Pots and Pins

Tiger Rolls...

I am so far behind!!!  As I sit here in the Nerve Center, I am surrounded by piles of papers with scribbled recipes that I've made - recipes that you need to know about.  Really great recipes like the one I'm sharing today...one you probably will read and dismiss because who wants to turn their ovens on in the summer?!  But, trust me, when the cool weather rolls in, which will be in about 9 weeks, you'll want this recipe at your finger tips.  It will impress your family and friends but don't make it for applause, make it because these are dang good rolls!  

 

I've been doing a fair amount of baking/cooking lately because it's about the only thing I can do in my decrepit state...thankfully I can still lift a fork and shop online at Omar the Tent Makers for clothing!  Here's the good news though...we have not only met our deductible but we've met our out-of-pocket limit as well, so now anything I need to have done is FREE!!!  If I break a hip, replacement is FREE!  If I smash my fingers, surgery is FREE!  If I'm committed to a psych unit, 30 days is FREE!!!  However, face, boob and butt lifts are not free.  So rude, right? 

 

 

 

 Don't these look like their name?  Tiger rolls are crunchy on the outside, slightly sweet on the inside and they have that great homemade bread flavor that only yeast can provide.  Tiger Rolls are also called Dutch Crunch Rolls and Tiger Bread.  You can make these rolls big or small, I made mine small, dinner size, but I have seen them made hamburger-bun-size and they do make a great sandwich roll!

 

The dough is easy to make and you can do it in your electric mixer.  Once it's made it does have to rise until doubled in size.  I put my dough into a warmed oven (I warm the oven to 200 degrees then turn it off) and it took about 35 minutes to rise.  After it's doubled, the dough is cut into rolls and then they need to sit for 15 more minutes, and while they're resting, you make the topping.  The topping is thick and you might have your doubts about it - I know I did the first time I made these - I just couldn't imagine they would turn out!  But they do!  Just glop that topping on top of the rolls - a thin layer won't "crack" or produce the Tiger look - so lay it on thick and don't worry about it sliding off and down the sides - that stuff ain't goin' no where!

This recipe makes 16 dinner-size rolls.  The recipe I adapted said the rolls need to bake for about 30 to 35 minute.  The first time I made them I took them out of the oven after 35 minutes, they were browned and cracked on top but not done in the center.  I covered them with foil and put them back into the oven for 5 more minutes, so I actually baked mine about 40 minutes.

 

 

Tiger Rolls - Adapted From Whisk Affair

For the Rolls:

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water, about 100 degrees

1 cup warm milk, about 100 degrees

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons salt

3 cups all-purpose flour

For the Crunchy Topping:

1 cup rice flour (available at some Safeway stores and all Indian/Asian grocery stores)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons vegetable

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons active dry yeast

3/4 cup warm water

To make the bread:  In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, combine yeast, sugar, mile and water.  Stir and let sit for 5 minutes until mixture starts to bubble a bit.  Ad in vegetable oil, salt and half of the flour.  Stir on low until combined, then switch out the paddle to the bread hook.  Little by little, with mixer on low speed, add in the remaining flour.  Run mixer until dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, adding just a bit more flour, if necessary, kneading for about 3 minutes with the dough hook.

Turn out the dough into a lightly greased bowl.  Cover and keep in a warm place until it was doubled in size, depending on your kitchen this could take anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes.

Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 16 equal portions.  (Divide in half, then half each half, etc., etc., just in case math isn't your thing...).  Shape each piece of dough into a ball and place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment.  Cover the baking tray and let balls rest/rise for 15 minutes. 

Make topping:  Mix all of the topping ingredients in a bowl and stir vigorously until combined.  The consistency of the topping should be stiff, like royal-icing, not runny, it should fall in clumps from a spoon. Keep aside for 15 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Coat the top of each ball with a thick layer of topping (a thin layer will not crack properly.)  Bake rolls for 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust appears well browned.

 

Frankie At Home In the Kitchen - Cookbook Review...

