Zucchini Bread

'Tis the season ...

NOTES:

• This is obviously a well-used recipe but I never noticed until today that it says "ground" zucchini (or that I misspelled it for that matter).  Anyway, I always shred it.
• Freezes well.

Rose's Lime Substitute

Only without the high fructose corn syrup.

2 cups lime juice
¾ cup sugar
½ cup water

Heat water in the microwave or on the stove until almost boiling. Remove from heat. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. (You just made simple syrup.) Let cool. Mix with lime juice. Your sweetened lime juice will keep a couple of weeks in the fridge.

For future reference, or if you want to make a smaller amount, the ratio of sugar to water in simple syrup is 3:2. In sweetened lime juice, the ratio of lime juice to simple syrup is 2:1.

Same goes for making your own sour mix. Substitute lemon juice for lime juice and you’ve got homemade sour mix. It’s that easy.

NOTES:

• I'm drinking a gin gimlet as I type this.
• I recommend Hendrick's Gin for this purpose.  1:1 ratio.
• Couldn't be easier.
• I made a half batch and stored it in an 8 ounce lime juice bottle saved for this purpose.  (Plus I had enough left over for a couple drinks.)
• Source

Peaches and Cream French Toast

1/2 c butter
1 c brown sugar
2 tbsp reserved juice from canned peaches
1 29 oz can of peaches, drained
1 French baguette, cubed
8 oz cream cheese, cut into small pieces
12 eggs
1 1/2 c half-n-half
1 tsp vanilla

Heat butter, sugar and peach juice in saucepan until bubbly.  Pour into a 13x9 inch casserole dish.  Scatter peach slices over caramel sauce.  Top with bread cubes then pieces of cream cheese.  Place eggs, half-n-half, and vanilla in blender; blend to combine.  Pour egg mixture over bread and cream cheese.  Cover and refrigerate at least an hour but preferably overnight.  Bake, uncovered, in 350F oven for 50-60 minutes.

NOTES:

• I made a 1/2 batch in a smaller baking dish and it was just right for 5.
• I had some leftover croissants that I used instead of a baguette.  Worked well.
• I cut up the peaches so they would distribute better.
• Very good - not as sweet as expected.  Would definitely make it again.
• Source.

Soft Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Additional sugar

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and molasses. Combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well.
• Roll into 1-1/2-in. balls, then roll in sugar. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. 
• Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until puffy and lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. 
• Yield: 2-1/2 dozen.

Notes

• The only real change I made was to add about 1/3 cup (or maybe a little more) of chopped ginger root left over from this recipe.  (Yes, it has been in my freezer since 11-10 and it's still delicious!)  Because of that, I reduced the powdered ginger to 1 tsp.
• Source

Classic Lemon Bars

Crust:
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, plus more for pan
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Filling:
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons plus 3/4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt


To make crust: In the bowl of a food processor, combine all the dry crust ingredients. Process briefly until they're mixed.  Add butter to processor and process until mixture resembles a coarse meal, about 10 seconds. If you don't have a food processor, whisk together flour, confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and work into flour mixture using a pastry blender or your fingers.

Pour crust mixture into sprayed (or buttered) cake pan, pressing down with your fingers to create a 1/4-inch-thick layer along the bottom and 1/2-inch up the sides, pressing firmly at the edges to seal. Transfer pan to freezer and freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to 350 degree oven and bake, rotating pan once during baking, until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the topping: In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, and flour; stir in lemon juice, milk, and salt until well combined.

Remove baking pan from oven. Stir topping and pour into warm crust. Return pan to oven and continue baking until topping is just set but not browned, about 20 minutes.

NOTES:

• Original source here.  
• It's rare to find a recipe from a professional source, yet so poorly written.   The filling and crust ingredients are randomly jumbled together and there is no effort made to differentiate which measurement of salt and flour goes with which part of the recipe.  I divided it into what I did above and it worked, for what it's worth.
• Also, the original recipe starts with having you turn on the oven and then tells you to mix the crust and put it in the freezer for 30 minutes.  It takes my oven about 5 minutes to pre-heat, so I also adjusted that direction as well.
• The crust calls for 1 1/2 tsp. of salt which is definitely on the high side.  It does make kind of an interesting combination with the sour topping, but feel free to divide that amount in half if you don't think you'd like that.  Really, it would be good either way.
• Despite the writing, the bars are delicious and the crust has a nice shortbread quality that is still firm the next day.

