I don’t think I’ll ever be a big enough jerk for it (though I am sure there are those who would disagree) but perhaps one day, as I sip my nice crisp white wine and dine on risotto, I will say: “I wonder what the little people are eating.” Again, pretty sure I’ll never be that jerky, especially not as long as risotto is much less fraught with heartbreak as you can imagine. I assure you that if you can make pasta, you can make risotto.

I stand by an earlier statement I have made in regards to this dish. If I had to chose one carb0-load forever, I think this would be it. It’s got wine, butter, cheese, more wine, more cheese. And after you’ve treated your tastebuds to ultimate pleasure….

…you have marmalade cake. Let me tell you something about this cake: it fools you. It’s crumbly, sticky, moist and after your husband has cleaned his plate of it, he says, “Oh man, I love cake with honey.” Only there isn’t any honey in the cake. That stickiness, that fragrance, it all comes from the orange sugar syrup the cake is soaked in.

To me, this cake is a welcome Italian bastardization of baklava.

Now I must warn you, if you plan on making this cake—and I don’t know why you’re not—plan on making it the night before you serve it. The orange syrup soaks into the cake overnight and creates an amazing dessert for your guests (or yourself) the next day.

Risotto w/Asparagus

2 bunches thin asparagus (about 2 lbs.)

1 sprig fresh thyme or lemon thyme

4 tbl. unsalted butter

1 large shallot, diced

2 cups Arborio rice

kosher salt

1/3 cup dry white wine

2 tsp. grated lemon zest

freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

2 handfuls fresh spinach, rolled and sliced into strips

8 oz. robiola or taleggio cheese, thinly sliced

extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

Peel the bottom third of the asparagus stalks if they’re too thick; if not, snap each stalk where it breaks naturally. Thinly slice 6 asparagus bottoms and placed the rest of the bottoms in a saucepan with 8 cups of water and the thyme to make asparagus broth; bring to a simmer.

Heat two tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until glossy, about 1 minute. Add 1 1/4 teaspoons salt. Pour in the wine and stir until absorbed. Stir in 1/2 cup of the asparagus broth until absorbed (use a ladle to add the broth, keeping the solids in the pan). Continue to add broth in 1/2-cup increments, stirring every two minutes or so and allowing the liquid to be absorbed before adding more, about 10 minutes total. (You should have about half the broth left; if you don’t, don’t worry. Risotto is a fickle thing.) Stir in the sliced asparagus bottoms and the lemon zest. Add the remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, until the rice is just tender, 5 to 8 more minutes.

Meanwhile, placed the asparagus tips in a large skillet, cover with water and season with salt and pepper. Simmer over medium-high heat until just tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, the parmesan and lemon juice to the risotto. Stir in the spinach, remove from the heat and season with salt. Divide among bowls, top with the robiola and season with pepper. Drizzle the asparagus tips with olive oil and spoon over the risotto.

Marmalade Cake

For the cake:

1/2 cup canola oil, plus more for the pan

3 large eggs, separated

1/3 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup AP flour

1 1/4 cups semolina flour

1/4 cup ground almonds

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup orange marmalade

1/4 cup golden raisins (optional; I didn’t because I hates ‘em)

Confectioners’ sugar and/or chopped almonds, for topping

For the syrup:

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 orange

Make the cake: preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush an 8-inch square baking pan with canola oil. Beat the egg whites and granulated sugar with a mixer until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk both flours, the almonds and baking powder in a bowl. Beat the egg yolks in a large bowl. Whisk 1/2 cup oil, the orange and lemon juices and the marmalade into the yolks until combined. Stir in the dry ingredients, then fold in the beaten egg whites until just combined. Add the raisins, if you want.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is golden and springs back when touched, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the syrup: bring 3/4 cup of water and the granulated sugar to a boil in a saucepan; squeeze in the orange juice and add the peel. Simmer until syrupy, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly.