For you locals, Frankie's Pizza and Pasta Restaurant in Redmond, WA, which has been a favorite around here for about 24 years, will be closing soon!!!  It's demise the result of more development - the corner where Frankie's is will soon be a new hotel...just what we need...sigh.  I had the pleasure of lunching there recently with a dear friend and while I was waiting for her to arrive (traffic was horrendous) I picked up a copy of Frankie's cookbook from a rack in the lobby to read.  I was immediately captivated!  His recipes are favorites from the restaurant and the photography, done by Frankie himself, is colorful and beautiful plus the cookbook lays FLAT so it will be easy to read those recipes in the kitchen while making them! 

This is a cookbook you will want to have in your collection...and you'll use it!  The recipes are easy to follow and having tried most of them over the years at the restaurant, they are dang delicious. Frankie has an easy writing style which makes this book a pleasure to read...you do read cookbooks, right?  But it's not just a recipe book because Frankie has included tips to make his recipes easy and a few suggestions for la dolce vita...living the sweet life!

If you're nearby, pick up a copy at Frankie's before they close, ($15.00) just a little bit of local history for your kitchen.  It would make a great wedding gift with a pizza stone, no? 

If you're not close by, not to worry, you can order from Amazon by clicking here.

Frankie's Italian Wedding Soup is a personal favorite, but his pizzas, which he gives step-by-step directions for, are worth every calorie.  And while all the recipes in Frankie's book speak to me, there are two recipes I''m dying to make...Frankie's Pizza Rustica - think deep-dish-Chicago-style-pizza - so thick, cheesy and rich you just know the scale will jump 5 pounds after devouring this ooey-gooey Italian favorite.   Then there's Frankie's Timpano.  If you've seen the movie Big Night, (and if you haven't then rent it immediately before you do one more thing!  Stanley Tucci is so fun to watch in this movie!) then you've seen a Timpano...a "kitchen-sink" Italian dish that will serve a small nation.  It's made in a big enameled bowl which has been draped with pasta dough so the filling of meatballs, hard-boiled eggs, sausage, cheese, more eggs, onions, garlic, etc.,etc., can be wrapped up and baked into the most delicious Italian conglomeration  you'll ever have and then it's all topped with Marinara sauce or as we like to say, Sunday gravy.  

In the 9 years I've had this blog - yes 9!, I think I've only done one other cookbook review - maybe two - so when I tell you this is a fabulouso Italian cookbook, and that you need it and will be so happy to be able to cook like Frankie at home, believe me.  And you're welcome.  

Tell Frankie Nan sent you! 

Tomato Jam...

The mister sat down with a new book last night, 101 Best Loved Poems.  The mister reading poetry.  I started to snort.  I didn't mean to snort but that's what came out as I was trying to speak while suppressing fits of laughter.  The mister reading poetry!!  Oh my, every now and then he does provide a good laugh, one that can bring me to tears even, but last night was a true face washer!!  Not to worry though, the mister has not been possessed by Colin Firth, if only.  His detour into poetry lasted about 4 minutes before he tossed it aside, probably noticed it didn't have any pictures!  (insert a snicker two!)

The mister has been "on one" these past few weeks, being a care-taker doesn't agree with him...but to be fair, it's been a looooong two months of him steppin'-and-fetchin'.  And believe it or not, I've tried really hard to be a good patient; I always say thank you and please and I've done my best not to poke the bear.  But then, one night while watching TV we heard a Meghan Trainor song: 

Because you know I'm all about that bass
'Bout that bass, no treble
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no treble
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no treble
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass

The mister pipes up, "I remember having just one knob for the bass and the treble." 

Me:  She's not singing about the bass and treble on a radio.

Mister:  Yes she is, can't you hear what she's saying, it's all about the bass.

Me:  Yes, but it's not that bass she's singing about.

Mister:  Oh really, what other bass is there?

Me:  She's singing about having a big booty - and no treble - no boobs,  get it?

Mister:  Nooooooooo, really?  Are you sure?  There used to be just one knob in the car to turn up for treble and down for bass, it was so easy, now we have all these buttons to push and charts and graphs showing us what's what...

