Paella on the Grill

Paella is a traditional rice dish of Spain.  It is a combination of saffron-flavored rice and various meats and/or shellfish.  Paella's name comes from paellera, the flat, round pan in which it is cooked.

After cooking paella, there is usually a layer of toasted rice at the bottom of the pan, called socarrat. To paella connoisseurs this is highly desired and is essential to a good paella. Even heat under the flat paella pan helps to achieve this. I have cooked paella on the stovetop.  It tasted great but I had to move the pan a lot to get even cooking underneath it and never got a real crispy socarrat. My solution to this was to cook a paella on our BBQ grill.  Traditionally, paella is cooked over open wood fires so this is a close substitute. It worked wonderfully!  I turned all the burners on the grill and the paella pan had even heat throughout. Next I need to try it in our wood-fired pizza oven. 

 

Paella is a one-pan dish.  It's not hard to make but does take some time to get all the liquid absorbed in the rice and to achieve the crunchy socarrat. We made this one Friday evening.  The weather was wonderful, we opened a bottle of wine and chatted while the paella was cooking. 

There are two key ingredients in paella.  The first is a short grain rice.  If you can find a paella rice (bomba), that is preferable.  My local stores didn't have any so I used an Arborio rice.  The second key ingredient is the spice saffron. A little saffron goes a long way, I only used 1/2 teaspoon in my paella.  I also soaked mine in the chicken broth so that the saffron flavor was more evenly distributed throughout the paella.

You can add or substitute other meats and shellfish such as chicken and clams to the dish.

This is a great dish to serve to a crowd, it makes a lot. Traditionally paella is served straight from the pan, it's placed in the middle of the table and everyone eats from the side closest to them. If you're not comfortable with that, serve it in a bowl!

Paella on the Grill

1 lb. shrimp, cleaned and deveined
1/2 lb. smoked Andouille sausage, sliced
1 1/2 cups short grain rice
1 white onion, finely chopped
4 small fresh tomatoes, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon saffron
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
5 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup of frozen peas, defrosted
1/4 cup olive oil

Heat your grill, for a gas grill have all burners on and leave on medium-high.

Put chicken broth in a saucepan, add the saffron.  Warm up on grill.

Put the paella pan on the grill and drizzle the bottom with the olive oil.

When the pan is hot, add the sliced smoked sausage and cook for a few minutes.  Add the onions and garlic, stir for a minute more, or until they are releasing their aroma.

Add the tomatoes and paprika.  Stir until combined then add the saffron-infused stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the flame so it simmers gently for 15 minutes.

Add the rice.  Stir everything in the pan thoroughly.  Once mixed thoroughly, do not stir again.  Arrange the shrimp on the mixture.  Continue to cook the rice over medium to low heat.  Add the green peas when very little liquid is left in the pan.

Increase the heat to high for a short time to create the crusty socarrat. Remove from the heat and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

It takes a bit of time for all the liquid to be absorbed.  Grab a glass of wine and relax!

Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls

Does anyone else get an increased urge to bake when the season changes from summer to fall? I sure do! I'm spending less time outdoors and more time in the kitchen these days. Sunday is my favorite day to bake.  My weekend chores are usually done by then, football and/or drag racing is on the TV, no grandchildren are spending the night (which wears Nana out!).  I have more time to devote to baking.  Often I turn to making something with yeast.  I love the whole bread-making process; the smell of yeast dough as it's rising, kneading and shaping the bread.  And, of course, there are few things in this world that can top the smell of bread baking in the oven!

These dinner rolls have a small amount of sweet potatoes in them.  The flavor is not overpowering, they aren't too sweet.  Potatoes have long been a great ingredient for a yeast dough.  They are made mostly of starch which turns into sugar.  Yeast loves sugar, it helps the dough rise and become moist and tender.

My son smoked spareribs the night I made these rolls.  Everyone devoured both! They would also be a great addition to the Thanksgiving table.

If you have a Kitchenaid mixer, the mixing and kneading can be done in the mixer bowl, just change to the dough hook for the kneading process. 

Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls

One .25 oz. package active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees)
1 tablespoon white sugar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup mashed sweet potatoes
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3 1/2 cups bread flour

Dissolve the yeast, warm water and white sugar in a large bowl. Let stand 5-7 minutes, or until yeast is bubbly and has risen up.

Add the brown sugar, sweet potatoes, butter, salt and eggs to the bowl.  Beat with an electric mixer on low until the ingredients are well mixed.

With the mixer still on low speed, add 3 cups of flour to the bowl, mix until flour is just incorporated.  Turn the dough out onto a clean lightly floured surface. Knead the dough and add enough of the remaining 1/2 cup flour to make a soft tacky dough.  Do not over knead the dough.

