Mom’s Duck Fat Bread
There is a reason my mother’s sweet bread recipe has such an odd name. My Mom used to make this wonderful sweet bread. Made it for every family occasion. The recipe uses butter.
She was a very frugal person. One day, she decided to render the skin from a duck she was using in soup. She would never just toss it. Too wasteful. Once it was cooled, the duck fat looked like butter.
She was making her sweet bread and substituted the duck fat for the butter in the recipe. When my brother-in-law, Bob, tasted it he declared it was the best batch yet. My Mom told him what the secret ingredient was, and from that day on, we always called it duck fat bread, even when it was made with butter.
Recently, my niece Sarah has made the bread. My nephew Bobby also made the bread with his daughter, Elia. It makes me happy to see the family traditions continued onto the next generation. Elia loved it so much, Bobby suggested we rename it Elia Bread!!! I am Ok with that.
The bread really is exceptional, with a texture that is soft and a little chewy at the same time. With Mother’s Day approaching, I thought I would share my family story with all of you. Happy Mother’s Day!!
Here is the recipe- wonderful even when made with plain old butter.
Mom’s Butter Coffeecake Braids aka Duck Fat Bread
4 1/2 c. flour
2 T. sugar
1 t. salt
½ c. butter or 1/2 c. cooled rendered duck fat
1 packet yeast
¼ c. warm water
2 t. sugar
1 c. evaporated milk
2 eggs, beaten
Combine flour with sugar and salt. Cut in butter or duck fat and set aside. Dissolve 2 teaspoons sugar in warm water. Dissolve yeast in warm water mixture and set aside. Allow to become bubbly, about 5 minutes. Combine milk with eggs. Stir in yeast mixture and add to flour mixture stirring well. Knead dough in bowl until smooth, about 10 minutes. Place on lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1½ hours. Divide dough in half and then each half into thirds. Roll dough into ropes and braid three ropes together. Repeat with remaining 3 ropes. Place braids in 9×5 inch greased bread pans and cover with a towel. Place in a warm, draft-free place and allow to rise until doubled, about 1½ hours. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. If you like glaze loaves while warm with a mix of powdered sugar, a little milk, butter, and vanilla. Toasted almonds or walnuts can be added, if desired. Makes 2 loaves.
Note: You can also refrigerate the dough after kneading it if you would prefer. Just place dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight. Roll and shape dough into braids when cold from the fridge. Rise, covered, until doubled in bulk, about 2-3 hours. Bake as directed.
Note: You can also place loaves on a greased baking sheet for a longer, flatter bread rather than in loaf pan.
Note: This is the same dough my parents used to make jelly doughnuts.
Lemon and Sour Cream Cupcakes
I love the lemon flavor in these cupcakes. They are rich, without being too heavy. They taste like Spring. These would make a lovely dessert for Mother’s Day.
Lemon zest in both the batter and the frosting, really makes them special. Cupcakes are such a nice, easy dessert. If you try these, I am sure you will be pleased, as will your family and friends.
It makes a big batch, so you can freeze some for later.
Even though I normally frost these, you can also just combine powdered sugar with a little lemon zest and dust them with it, instead of the frosting.
Lemon and Sour Cream Cupcakes
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon each baking powder and salt
2 cups sour cream
Frosting:
9 tablespoons butter, softened
6 ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar
6 tablespoons lemon juice
1 T. vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon grated lemon peel
3 tablespoon milk
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add lemon peel and vanilla; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream (batter will be thick). Fill 30 greased or paper-lined muffin cups with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. For frosting, cream butter and sugar in a small mixing bowl. Add lemon juice, vanilla, lemon peel and milk; beat until smooth. Frost cupcakes. Makes 30.
Tara’s Brunch Enchiladas
These are not traditional enchiladas, and I am OK with that. Made with a ham and cheese filling, then topped with an egg based custard, they are a wonderful addition to any brunch menu. They would be fine served for breakfast or lunch, too. The prep in all done the day before, so you just have to pop them in the oven when ready to bake and serve.