Pour the syrup over the cake while both are still warm. Cool completely, then cover with plastic wrap and let soak overnight. Cut into squares and top with confectioners’ sugar and/or almonds.

It has been my preference since moving up here to cook much more lengthy and elaborate dinners on the Saturdays we aren’t in the city. And this past Saturday, I decided it was time for Thai.

Matt loves Thai, y’see, and I have tried to make various attempts to replicate his favorite dish, Pad Thai, to his satisfaction. This version—which is admittedly fiddly because of all the prep work you have to do—has thus far come closest to winning.

I myself like larb, so I made this version with grapefruit sections, that was more unami and less spicy. Regardless, we found it utterly delightful the next day cold on hot toast (trust me).

I must add that I had planned on making coconut popsicles for dessert, but didn’t bother because: a) I am distressed to find I don’t own any popsicle molds nor their stand-ins, plastic cups; b) Matt doesn’t really care for coconut anyway; and c) I am not prepared to eat one batch myself, even if it were to spread out over a month. We drank nice tall frosty cans of Sapporo with this and toasted another lovely summer dinner. Ah, if only summer could be forever…

Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Grapefruit

2 tbl. fish sauce

2 tbl. fresh lime juice

2 tsp. packed dark brown sugar

3 tbl. shredded unsweetened coconut

1 medium pink grapefruit

3 tbl. chopped roasted salted peanuts

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint

1 tsp. hot Asian chili sauce (sambal oelek or sriracha)

2 scallions, thinly sliced diagonally

2 tbl. vegetable oil

1/2 lb. ground chicken

1 tsp. finely grated peeled ginger

1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced

Romaine or Bibb lettuce leaves, for wrapping

Mix the fish sauce, lime juice and brown sugar in a small bowl; set aside.

Lightly toast the coconut in a skillet over medium heat; cool. With a sharp knife, peel and segment the grapefruit, removing the white pith. Toss the segments in a bowl with the coconut, peanuts, mint, chili sauce and scallions.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, breaking it up, 6 to 7 minutes (don’t overbrown). Transfer the meat to a bowl and  drain any excess liquid; set aside. Raise the heat to high, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet, then the ginger and red onion; cook to soften, about 1 minute. Add the onion to the meat, pour in the fish-sauce mixture and gently toss.

Divide the pork mixture among lettuce leaves and top each with some of the grapefruit salad.

Shrimp Pad Thai

8 oz. flat Thai rice noodles

1/4 cup fish sauce

1/4 cup raw or turbinado sugar

1 to 2 tablespoons hot Asian chili sauce (sambal oelek or sriracha)

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for garnish

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 lb. large shrimp, butterflied with the shells on

4 large cloves garlic, chopped

1 12-ounce package extra firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

6 radishes, cut into thin strips

4 scallions, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

2 cups bean sprouts

2 jalapeno peppers (red and green), seeded and thinly sliced into strips

Soak the noodles in a bowl of warm water until soft enough to separate, about 10 minutes. Mix the fish sauce, sugar, chili sauce and lim juice in a separate bowl. When the noodles are soft, drain and return to the bowl. Put the bowls and other ingredients next to the stove (this dish works quickly).

Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat until very hot. Add the vegetable oil, then add the shrimp and stir-fry until pink, about 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a bowl using a slotted spoon; leave the oil in the pan. Add the garlic and tofu to the pan; stir-fry until just golden. Add the noodles and 1/4 cup fish sauce mixture; stir-fry until the noodles absorb the sauce, about 3 minutes. Add up to 1/4 cup if the noodles seem dry, but don’t let them become mushy.

Add the radishes, scallions and 1/4 cup peanuts; toss to combine. Stir in the remaining fish-sauce mixture. Taste and adjust seasoning (you can add more water, lime juice or fish sauce).

Return the shrimp to the pan and heat through, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a platter; top with bean sprouts, jalapenos and the remaining 1/4 cup peanuts. Serve with lime wedges.

