Where Science and Art Meet, or Orange Honey Buns

     I love my daughter's school.   It spurs such creativity, and in the most interesting places.  As it is an arts-based curriculum, that means that art can take many forms and be found in many forums.  In her first year, there was this project in her geometry class that utilized a portrait and something about how to create it with triangles and rhomboids and such.  This year, she needed to use art to illustrate an issue that had to do with the constitution, such as a SCOTUS case.  She picked a case from Georgia about whether a gay couple had the right to privacy in their own home.
     Then there is her chemistry class this year.  This teacher really runs with it.  He asked them to create projects that illustrate chemical principles like alcohols and esters.  She had to create a board game that spoke to all of the material they learned.  And her final project was something about showing chemical transformations.  For Bryce, this did not involve a drawing or painting, something that she would be the first to say she doesn't have much skill in doing in any case.  No, she decided that food is art, and she made bread.
     Specifically, I taught her to make rolls.  These would be easier to transport, and divvy up and would not require a bread knife (a weapon, and thus verboten!).  I confess I sort of stole this opportunity to riff a little.  We agreed on rolls, and she wanted something with white flour, not whole meal flour.  From there I started thinking about rolls that are more like challah.  That led me to a few recipes (Smitten Kitchen's, The Hot Bread Kitchen).  Those appeared worthy, but didn't match my vision.  I wanted something sweeter, with a more pronounced flavor.  This is what ensued.
     These orange honey buns are rich, buttery and sweet.  The orange is almost a perfume.  I envision this as part of a brunch or breakfast.  Or tea time.  Even better, a great science-meets-art project, where the chemical changes in bread, sugars and yeast are a delicious way to show how we use chemistry in the kitchen every day.

Orange Honey Buns

makes a baker's dozen

1/2 c honey

5 T unsalted butter

zest of 1 orange

1/2c orange juice

         1.  Melt butter and honey in a saucepan over medium heat.  Let cool.  Add orange juice and zest, stir to combine. 

2 1/4t yeast (I use your standard active dry yeast, but bread machine yeast would be fine too)
1/2 c warm water
1 t sugar

          2.  Mix in the bowl of a stand mixer, unless you want to get your arm workout.  Let sit 5 minutes.

5c flour (+/-, you might need a bit more).
2 1/4t salt
2 eggs

After the yeast has had a chance to proof in the bowl, add 2 cups flour and start beating with the dough hook of the stand mixer.  Once incorporated, add the honey/butter mixture (make sure it's only warm and not hot).  Beat to incorporate, then add the eggs.  Continue to add 2 more cups of the flour and the salt,  and mix to form a dough.  It will probably be fairly sticky.  At this point, continue to add flour in 1/2 c increments, until it is no longer really sticky.  Continue to knead with the hook, and add small amounts of flour as needed although I found that no more than 1/2 c extra was required.  It should be a smooth, satiny dough that pulls away from the bowl as it mixes.  (I am sure this can all be accomplished by hand, but as this recipe starts off fairly sticky, it will take a dough scraper and some patience to get this to all come together.)

Use about 1-2 t oil to coat a large bowl, and turn the dough into this when finished kneading.  Flip so the top is oiled, and cover with a towel.  Set in a warm place to rise until doubled.  This will take 1-2 hours.  You know it's proofed enough when you can poke a finger in 1" or so, and it stays depressed.  Punch down, turn over and let rest.
Prepare your pans:  You will need 2 baking sheets, and I use parchment paper.



This dough will make 13 buns, about the size of a large plum or 1/2 of a peach.  Form into round buns, and place about 2" apart on the pan.  Cover and let rise another 1 hour or so, until doubled.  Again, you should be able to gently poke into the bun and it will leave a depression.   When you are about 3/4 of the way there, start pre heating your oven to 350F.
Egg wash:
1 egg with 1T water:  beat until uniform, and when the rolls are ready to go into the oven, brush with the wash.
Optional:  sprinkle each roll with Demerara or Turbinado sugar.
Bake for 18-20 min.  Remove to a rack to cool.