The recipe can be easily tweaked, to work with other ingredients. Maybe a corned beef and Swiss cheese version or chicken with broccoli. You could also go vegetarian with a combination of beans and veggies. You can cut the recipe in half, or freeze leftovers. I love a versatile recipe.
I have to thank my friend, Tara, for reminding me about this dish. She was looking for something to make for her Mom for a Mother’s Day brunch. I remembered how much I liked these enchiladas, so I shared the recipe with her.
It inspired me to make a batch for home. I shared them with a neighbor, as a thank you for cutting my grass for me.
So here is the recipe. Hope you give it a try.
Brunch Enchiladas
12 oz. fully cooked ham, chopped fine or ground
½ c. sliced green onions
½ c. chopped sweet pepper
2½ c. shredded cheddar cheese
8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
4 beaten eggs
2 c. half and half or milk
1 T. flour
salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste- ham is salty- so go light on salt
In bowl, combine ham with vegetables. Place 1/3 c. of ham mixture and 3 tablespoons of cheese in each tortilla and roll up. Place tortillas, seam side down, in greased 9×13-inch pan. Combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour over tortillas. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Uncover and bake in a 350-degree oven for 45-50 minutes or until set. To check for doneness, insert a knife off center. Knife should come out clean. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and return to oven for 3-5 minutes to melt cheese. Serves 8.
Note: Let enchiladas sit a few minutes before serving to make cutting easier. I cut them down the middle, then into squares to serve.
Chocolate Pecan Pie
If you want to make a special dessert for Mom, you might want to make a pie. Who doesn’t love pie, right?
I like all sorts of pies. I would never want to pick just one favorite. If I had to choose, pecan would probably be it. The nuts, the sweet filling and the crispy crust all work so well together. Sometimes, I add chocolate to the pie. It is always a big hit.
This variation on classic pecan pie includes melted chocolate in the filling. I use less sugar than in my original recipe for pecan pie. The end result is wonderful.
You can use a store bought crust, but I prefer homemade. The crust recipe I normally use when I make pecan pie makes two crusts, but you only need enough dough for one. You can cut the recipe in half, freeze half of the dough, or just make 2 pies!!!
Chocolate Pecan Pie
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 c. light or dark corn syrup
4 oz. German sweet chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1/3 c. sugar
2 T. Butter, melted
1 t. vanilla
1½ c. pecans
1 unbaked 9-inch pastry crust
In medium mixing bowl beat together all ingredients, except the pecans until well mixed. Stir in nuts and pour into crust. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 55-60 minutes or until knife inserted off center comes out clean. Makes 1.
Half and Half Dough
This is a great crust for liquid fillings like custard type pies, pecan and pumpkin. For a sweet pie like pecan you can reduce the sugar in the crust by half.
¼ c. butter, room temp
½ c. shortening, room temp or lard or coconut oil (chilled)
¼ c. sugar
½ t. salt
2½ c. pastry or all purpose flour
1/8 t. baking powder
¼ c. milk
1 t. lemon juice
Cream together the first 4 ingredients until smooth. Mix together the flour and baking powder. Set aside. Combine milk with the juice and set aside. Stir ½ c. of the flour into butter mixture. Stir until smooth. Add a little of the milk, stirring until smooth. Add remaining ingredients alternately until finished. Dough will firm up once chilled. Chill at least 4 hours before using. Makes 2 crusts.
Spinach and Artichoke Quiche
If you are still looking for something to make for Mother’s Day- why not make a quiche? I love quiche. It is a perfect dish for any time of the day. It is also so versatile. You can really get creative with the ingredients you put in your quiche. As an added bonus- quiche freezes well. I can make a couple, and freeze one for a day when I am too busy to cook. Leftover quiche is a favorite breakfast of mine. too.
I had planned to make a quiche with artichoke hearts. Seemed like a nice, Spring kind of dish. When I was starting to put the quiche together, it occurred to me that I also had a bag of spinach.
Made sense to put the two together. Sort of like spinach and artichoke dip. Why didn’t I think about this sooner? The combo made for a wonderful quiche.
I used about a pound of fresh spinach, cooked, drained and chopped, but a box of frozen spinach would work, too.