I saved us from a terrifyingly guilty food experience last night. A food experience known as Food Courtus Regrettium. You know what I mean: when you have to run errands, one of which obviously takes you to/by the mall, it’s after 5, and you don’t want to deal with making dinner when you get home because, wow’s, it’s going to be later than you thought? And then you sink your teeth into that greasy burger/crappy taco/poor imitation of Asian food and realize that while it’s done the job and filled your belly up, you didn’t enjoy it?

Not on my watch. I save potential guilt for the weekend, baby. This was easy to make and we were able to eat a real meal with real nutrition before standing in line at the Bell store for over an hour. And though Matt went a little stir crazy without having anything to fiddle with, I’d like to think that this recipe kept him from strangling fellow customers and sales assistants.

Tilapia with Escarole & Lemon-Pepper Oil

courtesy of Food Network Magazine

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

12 oz. baby fingerling potatoes, halved, or small red-skinned potatoes, quartered

4 cloves garlic, smashed

1 head escarole, (about 1 1/4 lbs.), t0rn into pieces (Note: can’t find escarole? Baby spinach or kale works just as well)

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 1/4 lbs. tilapia fillets, patted dry

2 sprigs oregano, leaves torn

juice of 1 lemon

Heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a large deep skillet with a lid over medium heat. Place the potatoes in the pan cut-side down. Add the garlic and cook until the potatoes are slightly golden and crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the escarole, season with salt and pepper, then add about 1/3 cup water. Cover and steam until the escarole wilts, about 5 minutes.

Season the fish with salt and pepper; place on top of the greens in the pan and sprinkle with the oregano leaves. Cover and steam until the fish is just cooked through, about 5 more minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the lemon juice in a bowl with the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil; season with 1 teaspoon salt and plenty of pepper.

Carefully lift the fish off the greens and transfer to rimmed plates or bowls. Distribute the greens, potatoes and pan juices around the fish. Drizzle with the lemon-pepper oil.

Psst…I have a secret to tell you.

I come from a family of cobbler makers. No, not the shoes, but the delicious rich fruity kind that is a staple at all Southern get-togethers. Also, I finally got my stepdad to give up the goods on his cobbler recipe.

I scored some gorgeous teeny-tiny wild blueberries from the Atwater Market this weekend and I could only think, “Cobbler. Yes, cobbler.” But as you can see, I wanted small individual cobblers because any excuse to break out the ceramic ramekins, by God.

I don’t need to tell you that if you’ve scored honest-to-God wild blueberries, they really need little to no sweetening. But I couldn’t help but make homemade vanilla whipped cream. Around here, we like gilding lilies and eating cobbler. Oh, summertime, please don’t go!

Wild Blueberry Cobbler

2 cups of wild blueberries (this recipe is for two individual cobblers; do the math with the berries if you want to make a big one or a couple more small ones)

1 stick of unsalted butter, softened

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup brown sugar

a pinch of salt

In a bowl, dump all the ingredients but the berries. Use your fingers to crumb everything together; it should look a little like streusel topping. Now there will be more topping than you will need for your wee cobblers, but that’s okay. Stash the rest of it in the fridge or freezer. You will have ready-made cobbler topping or coffeecake topping (just add cinnamon to the room-temperature mix) whenever you want.

Toss the berries with a tablespoon of flour. If these were usual blueberries, I would probably also add a tablespoon of sugar too, but wild ones are so sweet, it doesn’t need it. My own personal spin is I add a squeeze of lemon to the mix. I like the brightness with the berries. Divide the berries between two small oven-safe ramekins or whatever you’ve decided to use. Crumble the amount of topping you want on each. Slide them on a cookie sheet into a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 30 minutes, checking every now and then to make sure everything is bubbling, not burning. After 30 minutes, you should have nicely browned topping on your cobblers. Let cool for about 5 to 10 minutes. Top with whipped cream or ice cream. And if you’re like me, when you eat a spoonful, miss home.