This jam is damndelicious.  No other word for it.  It's good on bread, think thick, crusty Italian bread, and it's great on hamburgers instead of ketchup, and it's excellent on beef - I have even have used it on a beef taco instead of salsa...and it would be excellent on grilled chicken!!  It adds a rich, savory flavor to just about anything you pair it with...but it's also yummy eaten straight out of the jar with a spoon! 

 

 

 

 

 

See how much it cooks down?  One batch only makes about 2 1/2 cups of jam - so you have to think of this as a very luxurious commodity...not one to waste!  It does take time to make, about 1 1/2 hours, but you don't have to babysit it, just give it a stir every so often and go about your business while your stove does all the work and fills your home with the most amazing aroma. 

 

 

This Tomato Jam has a tiny hint of cumin, not enough for you to reach for your water glass, but just enough for you to sit back and wonder what that wonderful flavor is.  It's not spicy, but there is a depth to it, thanks to the onion, cider vinegar and lemon juice.  I have another Tomato Jam recipe that I love, love, love - it's Basil Tomato Jam and it has a definite basil flavor and a sweetness to it, making it perfect for pasta or bruschetta, you can find that recipe here. 

As much as I love the Basil Tomato Jam, I wanted one that I could use with more dishes or in different ways so I started experimenting.  I started with that recipe and adapted it - well, completely made it over.  I was going for savory over sweet and after many attempts, true trials and errors...lots of errors, by George, I think I've got it! I've made this recipe three times now and each time it's worked beautifully!  I don't process the jam, so it only lasts about 5 days in the refrigerator...however, mine never lasts that long, we eat it all by the 2nd day!  You can double the recipe but plan to spend a bit more time cooking it.  You'll know when it's done, it will have cooked down and will have a very "jammy" appearance.

Some of you have asked about my tomato plants this year...dead, completely dead!!  Some blight got them but before they met their untimely demise, they did give me TWO tomatoes!!!  For 24 years I've tried to grow tomatoes...24 years of nothing!!!  But this year I've got "an ace in the hole"...my daughter-in-law has planted a garden - we made a deal - I bought the plants, she tends them - and then we will share the goodies.  So I'm still hoping for vine-ripe tomatoes this year...now if only Mother Nature would cooperate and give us some SUN!!!  In the meantime, making tomato jam brings me comfort!

 

Tomato Jam - Pots and Pins

6 large Tomatoes, cored and chopped (Roma tomatoes work best)

1 large white onion, finely diced (I used Walla Walla)

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

juice of one large lemon

3/4 teaspoon cumin

Bring all ingredients to a boil in a large pan over high heat, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved.  Reduce heat just a bit but keep the boil and boil for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Jam is done when it has boiled down/reduced, thickened, and all of the liquid has been incorporated and jam and has a "jammy" texture.  (When the jam coats the back of the spoon, that's a "jammy" texture.)  Pour jam into clean/sterilized jars.  Makes about 2 1/2 cups.  Keep in refrigerator for 5 days.

 

Banana Bread with Crumbly Topping...

My skinny friend said, "This banana bread is throw away good."  By that she means it is SO good she can only eat one little slice and then she has to throw it away because if she doesn't she will eat every last crumbly crumb.  My skinny friends watches what she eats, wanting to keep her perfect shape...me too!  Round is a shape!!  So I did NOT throw any of this bread away...I ate slice after slice, trying to stay perfectly round is not as easy as you might think...One has to be constantly chewing!  Besides, as another good friend reminded me, no kid wants a skinny grandma!  So for my grandkids - I ate this banana bread. 

Speaking of my grandkids...isn't my Elsa a beautiful child?!?  She and Rosie loved each other - well, maybe Elsa loved Rosie a bit more than Rosie loved Elsa - which is why there's a gnarly hand holding Rosie in place!

