So, Christmas anyone?

Yeah, yeah, late again. But only by eleven days this time. :)

Our Christmas menu was much the same as our Thanksgiving menu, actually, with three exceptions. (We're poor, what can I say?)

1. We bought everything from the co-op. The reason? On the way out and back to New Hampshire we listened to the entirety of the book-on-CD-version of "The Omnivore Dilemma". I threw up my hands and said, "That's it, no more conventional-industrial-big agri-business food for this house." And Emmy, bless her, followed right along. We still call them books-on-tape, though.

2. Vassar Chocolate Sauce

3. Sticky Buns

So that's what I'm hear to talk about today, the dessert. As I may have mentioned for Thanksgiving, my family has several traditional recipes that we make only once or twice a year. The chocolate sauce turns up even less often, if you can believe it. I was admonished by my Uncle while at the family gathering to never release this information on the internet. But I believe I will. It's just too good. So sit back, stir it up, and relish in the knowledge that you hold the Simmons Family Secret in your hands. Good food should always be shared.

As always, I'll add my comments in Red.

FROM THE KITCHEN OF ROGER SIMMONS

 Vassar Chocolate Sauce

 

Serves: 8-10 as a Sauce for Ice Cream   Preparation Time:  10 minutes

INGREDIENTS: 

ITEM	QTY	MEASURE
Sugar	1	Cup
Water	1/4	Cup
Bitter Chocolate (unsweetned)	1	Oz or square
Karo Syrup	2	Tablespoons DO NOT SUBSTITUTE!

 DIRECTIONS:

1.  Measure and mix all ingredients into a medium (1 or 1-1/2 quart) saucepan. 

2.  On high heat bring to a full boil stirring occasionally as chocolate melts and then continuously thereafter. 

3.  Boil for 1 minute (use a timer to make sure) stirring constantly.  Over boiling by more than 10 seconds will result in a sauce that hardens like rock on the ice cream.  Under boil and you will have something too runny. Ours was too runny on the first go, so we re-heated it to boil another 10 seconds. Also can be safely refrigerated.

4.  Cool by immersing the saucepan half way into a larger container of cold water (We just used our soup pot in the sink) that you have more cold water running into or by stages.  The reason to cool is that if you put boiling sauce onto ice cream then it will melt it straight away.  Serve the ice cream into bowls while you cool off the sauce. 

5.  Leftovers.  Whatever is left over can be scrapped into a bowl and reheated later, preferably when everyone else is out of the house or asleep.

 

NOTES:  This recipe comes down to you from your great grandmother Katharine Hawley who attended Vassar College before she left after her freshman year to marry your great grandfather.  The story was that making this chocolate sauce was the one lasting thing she took away from that year in college.  When I was in the Army I asked my mother to send me this recipe which she did but she left out the ¼ cup of water thereby ensuring that whenever we made it turned into lava. Dad was in Germany at the time, after his first year he returned in the summer to marry Mom and they lived together abroad for several years before coming back to the States.


Onward and upward! To...sticky buns!

2 loaves or 3-4 dozen rolls   Preparation Time: 1 hour labor, 6-8 hours overall

FROM THE KITCHEN OF ROGER SIMMONS 

Mrs. Bullard’s Bread/Rolls

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

ITEM	QTY	MEASURE
Water	2	Cups
Water	1/4	Cup
Olive Oil		To coat
Sugar	½	Cup
Butter	2	Tablespoons
Salt	1	Tablespoon
Eggs	2
Flour	8	Cups
Yeast	2	Packages

 

DIRECTIONS: Fun fact: Breads are made with yeast. Pastries are made with butter. Cakes are made with eggs. So, because this recipe involves yeast, butter, and eggs it's technically all three.

1.  Place sugar, salt and butter in a large mixing bowl.  Bring the 2 cups of water to a boil and add to the dry ingredients.  Let cool to 105 to 115 F. 

2.  Warm ¼ cup of water to between 85 and 105 F.  (I can do this by feel, now. I don't need a thermometer.) Add a small portion (1 teaspoon) of the sugar and flour and mix in yeast to proof.  Let stand about 10 minutes until foamy. 

3.  Add the yeast mixture to the hot water mix.  Add ½ the flour to the water mix and beat well.  Beat the two eggs until fluffy and then add to the flour and water mix.  Add the remaining flour, less ¾ of a cup, one cup at a time and mix well. 

4.  Roll out on a bread board that is well floured with the ¾ cup and knead 8-10 minutes.  After kneading place in an oiled bowl and let rise until doubled in size.  Punch down.  At this point either: 

            a.  Proceed to sticky bun recipe. 

            b.  Form into rolls or loaves and let rise until doubled in bulk.  Bake 20 minutes in a 350 F oven.

SOURCE:  My grandmother got this recipe from Mrs. Bullard who was a friend of hers in Geneva, NY in the 1930’s.  Growing up we had this recipe at Thanksgiving and Christmas as the base for sticky buns and small rolls.

8-9 sticky buns   Preparation Time: 2 hours labor, 4-5 hours overall

FROM THE KITCHEN OF ROGER SIMMONS 

Sticky Buns 

INGREDIENTS:

 

ITEM	QTY	MEASURE
Raw Bullard Dough	1/4	Bullard Roll Recipe
Filling
Butter (melted)	2	Tablespoons
Brown Sugar	½	Cup
Cinnamon	1/4	Teaspoon
Sauce
Butter	4	Tablespoons
Light Corn Syrup	½	Cup
Brown Sugar	¾	Cup

 

1.  Prepare sauce.  (Okay, I don't know why this recipe still includes "Light Corn Syrup". Corn syrup is gross and it's nearly-garunteed to come from GMO and pesticide-drenched corn. Poison in your sticky buns? Yuck! Of course, Dad never uses corn syrup when he makes it so when I did when I was experimenting in college I never understood why the sauce wasn't as sweet. He then told me you have to have a combination of maple syrup and honey. So I did that in 2010 for Thanksgiving. The sticky buns were so sweet they were nearly inedible. So, I said, "Daaaaaaad." To which he responded, "A few capfuls of molasses." And now they're perfect.) Mix ingredients together and bring to boil stirring frequently while heating and continuously while boiling.  Full boil for up to 60 (This year Dad texted me to say 45 seconds maximum. I agree. Otherwise it'll end up as hard-tack.) seconds.  Pour into a 10” pie pan or 9” X 9” glass Pyrex dish.  Let cool. 

2.  Roll dough out in a rectangle on an unfloured board, about 12” by 6”.  Pour melted butter onto dough and spread to within 1” of top and bottom.  Sprinkle with brown sugar/cinnamon mix.  Roll dough up the long way (like a hotdog).  Slice evenly into 8-9 pieces and place on top of the sauce mix.  Leave space between the slices for the rolls to rise. 

3.  Place rolls in a warm place and let rise until doubled in bulk.  Bake 20 minutes in a 350 F oven.  After removing from oven cover with tin foil and a large plate.  Flip carefully.  Serve.

 

NOTES:  Since I usually do this recipe on the holidays for a midday meal I prepare the dough recipe the night before, allow one rise and then punch down and refrigerate.  The next morning I pull the dough out several hours before I will start the recipe and let it warm up.  As for the sauce I usually mix in some honey and a bit of maple syrup and decrease the corn syrup to make up the required volume.  If you want nuts or raisins you would put them on top of the sauce before setting the rolls in.
Have fun cooking!
Kim & Emmy