You ever have a recipe that sounds like a surefire winner? I mean, it won’t change your life or anything but it sounds it would be really good, something nice to have on a week night. That’s how I felt about this pork and edamame dish. A sort of stew-y slightly hearty mess to drape over rice and yum, there you go.

Only that isn’t how it worked out. I put some of the blame on myself for using pork escalopes instead of the pork shoulder the recipe calls for. (In hindsight, I could see the potential of porky, fatty goodness infusing the whole deal with a heretofore unhad crispness.) But the rest of the blame lies solely on the fact it was dreadfully dull. Don’t get me wrong, we love dousing things in sriracha, but sriracha should have been used as an accompaniment, not as last-minute oh-now-it-tastes-decent flavoring.

Ah bien, you live and learn. And then you write about it to all your friends and a handful of strangers.

Edamame with Pork, Tomatoes and Cilantro

2 tbl. extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped or 3 scallions, chopped

1 tbl. minced garlic

1 lb. pork shoulder, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

2 tsp. chopped fresh marjoram, oregano or rosemary, OR 1 tsp. thyme leaves

1 1/2 cups chopped ripe tomato (canned are fine, drained or not)

2 cups edamame, fresh or frozen and thawed

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/3 to 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Put oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 3 minutes. Remove and add pork chunks; cook, stirring, until crisp, 5 to 10 minutes. Halfway through, add herbs and continue to cook.

Add tomato and cook at a gentle bubble until tomatoes begin to break apart, about 10 minutes. Stir in edamame and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until edamame are tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, stir in cilantro and serve, preferably over a bed of basmati rice.

I had every intention of baking another cake today. I even went through at least two magazines, one book and one folder full of clipped recipes thinking, “Yes, I must make a cake.”

Only the temperature nudged its way up to 86F (that would be 27C for Canadians) and I really didn’t feel like preheating an oven. Heck, I didn’t even feel like making a hot custard base for the glory and majesty that is my new (SQUEE!) ice cream maker.

But you know what is just as tasty as homemade ice cream? Homemade sorbet. And if you’ve got a freezer full of frozen berries like I do, you know what’s for dessert tonight.

Even if you don’t have a freezer full of berries, I’ll look the other way while you buy some from the grocery store.

The amount of sugar I used in my sorbet was a scant quarter cup. It lent it a really nice tanginess; after all, sorbet is traditionally used as a palate cleanser between courses. But if you want yours a little sweeter, feel free to experiment with more.

People, you really really really have no excuse not to make this sorbet this weekend or week. It’s incredibly easy, very elegant, and depending on what berries you use, it’s eye-catching. Summer’s almost gone, people, so let’s make the most use of our spoons.

Super-Simple Sorbet

1 lb. frozen strawberries or other fruit

1/2 cup plain yogurt, creme fraiche or silken tofu

1/4 cup sugar, more or less to your taste

Put all the ingredients in a food processor container along with a couple of tablespoons of water. Process until just pureed and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. If the fruit does not break down completely, add a little more water through the feed tube, a tablespoon or two at a time, being careful not to over-process or the sorbet will liquefy.

Serve immediately or freeze it for later; if serving later, allow 10 to 15 minutes for sorbet to soften at room temperature.

Oh, I so owe Gomez.

Actually, I owe all of you. I don’t know what happened to me; it isn’t as though I quit baking, cooking, reading about cooking/baking, eating out and taking pictures of cooking/baking. Damn loss of momentum!

Anyway, I promise to be better if you promise to come back and check the blog a couple times a week because I guarantee you that there will be three new posts a week (mostly on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays). And to celebrate the return of my attention to said blog, let me tell you about berry season here in Quebec. It’s B-A-N-A-N-A-S, y’all.*

Matt and I have been up to our ears in strawberries (fraises), raspberries (framboises) and blueberries (bluets). With the blueberries alone, I have made muffins, coffee cake and gelato. YES, GELATO. This week I rummaged through one of my favorite cookbooks/food memoirs and tried out an amazing pound cake.