Here is the recipe.
Spinach and Artichoke Quiche
1 unbaked pie crust – enough for a deep dish pie
4 oz. diced cheddar cheese – I like a sharp cheddar
2 T. flour
1 lb. fresh spinach or 1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach, cooked, chopped and squeezed dry
3-4 artichoke hearts, drained and chopped coarsely (about 1/2 of a 14 oz. can)
1 c. milk or half and half
3 eggs, beaten
2 T. fresh chopped parsley
Hot pepper sauce to taste
salt and pepper to taste
In 9-inch (deep dish) pie pan place the crust. Toss cheese with the flour and place in crust. Add the spinach and artichoke hearts. Combine milk with the eggs and add seasonings to taste. Pour over the spinach mixture. Place pan on a baking sheet to collect any drips and place in a preheated 400 degree oven. Bake for 30 minutes then turn down oven to 325 and continue baking until quiche is firm near the middle, about 25-30 minutes more. To test for “doneness” insert a butter knife about an inch from the center of the quiche. If it comes out clean, the quiche is done. Serves 4-6.
Toasted Pecan and Orange Waffles
If you want to show some love for Mom on Mother’s Day- why not start her day off with a wonderful breakfast?
These orange- pecan waffles are sure to make her smile. They are really tasty. They aren’t hard to make, either.
You can serve them just on their own, or perhaps with a side of crispy bacon or some breakfast sausage and some fresh fruit.
I started with my basic vanilla waffle recipe and had some fun with it. I enjoyed the combination of pecans with orange juice. Serve them with warm maple syrup.
Here is the recipe.
Toasted Pecan and Orange Waffles
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 t. orange zest
2 eggs
1 cup orange juice
½ c. milk
½ c. melted butter
1 T. vanilla
¾ c. toasted pecans, chopped*
Whisk together dry ingredients and set aside. Beat together remaining ingredients and add to dry ingredients mixing until smooth. Cook in a waffle iron until crisp.
* To toast the pecans, place on a baking sheet and bake in a 350-degree oven for about 10 minutes. Toast them before you chop them- smaller pieces can burn easily.
The Big Green Bowl of Spring
We all get cravings. Food cravings. I think most of us think of cravings as a bad thing, like wanting brownies at midnight. But there are other cravings. The ones we should listen to.
Spring, so far, has been unseasonably cold. I found myself have a craving lately, for veggies. More specifically, green veggies.
Don’t get me wrong. I eat veggies all the time. I like them. But this is more than my normal desire for veggies.
So I listened to these cravings, and made a big saute of green veggies for lunch today. I used what I had on hand. The mixture was so full of flavor, and just what I had been wanting. It reminded me of Spring, all green and full of life, so that is what I called the recipe. I plan on making this again, maybe switching up some of the veggies. I just ate them as is, but I could see serving them over rice or pasta. I’ll enjoy the leftovers as a side with dinner tonight.
The Big Green Bowl of Spring
3 T. olive oil
2 onions, sliced
2 c. chopped cabbage
1 pound of Brussels spouts, trimmed and cut in half
1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut in 2-inch pieces
1 c. stock- veggie or chicken
salt and pepper to taste
parsley
chives
Heat oil in large skillet and cook onions until tender. Add cabbage and cook until cabbage is tender, about 5 -7 minutes. Add Brussels sprouts and cook five minutes longer, reducing heat to medium and stirring often. Add remaining ingredients and cook 3-5 minutes more, until veggies are tender and most of the stock has cooked off. Adjust seasonings. Makes 4-6 servings.
Coconut Almond Sorbet
Inspired by a friend who can’t have dairy, I made this coconut sorbet. I started with a can of coconut milk, added some almond milk, sweetened it, and added vanilla for a little added flavor. So simple and really tasty.
It has a lot of the creaminess of a dairy based dessert. In fact, if you didn’t know, you would probably think there is some milk or cream in this sorbet, even though there isn’t.
Looking forward to making some for my vegan niece the next time she comes to town.
