Lighter Brioche Hamburger Buns...with Caramelized Onions and Sesame

Brioche Hamburger Buns...with Caramelized Onions and Sesame. I've been wanting to make some Brioche buns for some time now... ever since I've seen it on so many sites. Yet, I didn't have the guts to use the high amount of butter and eggs usually called for in a brioche dough. But recently I was craving hamburgers for some reason... maybe it's because the warmer months are here... or maybe because I haven't had a hamburger in ages:). I still wanted to make the "ultimate burger" using brioche buns, so I looked at this recipe for inspiration and proceeded to make my "lighter" brioche dough.

When working with the brioche dough, it is good to keep in mind that the dough is a bit "stickier" than other normal bread doughs. It is best to resist adding too much flour or the brioche will become tough. I found these brioche buns extremely light and fluffy...and oh, so pillowy-soft. And the bun tasted so good... just by itself, no need for a hamburger:). All kidding aside, I am still planning on making the burgers ...made the burgers and they were amazing! Definitely worth making the brioche hamburger buns from scratch. They are now my new favorite hamburger bun. Hope you enjoy...

Note: While I added some caramelized onions as a topping to some of the burger buns, it is totally optional. But, I do like to keep caramelized onions in small batches in the freezer... for things like this.

You will need:

2/3 cup warm milk

1/3 cup warm water

3 TBS honey

2 ex-large eggs, room temp.

2 teaspoons instant yeast

2 cups bread flour(+ more, if needed)

1 cup white whole wheat flour*

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 TBS unsalted butter, softened

*you can use regular bread flour

Topping:

1 egg yolk, for brushing( you can mix the yolk with a bit of water, if you like)

caramelized onions

sesame seeds

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a mixer add the flours(3 cups first), yeast and the salt. Whisk to combine and add the sliced soft butter.

2. In a glass measuring cup, combine milk, warm water, eggs and honey. Whisk to combine and add it all to the dry ingredients.

3. Place a kneading hook and turn on mixer. Mix on low scraping the sides of the bowl to incorporate all the flour. Increase the speed to medium. Knead for 8 minutes...the dough should be tacky and look pretty sticky. If you feel the dough is sticking to the sides too much add 1 TBS of flour at a time until the dough gathers around the hook and slaps around the sides of the bowl. It may still stick a bit to the sides, but not overly. Don't be tempted to add too much flour or the buns will be dry.~ I probably added another couple of tablespoonfuls of extra flour.

4. Continue kneading for an additional 2 more minutes... for a total of 10 minutes.

5. Scrape the sticky dough that clings to the sides of the mixer bowl and then form all of the dough in a ball. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until at least doubled in bulk and is nice and puffy... 1 to 2 hours.

6. Plop the soft dough unto a floured countertop... sprinkle a bit of flour on top as well. Using a dough scraper, divide dough into 8-10 equal parts( or in my case, just grab a lemon size piece of dough). With floured hands form balls and place on lightly oiled parchment-lined baking sheet. Arrange 2 to 3 inches apart on baking sheet as they will rise some more.

7. Flatten the balls down a bit( to about 1 1/2-2 inches or so) and brush with egg yolk. Add caramelized onions and/or sesame seeds. Cover loosely( with oiled plastic wrap) and let buns rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours... or until nicely puffed.

8. Pre-heat oven to 400 deg. F with rack in center. Bake, turning sheet halfway through baking, until tops are golden brown, about 10-15 minutes(depending on the size of the bread buns...mine took about 11 minutes.)

Transfer to a rack to cool completely and freeze, if desired.

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Pollo a la Brasa and Aji Verde Sauce... Peruvian Grilled Chicken with Green Chile Sauce

Pollo a la Brasa... Peruvian Grilled Chicken. I've been wanting to make this dish for several months now...well, ever since this dish was brought to my attention through a phone conversation that I had with my brother. We chatted about this and that... and then he mentioned how he was looking forward to having some Pollo a la Brasa that weekend. Pollo a la Brasa is a classic Peruvian rotisserie-style chicken that's quite flavorful. But I had never heard of this dish before...

