Anything maple reminds me of fall. For one thing maple trees this time of year are absolutely beautiful and even though we never tapped our trees until early spring, for some reason maple syrup still makes everyone think of fall.
Gayle at pastry studio posted a delicious madeleine recipe using maple, oats and pecans....they even look like fall! As Gayle states: madeleines are prepared in the génoise sponge cake tradition, but you really end up with little cakes rather than one big one. Sort of like cookies, but not. A bit crunchy on the outside, but cakey inside. Perfection, I think. I make them all the time, but these are special: not only do they have the fall flavors, but there is a little garnish on each and a final brushing of syrup just to top things off.
Maple Oat Pecan Madeleines
From :pastry studio
Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup oats
2 tablespoons toasted pecans
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch nutmeg
3 oz (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon oats, for garnish
1 1/2 tablespoons toasted pecans, finely chopped for garnish
3/4 oz (1 1/2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, for finishing
1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup, for finishing
Method:
Preheat oven to 375. Generously butter your madeleine molds and lightly dust with flour.
Melt the maple syrup and butter together and set aside to cool.
Place the flour, oats, pecans, baking powder, salt and pinch of nutmeg in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the oats are finely ground.
With your electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar on high speed until thickened and the batter falls in ribbons when whisk is lifted, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla. By hand, fold in the flour mixture in 3 additions. Fold in one-third of the butter mixture until combined. Fold in another third until blended and then fold in the remainder.
Scoop the batter into the wells of prepared madeleine pans. Garnish each one with a pinch of oats and pecans. Bake until the cakes spring back when touched, about 12 – 13 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool for 1 minute, then tilt the pans to dislodge them.
Melt the 3/4 oz butter and the 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup together. Stir to combine and brush on the garnished side of each madeleine. Cool completely.
Makes 20.
Finally...I got around to making this dish when my daughter was home last month. I saw it ages ago on one of Giada's Food Network Shows and saved the recipe. I really like farro and had some left in the package after my farro porridge post, so it was the perfect opportunity to try this unusual side dish.
It sure looked like a lot of cheese to me....and when I took it out of the oven I still thought it was going to be way too cheesy....but when we cut it, it held together perfectly and when we took a mouthful, it was chewy and cheesy...a fabulous combination. We loved it.
Cheesy Baked Farro
From Giada De Laurentiis
Ingredients:
Vegetable cooking spray
For the sauce:
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups warm whole milk
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the farro:
2 1/2 cups grated Parmesan
1 cup grated Gruyere
1/2 cup fontina cheese, grated
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups farro, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup plain dried bread crumbs
Olive oil, for drizzling
Method:
For the farro: In a large stock pot, add the chicken broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the farro, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the faro is tender, about 25 minutes. Drain, if necessary.
In a large bowl, add the cheeses and stir to combine. Remove 1/2 cup of the mixture and reserve.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
For the sauce: In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Gradually add the warm milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thick and smooth, about 8 minutes (do not allow the mixture to boil). Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Add the farro, thyme, and sauce to the bowl with the cheese. Stir until combined and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and top with the reserved 1/2 cup of cheese. Sprinkle the top with bread crumbs and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake until the top is golden brown and forms a crust, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Red Star Yeast has so many tempting bread recipes, sometimes I just can't resist. And this from someone who doesn't make a lot of bread anymore.
Here's a perfect example. These rolls are almost like a quick bread as you can make them from start to finish in less than 2 hours. I must admit, however, I found their directions a tad confusing, probably because there were too many variations of them! Bread machines, mixers, by hand and in a processor. I kind of pieced the directions together for my convenience and all turned out well. If you want to use something other than your stand mixer, click on the Red Star link below the recipe title for additional directions on other methods.
Buttermilk Pan Rolls
From Red Star Yeast
Ingredients:
1 cup buttermilk
¼ cup water
¼ cup oil
3 cup bread flour
1 tsp salt
2 tablespoons sugar
½ tsp baking soda
2¼ tsp Red Star Active Dry Yeast
Method:
Combine yeast, 1 cup flour, and other dry ingredients in your stand mixer bowl using the paddle attachment.
Combine water, buttermilk and oil in a small pan and heat to 120º to 130º F.
Add the liquid ingredients to the flour and mix, adding the remaining two cups of flour to make a dough.
Change to the dough hook and beat for several minutes. In the meantime, turn your oven on to its lowest setting for 1 minute, then turn it off.
Place your dough in a greased bowl, flip the dough over so both sides are greased. Cover lightly and place dough in the oven to rise for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and press your dough evenly into greased 9-inch square cake pan. Sprinkle top of dough lightly with flour. With sharp knife, cut dough into 12 rolls, cutting almost to bottom of pan. Cover; let rise in warm place until indentation remains after touching.
Bake in preheated 400º oven for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from pan. Break apart into rolls; serve warm.
