foodie fridays: pesto rolls

One of my favorite restaurants from when I lived in Idaho was actually the café at our local co-op. My favorite item on the menu? Their pesto rolls, completely legendary for their delicious, carby goodness. My friends and I would often find excuses to go pick some up. So when I moved away, this was something I knew I needed the recipe for. I actually made these several times while in France for cheap lunches paired with pumpkin soup from the local Casino. Without further ado, here is the recipe for you to try on your own!

Pesto Rolls
1 1/4 cups Water
1 cups of 2% Milk
1/2 Tablespoons Yeast
2 tsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Canola oil
1 Tbsp. cup Honey
5 1/2 cups Unbleached White Flour
1 1/2 cups pesto
2 cups mozzarella & parmesan cheeses (the mix ratio is up to you!)

Preheat the oven to 325F.

Mix the water - unbleached white flour until the dough forms into a natural ball (the dough should not stick to your hand when it is touched, but do not let it get dry with too much flour). Put the dough onto a floured counter top and roll out into a flat rectangle.

Spread a thick layer of pesto on the dough. Then layer the mozzarella and parmesan cheese on the pesto. Roll dough lengthwise into a log, maintaining even thickness of the dough throughout. Slice into 1-inch sections and place the slices on their side on a baking sheet (much like cinnamon rolls).

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. ENJOY!

foodie fridays: crème brûlée à la lavande

This is one of my favorite recipes for crème brûlée. It's a Williams-Sonoma card recipe that I picked up when I bought a brème brûlée set for my mom for her birthday, complete with kitchen torch. And yes, that is my favorite part of the whole process: the carmelization of the sugar.

2 1/4 cups (680 mL) heavy cream
2 T dried lavender flowers
5 egg yolks
2/3 cup (155g) sugar
1/2 t vanilla extract
turbinado sugar for carmelizing

Preheat the oven to 325F (165C). Line a baking pan that is 2 inches (5cm) deep with a kitchen towel. Have a pot of boiling water ready.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream and lavender flowers and bring just to a simmer. Remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla until blended. Slowly add the lavender cream, whisking constantly until blended. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl (preferably with a pouring lip) and divide among 4 large or 6 medium ramekins. Skim bubbles off the surface of the cream in each ramekin. Place the ramekins in the prepared baking pan and add boiling water to fill the pan halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil and bake until the custards are just set, about 40 minutes.

Remove the ramekins from the pan and transfer to a wire rack. Let the custards cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Just before serving, sprinkle 2 tsp of turbinado sugar over the surface of each custard. Carmelize with a kitchen torch or broiler in the oven.

Enjoy.
Repeat.

bon appétit!