You know how most pound cakes, despite their deliciousness, don’t have that amazing tight crumb? They fall apart on you, or are a bit dry? I can assure you that this one does not; in fact, I can assure you that it is so insanely moist, you’ll wonder if you’ve just been eating terrible pound cakes your entire life. And in high berry season, it’s perfect to bring to barbecues.

So here you go, Gomez and my other gentle readers, a berry pound cake from me to you. It may not be Valentine’s day but it is truly from the heart.

*yeah, I quoted Gwen Stefani. Wanna fight about it?

Blueberry-Raspberry Pound Cake

courtesy of Molly Wizenberg

2 cups plus 8 tbl. cake flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

5 large eggs

1 2/3 cups sugar

2 1/2 sticks (10 oz.) unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature

2 tbl. kirsch (I subbed cassis because it was what I had)

1 cup blueberries, rinsed and dried well

1 cup raspberries, rinsed and dried well

Set an oven rack to the middle position, and preheat the oven to 300F. Butter a standard-sized 9-cup Bundt pan and dust it with flour, shaking out any excess. (If your pan is nonstick, you can get away with a simple coating of cooking spray, no flour needed.)

In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups plus 6 tablespoons flour, the baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of a food processor, blend the eggs and sugar until thick and pale yellow, about 1 minute. Add the butter and kirsch, and blend until the mixture is fluffy, about 1 minute, stopping once to scrape down the sides of the bowl. If the mixture looks curdled, don’t worry. Add the dry ingredients and process just to combine. Do not overmix. The butter should be thick and very smooth.

In a large bowl, toss the berries with the remaining 2 tablespoons flour. Pour the batter  over the berries, and, using a rubber spatula, gently fold to combine, taking care that all the flour is absorbed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly across the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the cake’s center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 1/4 hours.

Transfer the cake to a rack, and cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Carefully invert the cake out of the pan onto the rack, and cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Matt has warned me that while April seems the promise of sunlight, blue skies and green trees, here in Quebec, this is not so. April here is a time of the occasional super warm day, the chilly nights and blasted days of grey skies. I mean, if a day must be overcast (and some must, I know), then at least let it rain. Let there be a reason for all the greyness. Because if it rains, then I can make large mugs of coffee, settle in on the couch and read. Or, alternatively, I can make soups or muffins.

Especially muffins like these. Citrusy, tart from the raspberries, soft buttermilk cake, these were wonderful on a dreary Sunday. Admittedly, I wished I had some nonstick baking spray instead of Cinderella muffin liners (what? Matt bought those, not I!). And I also wished that I knew why during baking they seemed to leak excess butter in the bottoms of the pan. Regardless, they were yummy. It was a taste of spring in a muffin. A promise that not every day will be grey and if I am just lucky, then there might be some sunshine in my future after all. Or at the very least, some sunshine in my baked goods.

Raspberry-Topped Lemon Muffins
Adapted from Susan Elizabeth Fallon via Bon Appetit, July 2006

Yield: 14 large or 56 miniature muffins

1 1/8 cups sugar, divided
4 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel (from two large lemons)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 1/2-pint containers (about) fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 14 standard muffin cups (or 56 minis) with paper liners. Mash 1/8 cup sugar and lemon peel in small bowl until sugar is slightly moist. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat remaining 1 cup sugar and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in egg. Beat in buttermilk, then vanilla and lemon sugar. Beat in flour mixture.

Divide batter among muffin cups (the 2/3-3/4 level worked well for minis). Top each large muffin with 4 raspberries (or mini muffins with one each). Bake muffins until lightly browned on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes (baking time was on the shy side of 20 minutes for mini muffins).

It’s not entirely warm yet here in Canada. The days are sunny but the wind is still fierce and the temperatures are still brisk.

