square glass pan and a 9x13 (or larger) glass pan. Make sure that the smaller pan fits into the larger pan.
2. Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a medium bowl very well. Add the milk and stir. Pour into the 8x8 glass pan.
3. Place smaller pan into the larger pan and put into the oven. Fill the larger pan half full with hot water. Bake for 75 minutes. Serve warm or cold. Store in the fridge.

Yogurt-Marinated Grilled Chicken

This recipe comes from the cookbook "Mangoes & Curry Leaves" by Naomi Duguid and Jeffrey Alford. It is a beautiful, coffee table book that has wonderful recipes in it (a lot of books with that much show, often don't have that much go!). They are a husband and wife team who live in Toronto, but travel the world, learning about different food and cultures. I love reading their cookbooks and they also contribute to "Saveur" magazine.

When I initially tried this recipe, I decided to include it in a bunch of recipes that I am putting together for the Clean Food Connection website. You may, or may not, know that I am going to start doing a "recipe of the week" for the CFC website. Bob asked me to put together a few recipes up front and this recipe will be one of the ones that is included. I am going to try to do different recipes for the CFC and The Good Egg blog, but I just have to share this chicken with everyone.

Last week, my sister and my nephew, Hugh, came to visit. For one of the dinners, we had this chicken done over charcoal, the delicious Puy lentil salad (see previous recipe), and a green salad. It was a wonderful meal, and pretty healthy too. Lori enjoyed it so much, she recreated the same dinner over the weekend, and she encouraged me to post the chicken recipe on the blog.

I have made this chicken with boneless, skinless chicken breasts and with boneless thighs. The boneless thighs are my absolute favourite, staying moist, and cooking evenly and more quickly than leaving the bone in. I must admit, I love crispy chicken skin, but if it isn't your thing, remove the skin after cooking the chicken (the skin keeps the chicken moist).

Yogurt-Marinated Grilled Chicken

4 chicken thighs, boned with the skin on
1/2 c. yogurt
2 green onions, sliced
1 T. minced garlic
1 t. sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

1. Mix yogurt, green onions, garlic, salt, and pepper together in a bowl. Add the chicken thighs and cover with the yogurt mixture. Let sit for at least 1 hour; longer if you have time.
2. Get the barbecue going. Once the barbecue is nice and hot, grill chicken over indirect heat, being careful not to burn it. The marinade will cook off of the chicken, leaving moist and flavourful thighs.

Puy Lentil, Feta, Roast Tomato and Onion Salad

This salad is a STUNNER! End of story. Almost...

This week, my friend Shaila came up for lunch. Since she lives far away, this was a reason to celebrate and I really wanted to knock her socks off. Turns out, I think her socks were definitely knocked off, and I think this salad even knocked her Aunt's socks off, as she joined us for lunch as well. We enjoyed this incredible salad with a pot of homemade chai (December 2007). If I would have had time, a batch of Triple Ginger Biscotti would have been perfect to end the lunch with. (Look for that recipe coming soon to the "Clean Food Connection" website! More information to come.)

Puy lentils (pronounced "Pwee") are grown in France. They are dark green and stay firm after they have been cooked. You can buy them at most specialty food stores or well-stocked grocery stores.

I almost forgot... this recipe is from a book called "Good Tempered Food: Recipes to Love, Leave, and Linger Over", by Tamasin Day-Lewis, a cookbook author from the UK. I happened upon this book at the library and I love it! There are so many recipes in it that I would like to try and she also has four other books that I would love to check out. Have you seen any of her books before? Is she related to Daniel Day-Lewis? I hope that wasn't a ridiculous question... Regardless, enjoy this amazing salad!

Puy Lentil, Feta, Roast Tomato and Onion Salad

12 oz. Puy lentils (French lentils)
4 large tomatoes
2 onions, peeled and cut into 6 pieces
Olive oil
3 handfuls of baby spinach
3/4 c. feta cheese, crumbled
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 inches fresh ginger
1/2-1 t. red chilli paste
A large bunch of fresh cilantro
A generous teaspoon of Dijon mustard
Olive oil
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the lentils in a pot and just cover with water. Bring them to a boil, take any scum off the surface, then simmer them until cooked, about 40 minutes. They do not need to be pre-soaked.

2. Meanwhile, halve the tomatoes and place them on a baking sheet with the onions. Pour olive oil generously over the tomatoes and onions and roast in the oven for about 30-40 minutes. The tomatoes should be weeping juice and soft, and the onions should have caramelly bits and also be soft. Drain the lentils and place them in a bowl with a splosh of good olive oil and the spinach, which will begin to wilt in their heat. Stir until it has. Crumble the feta over the top.

3. Now make the dressing. Chop the garlic, ginger and chilli and put them in a food processor with the cilantro. Add any juices from the roasted tomatoes and onions, the mustard, then some more olive oil, about 5 T., and the lemon juice. Season and blitz in the food processor. Place the warm tomatoes and onions in the salad and pour the dressing over all. Mix altogether gently, but thoroughly. Serve or leave to marinate for a couple of hours and eat at room temperature.

*I ate this salad for three meals in a row! I warmed the salad slightly in the microwave before eating it.