Sour Cherry Slab Pie

From Smitten Kitchen, with cherries from Emily.  We ate this (and practically nothing else) for several days.  I used the pie crust recipe listed, but with shortening instead of butter (just because I have lots of the former).  I don't have a rolling pin at the moment, so I was stuck using a wine bottle, which is less effective.  I rolled the bottom crust out the best I could, then just pressed it onto the pan.  For the top, I rolled out strips and just laid them across the top.  It worked out just fine.  This would also be particularly good with rhubarb or something else tart.

Sour Cherry Slab Pie

Yield: Varies, but I cut mine into 20 2 1/2-inch by 3-inch pieces

1 1/2 All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Doughs, divided, patted into thick rectangles, wrapped in plastic and chilled for at least an hour in the fridge

6 cups sour cherries, pitted (fresh or frozen will work; if frozen, defrost and drain first)
3/4 to 1 1/4 cups of sugar*
1/4 cup cornstarch
Juice of half a lemon
Pinch or two of salt
2 tablespoons heavy cream or one egg, beaten with a tablespoon of water

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk or water or 1 tablespoon water plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice (I did this to make the glaze more interesting)

Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, combine cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt. Stir to combine; set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger piece of dough into an 18-by-12-inch rectangle. I won’t lie: this can be kind of a pain because it is so large. Do your best to work quickly, keeping the dough as cold as possible (and tossing it in the freezer for a couple minutes if it softens too quickly; it is summer afterall) and using enough flour that it doesn’t stick to the counter. [See more of my pie-rolling tips here.]

Transfer to a 15-by-10-by-1-inch rimmed baking sheet, (pastry will hang over sides of pan). I went ahead and lined mine with parchment, just to ensure I’d be able to easily lift it out. Pour cherry mixture into lined baking sheet; set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out remaining piece of dough into a 16-by-11-inch rectangle. Drape over filling. Bring bottom pastry up and over top pastry. Pinch edges to seal. Using a fork, prick top crust all over. Brush with heavy cream or egg wash.

Bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 40 to 55 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack until just warm to the touch, about 45 minutes.

In a medium bowl, stir together confectioners’ sugar and milk, water or lemon juice (or combination thereof) until desired glaze consistency is achieved. Use a spoon to drizzle over top. Serve warm or room temperature.

* Martha had suggested 1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar for 6 cups of sour cherries. I balked, imagining my beautiful Jersey cherries drowning a syrupy death, and used 3/4 cup, which yielded a lightly-sweetened pie with the tartness of the cherries still coming through, just as we like. Please adjust this to your tastes, and according to the tartness of the cherries you brought home.

Buttermilk Biscuits with Sausage Gravy

No picture because we were too impatient.

Via Brown Eyed Baker and not altered.  You could use your own biscuit recipe, but these were perfect with the gravy.

INGREDIENTS:

For the Biscuits:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, chilled, cut into small pieces
¾ cup buttermilk

For the Sausage Gravy:

1 pound breakfast sausage
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons black pepper
½ teaspoon seasoned salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make the Biscuits: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat (do not grease your baking sheet).

2. Place the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl or the workbowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Whisk together or process with six pulses.

3. If making by hand, use a pastry blender or your fingertips to quickly cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal with a few slightly larger butter lumps. If using a food processor, distribute the butter evenly over the dry ingredients. Cover and process with twelve pulses.

4. If making by hand, stir in the buttermilk with a rubber spatula or fork until the mixture forms a soft, slightly sticky ball. If using a food processor, remove the cover and pour the buttermilk evenly over the dough. Process until the dough gathers into moist clumps, about eight pulses.

5. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and quickly form into a rough ball. Be careful not to overmix. Pat the dough into a ¾-inch-thick circle. Cut out the dough rounds with a 2-inch biscuit cutter. Push together the remaining pieces of dough, again pat into a ¾-inch-thick circle, and cut out several more dough rounds. Discard the remaining scraps. Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet.

6. Bake until the biscuit tops are light brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove baking sheet to a wire cooling rack while the sausage gravy is prepared.

7. Make the Sausage Gravy: Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink, crumbling it into bite-size pieces as it cooks.

8. Reduce the heat to medium and sprinkle half of the flour over the sausage, stirring to dissolve it. Add the rest of the flour and again stir for about 1 minute, until all of the flour has been dissolved.

9. Slowly pour in the milk, stirring constantly as it is added. Cook the gravy, stirring frequently, until it begins to thicken (10 to 15 minutes). Season the gravy with the black pepper and seasoned salt and continue to cook until it is very thick. Spoon the gravy over the buttermilk biscuits to serve. Leftover gravy can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If it is too thick when reheated, simply add a splash or two of milk to thin it out a bit.