Elsa loved helping me in the kitchen and when I asked her if she wanted to make some banana bread, she said, "Only daddy makes banana bread."  And she refused to help!  She is a daddy's girl for sure!  So we didn't make banana bread but we did make a lot of other things.  Banana bread has been on my mind ever since the kids left, so when my skinny friend sent me a text telling me about the crumbly topping she put on banana bread and how insanely good it was, I'd finally reached my banana bread tipping point and headed into the kitchen.

Did you know you can make your bananas ripen by putting them in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes?  The skins will turn dark on the outside and on the inside you will have perfectly ripe and softened bananas!  You can also freeze bananas to keep them longer, and use them in your morning mocktails like I do...just like with baking, the skins will turn dark but the insides will be perfectly soft and ripe - perfect for making banana bread or a breakfast smoothie. 

 

 

 

 This banana bread recipe is from Epicurious, so I knew it would be great because they do all of the testing and this one was deemed the best.  I think it's because of the sour cream - it makes this bread extra moist and not too sweet...so you really taste the bananas.  The only change I made to the original recipe was to add toasted pecans...not a huge fan of walnuts but you could use them if you like.  And then, of course, I added the crumbly topping which makes this a game changer.

 

 

 

Toasting the pecans first really brings out their nuttiness...something you'll love when you bite into a slice of this bread, so don't skip this step, it will be worth it!  You will dirty three bowls, one for the banana mixture, one for the flour mixture and then your mixing bowl...but the bread bakes for an hour so you'll have plenty of time to wash everything up!  Again, it will be worth it!

I might have gone overboard on the topping...it was pretty thick and I almost took some of it off.  Luckily I came to my senses and left it all on there...I wonder what a loaf of just crumbly topping would taste like - probably Heaven - but then I'd be in a coma so there's that.

 

 

 

We had a pretty quiet 4th of July - mostly because it was rainy and cold and because I'm still nursing my knee and shoulder.  It's been almost two weeks since I had my knee fixed and I'm good until about 3 or 4 in the afternoon before it starts to swell and the ice packs come out.  We watched the fireworks on TV - totally depressing.  And then we listened to them going off in our neighborhood, even though there is a $1,000 fine for setting off fireworks!  And then we listened to the big dog in the neighborhood who barks all night long.  And then we tossed and turned and got no sleep because Rosie whined and cried every time the big dog barked.  And then I got up, hobbled downstairs and sliced off another piece of banana bread...aaah...the world righted itself once again!

Banana Bread with Crumbly Topping - Adapted From Epicurious and Megan Gee

Makes one loaf of banana bread.  You will need a 9x5-inch bread loaf pan.

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan

1 2/3 cups flour, plus more for pan

4 medium very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed

1/4 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup dark brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature (bring to room temp by putting in a bowl of hot water for about 3 minutes)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted

Topping:

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x5-inch bread load pan with butter and dust with flour, tapping out any excess.  Toast walnuts or pecans by putting into a skillet on the stove top over medium-high heat, stirring gently for about 4 to 5 minutes until nuts begin to brown and smell fragrant.  Remove from heat and let cool.

In a medium bowl combine bananas, sour cream and vanilla, mix well.  In another bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, whisk together.  In the bowl of an electric mixture, beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.   Add eggs one at a time and beat on medium speed until fully combined, about 1 minutes each.  Add banana mixture and beat until just combined, about 30 seconds.  Add dry ingredients in 2 batches, beating on low after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl if necessary, until fully incorporated, about 20 seconds per batch.  Fold in walnuts or pecans.  Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth top with spatula. 

Make Topping:  In a small bowl combine topping ingredients and spread over top of banana bread mixture.  Bake, rotating halfway through, until batter is set, top is dark golden brown and starting to crack and sides are starting to pull away from pan and a tester inserted into the center of bread comes out clean, approximately 60 to 65 minutes.  Cool in pan on a wire rack at least 15 minutes.  Run butter knife around perimeter of pan to loosen loaf, then tap pan gently on its side until loaf releases.  Transfer to a cutting board or plate and let cool completely before slicing.

You can see the crumbly topping - it's so good - trust me, 5 dangs worth!!!