And while I know chocolate is good at all times, sometimes I want something fresher, tarter. Something that utilizes the first batches of berries that are starting to peek their little heads up at my local markets. Of course, since the weekend usually means eggs or pancakes, maybe I don’t want those.

Maybe I want berry breakfast bars instead.

Raspberry Crumb Breakfast Bars

Adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

originally seen on Smitten Kitchen

For the crust and crumb:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

For the raspberry filling:
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 pound raspberries, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Make the crust and crumb: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch glass or light-colored metal baking pan. Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up the two short sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. (This will make it easy to remove the bars from the pan after they have baked.) Butter the parchment.

Put the flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until combined. Add the butter and pulse until loose crumbs form.

Reserve 1 1/2 cup of the mixture and set aside. (Note: The book suggests you reserve one cup only. My gut told me that was too little, and I upped it. I wanted to make sure the top of the raspberries were mostly covered, at least for packing purposes, and was glad I had changed it.) Pour the rest of the mixture into the prepared pan and use your hans or the back of a large wooden spoon to push the crust into an even layer at the bottom of the pan. The crust should touch the sides of the pan. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let the crust cool. Keep the oven on while you make the raspberry filling.

Make the raspberry filling: In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon and flour together. Add the raspberries, lemon juice and butter and use your hands to toss gently until the raspberries are evenly coated.

Assemble and bake the bars: Spread the raspberry filling evenly on top of the cooled crust. Sprinkle the reserved crust mixture evenly on top of the filling.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, rotating the pan every 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling starts to bubble around the edges.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then cut into squares and serve. The bars can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to two days.

I have never had much luck with yeast. Sometimes it pulls through for me and gives me the rise I need for whatever recipe I happen to be futzing with that day. And other times….well, Disappointment City.

When I prepped this variation of rugelach, I was worried that I’d be saddle with sadness, instead of a stretchy, tender dough. I am pleased to say that I was wrong. I copped this recipe from food blog titans, Smitten Kitchen and the Pioneer Woman, and oh man, was it ever worth it. Admittedly, not as good as a cinnamon roll, but damn near.

Now it didn’t make as many as directed, but it sure made plenty for Matt to take to work. (Seriously, how popular am I now at that office?) I omitted the currants mostly because it already had chocolate, cinnamon-sugar, nuts and raspberry jam—not to mention the cream cheese frosting. Dried fruit just seemed one more thing too many for me.

And then I made pie. Good old fashioned Southern chess pie.

Add some orange zest and juice and you have got yourself a sweet-tart custardy pie. Brew up the coffee because this pie needs it.

Ranch Rugelach

courtesy of Pioneer Woman AND Smitten Kitchen

Dough
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I haven’t tried this with melted butter instead, but if you do, let us know how it goes)
1/2 cup sugar
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus plenty of extra for flouring the surface
1/2 heaping (slightly more) teaspoon baking powder
1/2 scant (slightly less) teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup jelly or jam (raspberry and/or apricot are traditional, but anything you like will work), divided
6 tablespoons salted butter melted (or unsalted, with a pinch of salt in it), divided
1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans (although there’s no reason you can’t use any other nut you prefer), divided
2/3 cup finely chopped semisweet chocolate or miniature chocolate chips, divided (optional, but use slightly more dried fruit if you’re omitting this)
2/3 cup dried currants or chopped dark raisins, divided

Glaze
3 tablespoons butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk, approximately

Make the dough: Mix the milk, vegetable oil and 1/2 cup sugar in a large pot, and heat it until just before it boils. Turn off the heat, remove the pot from the burner, and let it cool for 45 minutes to one hour. When the mixture is lukewarm, sprinkle in the yeast and let it sit for a minute or two before adding the four cups of flour. Stir the mixture together, cover the pot and let it sit for at least an hour. After an hour the dough should be a giant, puffy but still pretty wet. Add another 1/2 cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt and stir the mixture together. Either use it right away, or cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it — overnight or up to a day or two. If it starts to overflow in the pot, press it down.

