Volume 9, Issue 69 - October 6, 2005

Hello Recipe Club,

Today's recipe's include two of my favorite breakfast foods, Huevos Rancheros and Sticky Buns. These Sticky Buns have pecans in them and that makes them even better! Remember that these recipes come from the Culinary Institute of America and can be found along with many other great Breakfast and Brunch recipes HERE

www.ciachef.edu The Culinary Institute of America, the world's premier culinary college, offers degree programs in culinary or baking and pastry arts.

Granola Parfait

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups blueberries
1 1/4 cups raspberries
1 1/4 cups quartered or sliced strawberries
4 cups plain yogurt
4 cups Granola (recipe follows)

Preparation:

Combine the berries in a bowl and toss together.

Add a layer of the berries to each parfait glass, then some yogurt, followed by a layer of granola. Add another layer of berries followed by a layer of granola and then yogurt. Top the parfait with berries.

Serve at once or keep refrigerated for up to 4 hours.

Granola

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup turbinado or light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup packed sweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Combine the oats, oil, sugar and cinnamon. Spread the oat mixture in an even layer on a baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until it is fragrant and lightly toasted, about 20 minutes.

Add the sunflower seeds, coconut, wheat germ, sesame seeds, almonds and walnuts to the mixture in the pan. Stir together and spread into an even layer on the pan and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Add the raisins and cool completely.

Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

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Huevos Rancheros

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

eight 6-inch corn tortillas
2 cups Refried Beans (recipe follows)
1/4 cup unsalted butter or vegetable oil
16 large eggs
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
2 avocados
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice, juice of half a lime
1 cup Salsa Fresca (recipe follows) or prepared salsa
1/2 cup sour cream, as needed for garnish
8 cilantro sprigs for garnish

Preparation:

Preheat the broiler.

Heat the tortillas by toasting them one at a time in a dry cast-iron skillet or directly over a gas flame until lightly toasted. Place on a baking sheet, spread each tortilla with 1/4 cup of refried beans and cover to keep warm.

Working in batches as needed, heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it is very hot but not smoking and the foaming has subsided. Crack the eggs directly into the hot butter and reduce the heat to medium-low or low. Fry the eggs, shaking the pan occasionally to keep the eggs from sticking. Season the eggs with salt and pepper. Fry about 2 minutes for "sunny-side up," 3 minutes for medium yolks, and 3 1/2 to 4 minutes for hard yolks.

Top each prepared tortilla with 2 fried eggs and 2 tablespoons of the grated cheese. Slide the tortillas under the broiler to melt the cheese.

Meanwhile, dice the avocados and toss with the lime juice to prevent the avocados from discoloring. Divide the avocados among the tortillas. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons salsa and 2 tablespoons sour cream. Garnish each serving with 1 cilantro leaf serve.

Refried Beans

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups dried pinto beans
2 1/2 quarts chicken broth or water
1/2 cup bacon fat or lard
1 1/2 cups minced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup diced tomato, peeled and seeded
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Preparation:

Soak the beans overnight in cool water.

Drain the soaked beans and add them to the broth or water in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil

Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for about 1 hour or until tender. Add heated broth or water as needed to keep the beans covered. Once the beans are tender, strain them, reserving the cooking liquid.

Heat the bacon fat in a sauté pan over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Sauté the onions and garlic until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes have just softened, about 2 minutes. Add the cooked beans to the vegetables and stir thoroughly, mashing the beans with the back of the spoon as you stir. If desired, leave some of the beans whole to provide additional texture.

Season the beans with the salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin. If the beans are too thick they can be thinned with a little of the reserved cooking liquid.

Salsa Fresca

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 cup seeded and diced tomatoes
1/4 cup minced onion
2 tablespoons small-dice green bell pepper
1 tablespoon minced jalapeño
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon chopped oregano
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Combine the tomatoes, onion, green pepper, jalapeño, olive oil, garlic, cilantro and oregano. Add lime juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Let the salsa rest in a covered container in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours before serving.

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Sticky Buns with Pecans

Makes 12 sticky buns

Ingredients:

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3/4 cup milk, warmed to 110 degrees F
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
egg wash of 1 egg whisked with 2 tablespoons cream or milk
2 cups Pan Smear (recipe follows)
1 cup Cinnamon Smear (recipe follows)

Preparation:

Place the yeast and warm milk in the bowl of a mixer and stir to completely dissolve. Let the yeast proof until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the flour, sugar, butter, eggs and salt. Mix the ingredients together on low speed using the dough hook just until the dough begins to come together, it will look rather rough, about 2 minutes.

Increase the speed to medium-high and mix until the dough is smooth, an additional 5 minutes.

Shape the dough into a ball and place it into a lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours. Fold the dough gently over on itself in three or four places. Cover again and let rise until doubled a second time, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare two 9-inch square baking pans by pouring 1 cup of the pan smear into each of them.

Roll the dough into a rectangle that is 8 x 14 inches and about 1/4-inch thick. Dust the dough and rolling pin lightly with flour if necessary to prevent the dough from sticking. Lightly brush a 1-inch wide strip of egg wash along the long side of the dough closest to you. Spread the cinnamon smear evenly over the remaining dough. Roll the dough up to form a log, starting with the edge opposite the egg washed strip. Pinch the dough together to seal the seam. Slice into 12 even pieces. Place 6 rolls in each of the prepared pans. Cover the rolls and let them rise until they have nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Brush lightly with egg wash.

Bake the rolls until they are baked through and the crust is golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. As soon as you remove the pans from the oven, turn each pan over onto a plate. Lift the pan away and let the rolls cool before serving them. If the sticky buns cool down and are hard to get out of the pan, you can warm the bottom of the pan to loosen them.

Pan Smear

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup dark corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream

Preparation:

Combine all of the ingredients together in a saucepan and heat to thread stage (220 degrees F), stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Cool to room temperature before using.

Cinnamon Smear

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients:

1/2 cup bread flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter
3 large egg whites
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

Preparation:

Mix together the flour, sugar and cinnamon in the bowl of a mixer. Add the butter to the flour mixture. Using the paddle attachment, mix on medium speed for 1 minute, or until it looks like coarse meal and there are no visible chunks of butter.

Add the egg whites with the mixer on medium speed, 1/2 at a time. Continue to mix until fully combined, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Stir in the nuts and mix just until combined.