Coconut Almond Sorbet
1 can (13.5 oz.) coconut milk
1 c. almond milk
¼ c. sugar- or to taste
2 t. vanilla
Combine all ingredients in bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved. Place in an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Makes 1 quart.
Note: If you don’t have an ice cream machine, you can freeze the sorbet in a shallow tray. Once frozen, remove from freezer and let it soften a few minutes. Break into chunks and process in a food processor to soften. Return to freezer until ready to eat.
Candied Violets
This time of year, I always get requests about how to make candied violets. I thought I would share the recipe again.
Since my yard is full of violets right now, I decided to candy some today. It’s an easy way to enjoy these delicate flowers throughout the year.
I use them to decorate baked goods. Lovely on a cake they, also add a sweet touch to cupcakes.
Candied Violets
Powdered egg whites (see note)
Water
Superfine sugar (see note)
Fresh violet flowers, rinsed and drained on paper toweling- Not African violets
Following package directions reconstitute egg whites to the equivalent of one or two egg whites. You can dilute them a little to make them easier to brush on. Place sugar in a shallow bowl. With a food-grade fine brush coat a violet with the egg white and press into the sugar. Place on wax paper and repeat with remaining flowers. Allow to dry for about a week. Store in a container with a tight fitting lid in a cool place. I like to store them in the freezer.
Note: By using powdered egg whites, you remove the risk of salmonella from using raw eggs whites. Powdered egg whites can be found in some grocery stores and in cake decorating and candy making shops. Meringue powder can also be used.
Busha’s Beet Soup
This colorful, tasty soup, was first made for me by my Busha, my Polish grandmother. Beets are a big ingredient in Eastern European culture. My Mom cooked with them, too.
I have fond memories of spending time with my Busha. I stayed with her on weekends a few times. One of those weekends, she taught me how to make a wonderful coffee cake. I still have the index card where I wrote down the recipe as she went along making it. Busha didn’t write her recipes down much.
Another time, she made beet soup. I loved it. I think the color is what pulled me in. I was a big fan of pink back then. I still am, especially when it comes to this soup.
I love to use fresh, raw beets, when possible. You can use cooked beets, or even canned, if you like. This time I used frozen beets- using ingredients I already have on hand.
I make homemade spaetzle, but other pasta or cooked, diced potatoes are good, too.
So here is the recipe for the soup and the spaetzle. I always think of Busha when I make it.
Busha’s Beet Soup
1 large onion, sliced thin
oil
5-6 medium beets, about 2 pounds
5-6 cups beef, chicken or vegetable stock
1 c. dairy sour cream
1 t. dill weed
cooked spaetzle, recipe follows
In soup pot, sauté onion in oil until starting to brown. Meanwhile, peel and dice the beets. You should end up with 5-6 cups of cubed beets. Add beets and stock to pot and bring to boil. Cover and turn down to a simmer. Cook until beets are tender, about 20- 25 minutes. Place sour cream in small bowl and ladle in a little of the hot soup, whisking until smooth. Add another ladle of soup and whisk again. Pour this mixture into pot of soup along with the dill weed. Serve with the spaetzle. Serves 4-5.
Note: You can also pre-cook the beets or use canned beets. Trim off leaves of beets, leaving 2 inches of stem. Leave roots intact. Boil beets in water until tender, which can take as little as 20 minutes for tiny beets or 45 minutes for the large ones. Cool in bowl of ice water and then slip off the skins. Dice and add to soup as if the beets were canned. You don’t need the long cook of fresh beets. Just bring soup up to a simmer.
If you prefer, serve the soup with diced boiled potatoes or kluski, rather than the spaetzle.
You can serve the sour cream on the side, rather than incorporating it into the soup, then allow people to add a dollop of sour cream to individual bowls. Polish beet soup usually adds the sour cream and Russian style is to dollop on the top. Both versions taste good.
Spaetzle
3 eggs
1/2 c. half and half or evaporated milk
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. flour
Combine all ingredients and let rest 30 minutes. Drop by small spoonfuls into boiling water. Cook until they float and puff up, about 5 minutes. Drain and serve with soups, stews, sauces or buttered.
