Tag Archives: brunch

Hot Cross Buns Revisited

BY HELEN S. FLETCHER, ON
COPYRIGHT, HELEN S. FLETCHER, 2020. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL PHOTOS BY PASTRIES LIKE A PRO UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

Hot Cross Buns are traditionally made during Lent.  Full of spices and raisins with a cross on top of the rolls, they are eagerly awaited during the year.  Hot cross buns are a welcome and tasty staple of Lent.   According to Wikipedia: “English folklore includes many superstitions surrounding hot cross buns. One of them says that buns baked and served on Good Friday will not spoil or mold during the subsequent year.”  Well, in my house they won’t last that long!

I posted these Hot Cross Buns five years ago but feel it’s worth repeating this season.

If you’ve never baked with a product by Sun-Maid called bakers raisins, you’ve missed the perfect raisin for baking.  They are moist and plump and don’t need any soaking to use.  A friend of mine introduced me a few years ago and I have been a fan every since.  I have included instructions for regular raisins that should be soaked to plump them before using in the Hot Cross Buns.   Continue reading →

Low Fat Fantastic Crustless Quiche

BY HELEN S. FLETCHER, ON
COPYRIGHT, HELEN S. FLETCHER, 2020. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL PHOTOS BY PASTRIES LIKE A PRO UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

Crustless QuicheThis particular Crustless Quiche is made even better by removing the crust and substituting low fat cottage cheese and low fat yogurt for the heavy cream, you have a fast, healthy entrée that just happens to be delicious.

Many years ago, when we made savory items as well as sweet at my bakery, I developed this quiche base as a low fat alternative to the cream. Interestingly, when we tested side-by-side versions of the original quiche filling with cream and this one, we were most surprised. The low fat version had much more taste to it.  It turns out the cream coats the taste buds so whatever cheese, vegetables or meat you have added to your quiche cannot be fully appreciated. With the low fat variety, there is no coating of the taste buds so, consequently, the other flavors are free to come through much stronger. Continue reading →

Easily Made Raspberry Ripple Coffeecake

BY HELEN S. FLETCHER, ON
COPYRIGHT, HELEN S. FLETCHER, 2020. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL PHOTOS BY PASTRIES LIKE A PRO UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

Raspberry Ripple CoffeecakeThis Raspberry Ripple Coffeecake has always had a special place in my baking repertoire. A rich,   quick to make treat for breakfast or snacking, this has a crumb topping. Eaten warm or room temperature, coffeecakes are always a treat.

While this cake highlights raspberry, any favorite flavor jam can be substituted. This Raspberry Ripple Coffeecake is usually made in a 9 inch round pan, but I decided to alter the sizes to make a smaller cake and also feature regular and large Texas size cupcake pans for individual treats.

The cream cheese in the batter makes a particularly moist coffeecake that keeps well. Continue reading →

Heavenly French Toast with Blueberry Compote

BY HELEN S. FLETCHER, ON
COPYRIGHT, HELEN S. FLETCHER, 2020. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL PHOTOS BY PASTRIES LIKE A PRO UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

Finished PhotoThis recipe for Heavenly French Toast was originally posted in May of 2014 but it is the perfect brunch dish for the first of January.  When I was recently in Chicago, my family took me to Heaven on Seven for a  get together with some friends.  I’d heard about this restaurant for years – especially from my son Dirk – who loves it.  In fact, I was given their cookbook as a gift.   As we approached an office building, I thought perhaps we were making a quick stop, but as we entered the elevator I watched as the number seven was punched. As we exited the elevator, I still had no clue.  A few steps later, we entered Heaven on Seven and I was awestruck by the hundreds and hundreds of hot sauce bottles from ceiling to floor covering wall after wall.  There couldn’t be a better wall covering for one of the countries premier Cajun restaurants, Continue reading →

Blitz Cronuts

BY HELEN S. FLETCHER, ON
COPYRIGHT, HELEN S. FLETCHER, 2020. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL PHOTOS BY PASTRIES LIKE A PRO UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

Finished CronutWhen I first heard about Cronuts, quite frankly, I thought they were obscene.  Having made several batches of them, I can tell you they are!!

Using Dominique Ansel’s recipe, which I cut in half, I applied the same technique I came up with years ago for Croissants and Puff Pastry. in record time. Where he takes 3 days, this method makes them in less than a third of that time.   As you can see from the photo to the left, the flakiness is beyond anything iI have ever seen.  The are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  While his recipe for home cooks as he refers to it, takes 3 days and a lot of elbow grease, this version of cronuts can be made in a day.  Much of that time is just resting the dough.  The actual work is minimal and spread out.  To make these easier, you can refrigerate the cronuts at various stages if you want.

The dough is like no other yeast dough I have ever made. Although soft and smooth, it has a craggy look and an almost aerated texture. Continue reading →