Cinnamon Buns

I'll confess -- I used to eat cinnamon buns out of a can. It was so convenient to pop it open, arrange the buns on a baking sheet, and squeeze the sugary glaze out of the plastic packet. But I'm proud to say I've graduated to homemade! Yes, these are every bit as good as you think they are. Light, soft dough filled with cinnamon and sugar, and vanilla-scented icing dripping from the top.  For years I thought they were hard to make. Actually all you need is time, and a lot of it is down time. The recipe is very specific and detailed, and that used to intimidate me.  Now, I see that as very helpful.  They're not so much rules that say something has to be this temperature and that consistency, but a way to let you know that you're on the right track when it is that temperature and that consistency.  So, no more excuses -- they're calling you.

Roasted Vegetable Tart, Upside-Down Pie, and Ming

Isn't that pretty?  A tart of roasted vegetables and goat cheese.  Here's something not so pretty.

This was a lemon meringue pie that I painstakingly worked on, only to have it flip over in the car!  I had the pie on the back seat and the dome on the floor so the still-warm pie wouldn't steam.  When I braked suddenly, the pie flew and hit the seat in front of it, then fell into the dome.  It was kind of amazing that it made it into the dome, but I was devastated and furious!  Nevertheless, it got eaten at work (it was Pie Night).

Cinnamon Walnut Monkey Bread

I was not prepared for how good this would be.  The last monkey bread I had was denser with hard, caramelized stuff on top.  This one was gooey on top, crunchy on the sides, soft inside, and cinnamon-y all over.  It seems like everybody is making monkey bread -- a pull-apart bread great for social gatherings -- and I recently saw a guest on Martha Stewart's show make a Banana Brioche Monkey Bread with Moloko Milk Stout Butterscotch and Smoked Toffee Almond Brittle. It sounded so fussy and looked like so much work, I immediately hated the idea. This version from the LA Times is more my speed, and a snap to make as far as breads go.  Walnuts, butter, and brown sugar caramelize into a syrup on the top and bottom, and each ball of bread is rolled in cinnamon sugar.  It doesn't have a 14-word name, but for me less is often more.

Birthday Banana Cream Pie

What do you make for someone who doesn't like chocolate?  I could drown happily in a bowl of pure chocolate ice cream, no toppings needed.  I know several of my (crazy) friends dislike chocolate in favor of flavorings like vanilla and caramel.  I don't get it, but my friend Charmie is one of them.  But I know she loves whipped cream, and who doesn't like bananas?  So banana cream pie it was.  Sliced bananas are folded into a pastry cream and spooned into a flaky pie crust, then topped with whipped cream.  This pie is simple but delicious, not too sweet, and has great mouthfeel with clouds of airy cream.  Charmie loved it, and it was her first-ever birthday pie.  Will it be cake or pie on your next birthday?

Beijing-Style Dumplings

What possessed me to make dumplings from scratch last night?  My back ached and there was flour and pork everywhere.  In the end, though, they were delicious.  But if you make these with storebought wrappers, I won't judge.  I won't tell anyone.  Heck, if you waited to go out for dim sum to eat these, I'd understand.  But if you undertake this mission, recruit some helping hands and think of the light at the end of the tunnel.

So unlike the dumplings of Southern China that I'm used to, with their meat and seafood fillings, the shui jiao of the North tend to have vegetables.  This recipe from the LA Times uses a pork and cabbage filling.  I think a pork-and-shrimp filling will always be my favorite, but this was a welcome change of pace.  The pork and cabbage are tender, the rice wine lends a hint of sweetness, and the ginger a little heat.  It's my new recipe for the New Year.

Short Ribs and Corn Puddin'

This is perfect cold-weather comfort food.  The short ribs require minimal setup and then simmer away until tender, and the corn pudding puffs up like a souffle but stays creamier in the middle.  The pudding might be a little bland for some, but the addition of some hot peppers or cheese would do the trick.  Some reviewers of the short ribs recipe suggested adding red wine or tomato paste, but I'd already made a beef stew with red wine recently and was looking for something different.  I'm also one of those people who likes beef for beef . . . why cover it up with 20 spices and seasonings?  You might as well eat chicken or tofu.  Aside from a few vegetables, these short ribs needed no enhancement -- they were perfect.

The corn pudding recipe calls for cornmeal (which I didn't have), but I read on Wikipedia that in the US the finely ground stuff is known as corn flour (which I did have).  I figured I would like the finer texture anyway, since I'm one of those rare people who doesn't care for cornbread and its gritty texture.  Plus, it was an excuse not to run out to the grocery store!

Gougeres

I've been afraid to try my hand again at pate a choux ever since most of my eclairs deflated upon coming out of the oven.  But I'm glad to say no such thing happened with my Gougeres!  They're French cheese puffs, flavored here with Gruyere and Parmesan.  Have them with a glass of wine in the afternoon.  The taste reminds me of cheese straws, but they're simpler to make than puff pastry made from scratch.