Place the dough in a large bowl coated with vegetable oil, turn the dough in the bowl so all sides are coated with oil. Place in a  warm, draft-free place to rise and cover the top of the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let rise until double in size, about one hour.

Punch the dough down and let it rest for 2 minutes. Divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll into balls.  Place in a greased 13x9-inch baking pan.  Place in a warm draft-free place to rise covered with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap until double in size, about 45 minutes.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until the roll tops are golden brown.

The yeast is nice and bubbly, which means it's alive and will make light fluffy rolls!

Small flecks of sweet potato in the dough.

I usually let my yeast dough rise on my cooktop, with the overhead light on.

2018 Halloween Gingerbread Barns!

When my oldest granddaughter was five I wanted a fun holiday activity we could do together, something that was unique to us, so decided we would make a gingerbread Halloween house. I made a basic house and we decorated with candies. I had to do most of the frosting work, she added the candy. A few years later her little sister joined us and a few years after that, her cousin. My granddaughter is now 13 and will start high school next fall.  By my math, we have been decorating gingerbread houses for nine years now.

This year we decided we wanted to do a barn/farmhouse scene. I began making the dough, cutting and baking the pieces a few weeks ago. I made enough for 4 barns as I also decorated one for my 4-year old grandson.  He is too young and fidgety still to join us with all the frosting and candy! That also gave me the chance to create, too. We met recently to do our decorating. My husband, the girls' Papa, is our gingerbread contractor and he assembled all the various pieces into barns. I made sugar ponds, apple trees and made sure we had all the necessary supplies.

I love interacting with the girls, it's a casual day, lots of chatting and laughing. I enjoy seeing the cooperation they have with each other, one's skill is better than the other in an area, but they all help each other out. I especially love seeing their creativity come through.  A few days before our gingerbread day, the youngest granddaughter and I were making farm carts out of pretzel sticks and royal icing.  She thought it would be neat to make benches using the same technique. On our decorating day she made herself a bench then showed her cousin how to make one, too.

I told the girls they could make a fall gingerbread barn and farm setting or make it spooky, with the addition of ghosts, spiders, and creepy eyes. Each cardboard base had a barn and some trees; they could add apples (red candy), eyes, or leave them plain. I made various colors of icing, had lots of candy and cereal to choose from. It was fun to watch them create their own masterpiece, to see their personalities shine through.  They were all different and creative.

My gingerbread was soft this year, so we had a lot of sagging with the roofs. To compensate I frosted them with red royal icing, using a large serrated tip. They were very bright!  I wanted our barns to look age so intentionally didn't make the roofs perfect, they had a lot of imperfections. My husband was disappointed with my building skills, he said I should have piped from bottom to top, instead of top to bottom.  Picky, picky!

The ponds were made with Isomalt, a sugar product and dyed blue with food coloring paste.  To make the pond shape, I made a mold out of aluminum foil and poured the hot sugar mixture into it. They turned out great!  We played with fondant and made ducks. I got real ambitious and added a chicken to my barn. My grandson loved that!

To make the trees, using royal icing, I "glued" three candy sticks together.  I thinly rolled out fondant and then put it through an embossing folder with a wood grain design to it.  We then wrapped the fondant around the candy sticks making our tree trunks. The tree foliage was made with popcorn balls.  I wish I would have made them bigger, they weren't full enough in relation to the height of the tree trunks. But, like I told my Hubby, we weren't entering these in a gingerbread competition!

The girls were here about 3 hours.  It took me over an hour to clean up the kitchen afterwards!  Thankfully, I used a plastic tablecloth on the table.  I just rolled it up and all the debris was contained.  But the floors and island took a beating; candy, frosting, and cereal were everywhere! I had to mop the floor, wipe down cabinets, in addition to putting everything away. I was exhausted and my Hubby took me out to pizza for dinner afterwards. But, I'm eagerly looking forward to our gingerbread adventures in 2019.  I can spare the time for cleaning, making memories with my grandchildren is priceless!

Double The Streusel Apple Butter Bars

It's finally starting to feel like fall in the central California valley.  The temps have dropped, summer annuals are being replaced with fall/winter plantings, the leaves are slowly turning colors.  We even got a little rain, which did so much to clear the air from the effects of the summer forest fires and recent almond harvest. I've been lazy (I justify that by saying I've been busy) and not started any fall decorating, or even bought a single pumpkin, but my baking has definitely taken on an autumn twist!