The rotisserie-style chicken has become quite popular here in the states. And you'll probably find lots more restaurants that serve Pollo a la Brasa... either on the west coast and/or the east coast...but not so much in Montana:). So it's no wonder why I'd never come across this particular dish before. And it wasn't a surprise to me that my brother knew of this dish as he has the advantage of being married to a sweet Peruvian girl. My brother definitely comes in contact with lots more Peruvian dishes than I do:). In any case, I had him repeat the name of the dish for me and I wrote it down on a piece of paper so that I could make it one day. I went on a search for a recipe recently...

We finally had a warm day... reached close to 80 degs F... it was sooo nice and warm:). It was probably the first real warm day since last summer. While some of you may have had some hot weather for some time now... we on the other hand, had lots of rain with plenty of chilly weather. I mean we had to heat up the house instead of cooling it:). Anyway, I was excited when we finally warmed up a bit and thought it would be nice to make a summery dish while using the grill. Chose to sort of welcome the summer months with Pollo a la Brasa....

While the chicken is ideally cooked rotisserie-style, I decided to use my vertical roaster pan(mimics the popular beer-can method), and it is much simpler to use. The chicken stays quite moist and flavorful... as long as you don't over cook it. And I really like the fact that I don't need to worry about the chicken burning when placed on direct heat. The supervision is minimal... I just basically check it about halfway through the cooking time... and then at the end of the cooking time, when it's close to being done. By now, I know the cooking time is close to 1 1/2 hours... and during that time I usually get the sides ready, clean up, and set the table. And if it's hot outside, using the outdoor grill is the perfect way keep the house cool.

I chose to pretty much follow the recipe from Gourmet magazine... just because it had lots of great reviews. The only change I made was to add some spicy smoked paprika. In the end, I felt I could have used a bit more of the spicy smoked paprika as it wasn't spicy at all. The cumin is quite light and definitely not overpowering... so this is a great dish to make if you want to introduce cumin gently:). While I don't use too much soy sauce in the dishes I make... adding it to this dish brought lots of color to the chicken... as well as flavor.

I am always looking for different ways to make chicken... and this was a great addition to the chicken recipes I make. I also made an aji verde sauce( my way) to go along with the chicken ...I posted the recipe below, as a guide only. Oh, and don't forget the lime wedges to be served with the chicken , as it really brightens the dish up. Hope you enjoy...

Tip: You can use this marinade on boneless chicken thighs, chicken legs...and even breast meat(with the breast meat I would probably marinate it for a few hours only, and use bone-in) and just cook the chicken pieces directly on the grill.

While cooking the chicken on the grill is ideal, I am sure you can use the oven as well... especially if you don't have an outdoor grill.

You will need: adapted from Epicurious/Gourmet

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

5 garlic cloves, finely grated

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika*

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon oil

3 1/2 lb whole chicken or quartered

* I used 1/2 tsp regular paprika and 1/2 tsp spicy smoked paprika

Directions:

MARINATE:

1. Whisk together soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, cumin, paprika, oregano, pepper, and oil....you can likewise do all this in a blender if you wish.

2. Put chicken in a large sealable bag and add marinade.

3. Seal the bag and marinate in the refrigerator 8 to 24 hours. I suggest at least a 24 hour marination (for a whole chicken) for better flavor...I left mine for 24 hours. During the 24 hour period, turn chicken over a few times(from breast side up to back side up... still in the bag) so the marinade has a chance to penetrate the chicken from all sides.

GRILLING:

1. Take out chicken from fridge and bring to room temperature. Discard the marinade... then pat chicken dry( I didn't bother). Place whole chicken in vertical roaster pan or an aluminum can (to mimic the beer-can method)

3. Preheat the grill on high. Lower heat to med-low(more towards the low side) on 2 burners and turn one burner completely off(mine was the middle). Place the chicken on indirect heat...mine was placed in the middle with the middle burner turned off... the 2 side burners were on med-low heat.

4. Grill chicken for 1 1/2 hours...or until thigh register 165 deg. F. Check halfway to ensure even cooking...

5. Let chicken rest for 5-10 minutes. Cut in quarters and squeeze lime juice over the chicken. Serve with french fries, rice, salad, Peruvian Aji verde sauce, or whatever you prefer....

Aji Verde... Peruvian Green Chile Sauce(my version)...This is a taste-as- you- go sort of sauce... adjust to preference. Traditionally the sauce is made simply out of green chiles, cilantro, garlic, and oil... there are some versions that add a few extra ingredients to the sauce to make it creamier and bring all the flavors together. It goes wonderfully well with the chicken.