Spring Bounty with Yotam

     My friend Mark came over for dinner last night.  Ostensibly to discuss the desk he is going to build for me, it was also a great opportunity to cook.  Mark is one of the people I know who loves to cook, is good at it, and is quite omnivorous.  This allowed me to select a menu that sounded great, but was also a bit challenging to throw together perhaps, as I knew that I wouldn't have to do all of the work.
     Who better to utilize for such a menu than Yotam Ottolenghi?  His cookbooks are full of beautiful photos and great stories.  The recipes rarely disappoint either.  For some reason, I don't dip into them often enough, a habit I shall have to change.  Admittedly, this menu took a fair amount of labor to throw together, but could easily have been broken up into pieces, had I been more organized.
     It started with lamb chops, a recipe I have from some other source which I don't recall.  These are reliable and delicious, coated in garlic and herbs and grilled quickly.  The other dishes were from Jerusalem and Plenty More:   Chermoula eggplant with bulgur and yogurt, and Spiced chickpeas and fresh vegetable salad.  To finish:  a roasted rhubarb dish with sweetened labneh.  All are excellent!
     I love cooking with someone else who knows their way around a kitchen.  I set Mark off on the chickpeas and chopping while I did the eggplant.   It also helps to have excellent ingredients.  The eggplant and tomatoes are from the store, but the rhubarb, and herbs are from the garden.  The yogurt is Ellenos, which I confess I have become addicted to.  Other yogurts are embarrassed to be in it's presence.
     I think what makes Ottolenghi's recipes excellent is the really creative combinations of flavors.  You don't just roast the eggplant, you baste it with a spiced oil mixture first.  You don't just throw bulgur on top, you mix it with green olives and golden raisins and herbs.  You don't just chop some cucumbers and tomatoes, you make a lemony vinaigrette and then sauté some chickpeas in spices to warmly accompany it.  The rhubarb was inspired.  A prefect combination of sweet and tart and crunchy.
     The Chermoula eggplant recipe can be found online.  It would be easily made gluten free by substituting quinoa.  (I think rice might be too large a grain).  I quadrupled the cilantro.  I would use smaller eggplants, the longer skinnier versions, for ease, as the larger globe version is a bit much.  So, using 2 globe eggplants easily makes enough for 6-8 when served as part of this menu.  Then again, it was designed to be an entree.

     The chickpea recipe is also online.  The only adjustment I made was in deference to the clock:  I used a can of beans, and didn't cook my own.  It worked just fine.  May lightening not strike me.

    The lamb and rhubarb recipes are found below.   The rhubarb is easily made ahead of time.  It lends itself to modifications.  My suggestion:  Make the whole batch of recipes for a fantastic meal in late spring and wait for the accolades to flow in!

Baked Rhubarb with Sweet Labneh 

adapted from Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi

This recipe serves 4

1 pound rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2" pieces

7T muscat or other sweet dessert wine (orange juice would work as well)

5 1/2 T sugar

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, and seeds scraped

1 lemon:  you want the rind, 1/2 shaved in strips, 1/2 tested

3T shelled unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped

1 1/2c plain Greek yogurt

3-5T powdered sugar

Place the rhubarb in a baking pan that fits them all snugly.  Place the lemon strips, vanilla and seeds around them, sprinkle with sugar and then wine.  Bake at 400F x 20, until tender but not mushy.  Set aside to cool.

Mix yogurt with powdered sugar to make it slightly sweet, or to taste.  Add lemon rind, chill until ready to serve.  

To serve:  Place yogurt in a serving dish, top with rhubarb, spoon some of the cooking juices on top, then sprinkle with pistachios.  

Thyme Rubbed Lamb Loin Chops

serves 4, or more if you are making all of the recipes

2 garlic cloves

salt

1 1/2t thyme leaves

1/2 t red pepper flakes

1 T cider vinegar

2T extra virgin olive oil

8 x 1" thick lamb loin chops

Prepare grill for direct cooking over medium high heat. 

Mince and mash garlic to a paste with 1/4t salt, add the remaining ingredients and coat the chops.  This can sit a short while if needed.

Oil grill rack, and grill the chops, covered, until grill marks appear, approx 6 minutes total for medium rare.  Let rest x 5 minutes.