Roll out the dough: Generously flour a large counter — the dough is very wet and sticky. Dump half the dough onto it, flour your rolling pin well, and roll the dough into a large rectangle about 24 inches wide and as thin as you get it in the other direction (ours ended up about 12 inches deep).

Fill the rolls: Generously spray two 12-cup muffin tins with a cooking spray, or butter them well. Go ahead and spray the flat part too, so if your jam bubbles out of the buns, it will be easier to scrub off. (This is what years of a dishwasher-less experience will teach you!)

Stir together the 1/3 cup sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon and set it aside. Spread one half of your jam evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch margin at the wider ends. (If your jam is cold from the fridge, you can heat it slightly in a small saucepan or in the microwave, not until bubbling hot but until warm enough to easily spread.)

Drizzle three tablespoons melted butter over the jam layer. (Although it would be intuitive to do it in the other order, I was concerned that the jam wouldn’t spread well over the slick melted butter. Plus, I wanted the melted butter to mingle with the cinnamon sugar, as it would in a traditional cinnamon roll. Drooling yet?)

Sprinkle the jam and butter layer with 1/4 cup of the cinnamon-sugar mixture, then half of the nuts, half the chocolate and half the dried fruit.

Starting with the wider side of the rectangle (the one that should be 24 inches), begin to tightly roll the dough, incorporating the filling. Once it is fully rolled up, cut it into two-inch segments with a sharp knife (a serrated knife works great here). Place one in each muffin cup. Sprinkle the tops of the rolls with a tablespoon of the cinnamon-sugar mixture and set the tin aside to puff some more, about 20 to 30 minutes. (You could loosely cover it with plastic wrap, but we didn’t bother.)

Repeat this process with the other half of the dough, and the remaining filling ingredients.

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Bake the rolls: Bake your rolls for 15 to 20 minutes, until they’re golden at the edges and the filling looks bubbly. (I was using a convection oven at the Lodge, which is nothing like my oven at home so your baking time may vary. Look for a nice color and that bubbling filling before you take them out.)

Let the rolls mostly cool on a rack.

Make the glaze: Beat the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla together in a bowl with an electric mixture until fluffy. From here, you can either spread this frosting on your lukewarm buns, or thin it with milk until it is more of a drizzling consistency. Eat one at once.

Orange Buttermilk Chess Pie

For the cream cheese pie dough:

5 tbl. unsalted butter, room temperature

1 (3. 0z) pkg. cream cheese, room temperature

2 tbl. granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup AP flour

1/4 tsp. baking powder

For the filling:

4 eggs

2 cups granulated sugar

1 tbl. cornmeal

1 tbl. AP flour

1/2 tsp. salt

zest from 1 orange

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/4 cup buttermilk

3 tbl. balsamic vinegar (trust me; it makes a simple pie CLASSY)

1 1/2 tbl. fresh orange juice

1 1/2 tbl. lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

To prepare the dough:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, cream cheese, sugar and salt. Sift together the flour and baking powder, then on slow speed, add in the mixture. Let it mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until the ingredients come together and the dough is formed. Gather the dough into a ball, press into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill until needed. Let dough rest for a few minutes at room temperature before rolling out. Roll out between two sheets of parchment paper into an 11-inch circle. Remove the paper and transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie pan. Trim the excess dough and flute the edge. Chill until ready to use.

To prepare the filling:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Whisk in the sugar, cornmeal, flour, salt and orange zest until well-combined. Whisk in the butter, buttermilk, vinegar, orange juice, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Stir until fully combined.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pie shell and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 300, rotate the pan and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until the filling is just set in the center and slightly brown on top. (If the edges of the crust begin to get too brown, cover the edges only with aluminum foil.) The pie will firm up as it cools.