Directions:

Blend/Process:

1 bunch of cilantro

1-2 green onions, optional

2- 3 fresh jalapenos, or to taste(in a pinch, you can also use pickled)

1/2 -1 clove of garlic, or to taste

2-3 oz cotija cheese*

*I used queso fresco( because I needed to use it up), but you can probably even use some Parmesan...or omit all together. But I rather like the cheese addition.

Drizzle in:

Olive oil, about 4 TBS...and adjust as needed

Mix in: totally optional and probably not as authentic, but it does round out the flavors.

Mayonnaise, about 3 TBS...and adjust as needed*

*you can omit the mayo and add extra oil, if you like.

Thin out with:

1/4 cup water, or as needed

Finish off with:

Freshly squeezed lime juice or white/red wine vinegar .

Salt to taste

Drizzle some of the aji verde over the chicken..and enjoy!

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All-American Stuffed Flank Steak

All-American Stuffed Flank Steak.... I originally came upon this recipe while leafing through a Cuisine-At-Home Magazine (April 2005 issue). I have to admit that I like to try various and unique recipes. This recipe fit that category. The picture was so appealing, that I was eager to try it. It had such beautiful color contrast from the spinach and Yukon gold potatoes.

However, I ended up having to change the recipe up a bit, because of my lack of some ingredients. I didn't have any Yukon gold potatoes....just plain old russet potatoes, I only had Colby Jack cheese in the house, and I had no bacon. But, let me tell you, it was just as delicious and presentable. My husband LOVED it! Really, that is all that mattered.

The meat was tender and the potatoes were very flavorful. I think, next time, I would like to use the Yukon and sharp cheddar to see the color contrast. Maybe, I would puree the spinach as well. It is actually a fun recipe....a more modern take on the classic steak and baked potato. In this case, it's an all-in-one meal.

This is great served with a crisp salad and maybe a corn on the cob. I just love corn, so I thought that would be a great addition:). Really, you can serve it anyway you like it...maybe with some creamed cauliflower puree. Hope you enjoy...

You will need:

2 (10 oz bags) fresh spinach or 1 (16 oz bag) frozen spinach

1 1/2 cups(3/4 lb) Yukon gold potatoes, peeled (I used about 3 medium)

1 1/2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, grated ( I used slightly less)

5 slices bacon, diced, fried (I omitted)

1 flank steak (1 1/2 lb-2 lb)

1/2 cup prepared barbecue sauce

2-3 garlic cloves (optional)

1 TBS dried onion flakes (optional)

2 TBS oil

salt

pepper

red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Cook spinach, if using fresh.
2. Drain well, then chop, season with salt and red pepper flakes.I used chopped frozen spinach and just drained and seasoned it.

3. Boil potatoes until tender, about 15-20 minutes. I usually always add some garlic cloves to the boiling potatoes for extra flavor.

4. Drain well, return them to the pot, and dry over medium heat.

5. Off heat, mash lightly into small chunks, then stir in cheese, fried bacon, and salt/pepper to taste.

I added some dried onion flakes for additional flavor.

Prepare steak:

1. Score the meat down the center , going with the grain of the steak (I obviously didn't...I was too excited to start on it, didn't pay attention, and it still worked out. Next time, I will pay attention!)

2. Make sure you don't cut all the way through the steak, just halfway.

3. Cut through the top portion creating a "flap" almost to the end,but not through. You want to butterfly it.

4. Do the same with the other side. Avoid cutting the flaps too thin or it could tear.. You should have a long piece of flank steak.

5. Place plastic wrap and pound to about a 1/2 inch thickness. Be careful not to over pound as the meat can tear up on you.

6. You should be able to roll a good spiral.

7. Season steak with some salt and pepper. Place spinach all over the steak.
8.Top with cheesy potatoes.

9. Roll up like a carpet:).

10. Tie snugly with kitchen twine to keep the filling inside.

11. Sear the steak oil(2 TBS) in oven proof skillet over medium heat on all sides.

12. Brush with some barbecue sauce. Make sure the seam is on the bottom before placing in the oven. 13. 13. Place in a preheated 400 deg.F oven for 30 minutes or until it reaches 140 for med-rare.
14. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing. Don't forget to remove the kitchen twine.
15. Serve with more BBQ sauce or with some sour cream mixed with chives.

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