I love apple butter, each year I make 2 or 3 batches of crockpot apple butter.  It's easy to make and the house smells wonderful while it's cooking. I saw this bar recipe on the Half Baked Harvest Instagram page and quickly bumped it to the top of my "things to bake" list. Not only do they contain apple butter and apple slices, but also all the familiar fall spices, such as cinnamon and nutmeg. I'm a sucker for anything with streusel in it.  The streusel mix serves two purposes in this recipe, pressed down into the pan and baked, it becomes a soft buttery crust with the remaining becoming the glorious crumbly topping that I love. This is a great fall treat, perfect with a cup of coffee or tea.

Double the Streusel Apple Butter Bars

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups old-fashion oats
1/2 cup pecans
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 sticks ( 1 cup) cold salted butter, cubed

Filling:
1 cup apple butter, homemade or store bought
2 honey crisp apples, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line a 9x13-baking dish with parchment paper or spray with non-stick spray.

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour, oats, pecans, brown sugar, baking powder and cinnamon, until the oats are mostly ground. Add the cold butter, pulse until a crumbly dough forms.

Press 1/3 of the dough into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Transfer to the oven and bake 10 minutes or until lightly golden.

Meanwhile, make the filling.  In a medium bowl, toss the sliced apples with the male syrup, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Spread the apple butter evenly over the pre-baked crust.  Arrange the apples in an even layer over the apple butter. Sprinkle the remaining 2/3 streusel dough over top of the apples.  Return to the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the crumble is a light golden brown.

Let cool completely before cutting into bars. 

Apricot Sweet Buns

I periodically buy a magazine called Bake From Scratch and subscribe to their Instagram feed. The pictures of their baked goods always has me drooling and I bookmark all the things I want to try.  Then, life gets in the way, and all the things I want to bake don't get baked!  Such is the case with these sweet buns.  They were featured in their magazine earlier in the year and I saved the article. Every now and then I would come across it and think I need to make them. Then I would forget (is that busy or age-related memory issues?) This last week they posted a picture on Instagram and I decided right then and there that I was going to get these made! I'm so glad I did.  As I tell my almost-four year old grandson when we eat something good, these were "yummy, yummy in my tummy!"  They weren't overly sweet but the dough had a wonderful flavor due to the addition of almond extract (love the stuff).  The tanginess of the apricots balances the sweetness of the dough. They were heavenly warm.  I shared the leftovers a few hours later at my granddaughter's soccer game and they were still good.

Don't let the length of the recipe intimidate you.  It is easily broken down into parts, as your time allows.  The apricot filling can be cooked ahead of time and refrigerated for up to a week. I made the dough and assembled the buns one night while dinner was cooking, then refrigerated them.  The next morning I set them out for their final rise and baked them.  By 9 a.m. we were eating warm buns and enjoying our morning coffee!

The recipe calls for a brown sugar glaze, with the added flavor of vanilla. At first I was going to make a simple confectioners' sugar glaze for them, but decided to stay true to the recipe. The glaze added just enough sweetness, I think the confectioners' sugar glaze would have made them too sweet.

I was raised in California's apricot country. This recipe calls for dried apricots in the filling. Please, please use California dried apricots. They are so much more flavorful than their foreign counterpart and you are helping a California farmer!

Apricot Sweet Buns

1 cup warm whole milk (105 to 110 degrees), divided
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Apricot-Almond Filling (recipe follows)
Brown Sugar Glaze (recipe follows)

In a medium bowl, combine ¾ cup  warm milk and yeast. Let stand until mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes.

 

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together sugar, melted butter, sour cream, egg, almond extract, and remaining ¼ cup  warm milk.

 

In a large bowl, whisk together 3⅔ cups flour and salt. Stir half of flour mixture into sugar mixture. With mixer on low speed, add yeast mixture, beating just until combined. Beat in remaining flour mixture. Switch to the dough hook attachment. Beat at medium speed until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes. Add remaining ⅓ cup  flour, if needed (dough should not be sticky). Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, turning to grease top. Loosely cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

 

Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

 

Lightly punch down dough. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and roll into a 21x13-inch rectangle. Spread Apricot-Almond Filling onto dough. Fold dough in thirds, like a letter, creating a 13x7-inch rectangle. Roll dough into a 13x8-inch rectangle. Cut ½ inch off each short end of rectangle. Cut dough into 12 (1-inch) strips. Twist each strip, and tie in a knot, tucking ends under. Place on prepared pans. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place  until puffed, about 30 minutes.

 

Preheat oven to 350°F.

 

Bake buns, one batch at a time, until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes, covering with foil halfway through baking to prevent excess browning. Brush buns with Brown Sugar Glaze. Let cool on pans for 10 minutes. Serve warm. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Makes 12 buns.

 

Apricot-Almond Filling

Makes about 1½ cups

 

1 cup  dried apricots

⅓ cup  granulated sugar

1 tablespoon  unsalted butter, cubed

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup  sliced almonds

 

In a small saucepan, bring apricots and enough water to cover by 1 inch to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cook until apricots are softened, about 20 minutes. Drain apricots, reserving 2 tablespoons cooking liquid.

 

In the work bowl of a food processor, place warm apricots, reserved 2 tablespoons cooking liquid, sugar, butter, and cinnamon; pulse until mixture has the texture of jam. Stir in almonds; let cool completely. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

 

Brown Sugar Glaze

 

 

¼ cup (60 grams) water

¼ cup (55 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved

 

In a small saucepan, bring ¼ cup water, brown sugar, and vanilla bean and reserved seeds to a boil over medium heat. Remove vanilla bean, and let cool completely. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

 

The apricot filling spread over the yeast dough.

Fold over into an envelope shape and roll out.



Ready for their final rise. At this point, I covered them tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated them overnight.



 

Sprinkles Scones

I made a batch of lemon curd a few days ago.  I was going to make some lemon curd-filled cupcakes and take to my parents. Coincidentally, I made the curd on the same day that I pick up my granddaughter after school. I mentioned to her that I had made the curd.  Well, that girl loves lemon curd!  She instantly said, "Nana, can we make scones when we get home and have a tea party?" How could I resist? We came home and made scones, set the table, and had tea. I heard all about her day and her friends.  She even brought in her doll to join us. I cherish these times, I know how fleeting they will be as she gets older.

I've been wanting to make these scones ever since the May/June 2017 issue of Bake From Scratch came out.  Previously I made the Rainbow Sprinkle Loaf from the issue, which was wonderful. I knew my granddaughter would enjoy the sprinkles in the scones and I'm a sucker for anything with almond extract in it. These were so good, very flaky and sweet. If you want a less sweet scone, the glaze cam be omitted.  But, why?  Save the diet for another day!

Birthday Cake Scones with Vanilla Glaze

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, divided
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk, divided
1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles
Vanilla glaze (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Make a well in center of flour mixture; add 1 cup milk and the extracts. Using a wooden spoon, stir until a shaggy dough forms. Add sprinkles, and stir to combine.

Turn out dough onto a heavily floured surface and knead for 1 minute. Pat dough into a 9-inch circle, about 1 inch thick. Cut into wedges.  Transfer to prepared pan.  Brush with remaining 2 tablespoon milk and sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon sugar.

Bake until lightly golden, about 30 minutes. Let cool on pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack. Drizzle with vanilla glaze and garnish with extra sprinkles, if desired.

Vanilla Glaze

1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon whole milk
1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Glaze should form a sturdy ribbon when drizzled from a spoon.

Classic Waffles

My Hubbers and I have always had what I feel is a fair relationship about divvying up household chores.  We don't have "his and her" chores.  We just jump in when something needs to be done. He usually mows the lawns and I take care of the flower beds, I do most of the housework, he does our ironing (the man loves to iron!), I cook our meals, he does a lot of dishes. Some days one person does more than the other, but it all works out and our household runs pretty smoothly.

When our children were young he assisted with a lot of the morning chores, such as making breakfast. Now my Hubbers is not a cook. He will tell you that. His meals are pretty basic offerings like scrambled eggs and bacon. His most ambitious breakfast was waffles and our children love waffles.  He always made his waffles with Bisquick. To him, that was homemade.  If we were out of Bisquick it was a major calamity, how would the kids have breakfast that morning?  I would have to step in and rescue them and make homemade waffles! To this day I have to keep Bisquick on hand for when he wants to make waffles!

We had our granddaughter for five days this past week and I made waffles one morning before taking her to school. It reminded me of days gone by with a young child awaiting her breakfast, lunch paraphernalia all around, and backpack and papers scattered everywhere (and I am reminded why we have children when we are young. Yikes, they are a lot of work!) As I was making the waffles, she said "Nana, that's not how Grandma makes waffles".  I asked how Grandma made them and she said "Grandma just puts them in the toaster"!  I guess we all have our favorite way to make waffles!

This waffle recipe is the one I use most often. It comes from a cookbook I have had for over 30 years, The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham. They are crisp, light and buttery and easy to make for those crazy school mornings.

Classic Waffles

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs, room temperature **
1 1/2 cups milk, warmed slightly
1/3 cup vegetable shortening, melted
1/3 cup (2/3 stick) butter, melted

Put the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk the mixture until blended.

In another bowl, beat the eggs well, then stir in the milk.  Combine with the flour mixture until blended.  Add the melted shortening and melted butter and beat until blended.

Pour about 1/2 cup batter into a very hot waffle iron.  Bake the waffles until they are golden and crisp.

Makes 6-8 waffles, depending on size of waffle iron.

**  To quickly warm up eggs I put in a bowl of warm water while I'm gathering my ingredients.